“Rooms?” Marcus yelped.
“Of course. You didn’t think we’d allow you to come to Forevermore without making sure you had a place to stay,” Emperor Cassiel replied. He nodded to a servant at his side, who bustled forward and bowed to us.
“You mean… we’re not going back to the Institute?” I asked.
“It wasn’t in my knowledge that youwantedto go back,” Emperor Cassiel replied. “It is a prison school, after all. And due to the security of the city, I’m afraid we can’t allow you to leave. You must stay here, for your own safety as much as ours.”
That was worrisome to me, but not to Kallie. She brightened immediately at the mention of staying in a palace once again, whereas I shared a wary glance with Marcus. As pretty as this place was, we were prisoners here as we were at the Institute. They weren’t going to let us go.
“I’ll have food sent to your rooms,” Emperor Cassiel said. “You’ve all had a very long journey, and need time to rest.”
“Follow me this way, please,” the servant said. Marcus, Kallie and I drifted after the servant. My fingers twitched as I noticed Cameron watching us lonesomely, as if he wanted to follow.
Tough. I wasn’t accommodating at all to the absent father bullshit, and Cameron had seriously pissed me off by hurting Charlie. He could go suck a dick.
As we passed all the elaborate paintings and sculptures in the hallway, Marcus was absolutely gushing.
“This is an authentic Van Gogh!” he cried, pointing to a painting of poppies on the wall.
He hurried across the hallway and pointed to another group of paintings. “Anda missing Rembrandt,anda lost Picasso! Some of these paintings have been lost for decades!”
“Yes, the Elves are great appreciators of all forms of art,” the servant replied. “We have a college here that is devoted to studying the masters. Our theater program was the best in the world, before we had to go into hiding.”
Marcus squealed. Looks like he’d changed his mind in staying in Forevermore in two point five seconds.
“Mother Miriam’s bosom, is that a portrait byRaphael?” he all but screamed. Rishi meowed as Marcus squeezed him, like it was a dream come true.
I rolled my eyes. Marcus was totally getting a hard-on for all this art. I bet all the rare missing paintings in the world were in Forevermore. The Elves really had a talent for getting away with crimes.
“Your rooms are connected to the quarters of Prince Charles. He has his own section of the palace, built for his friends and his bride,” the servant explained.
Bride? I opened my mouth to ask something else, but my words died in my throat as I saw Eddie come running up the hallway.
“Ah, Miss Ava. There you are,” Eddie breathed. “I left Charlie in his room with your Familiar. He needed some… time alone.”
My stomach plummeted.
Eddie gave a nervous smile. “Anyway, I thought that in the meantime, I should take you to the Empress Suite.”
“Empress Suite?” I blinked. Kallie and Marcus gaped.
“Oh, yes, you don’t know.” Eddie blushed, and his eyes shifted toward my friends. “May I have a moment with you, miss? A private word?”
I was about to say no, but Kallie waved her hand at me, as if to say it was fine. Kallie sure was making herself comfortable around here. She didn’t seem to think there was any danger. I followed her lead, and said, “Okay. I’m listening.”
The other servant led Kallie and Marcus away, while I followed Eddie. He took me around a pillar, before he faced me sheepishly and wrung his hands.
“Pardon me, miss, but as I am an Elf, I can see bonds, even if I’m not strong enough to break them,” Eddie said. “You share a soul with my master. And I couldn’t help but notice how close the two of you are. He loves you, and you love him.”
“What’s your point?” I jutted out a hip, preparing to receive yet another surprise.
“There’s one thing we didn’tquitetalk about in the throne room,” Eddie said. His voice got quieter with every word. “You see, the people weren’t just welcoming Charlie. They were welcoming you, too.”
“Me? Why?” I was certain they didn’t even know who I was.
Eddie nibbled his bottom lip. “Um, well, we haven’t had an Empress in the city in some years. Emperor Cassiel’s wife died some many years ago, and Kelly Catori was never brought to Forevermore. We haven’t had an Empress in the city in such a long time, and the position is very dear to Forevermore. We worship Elvengoddesses, so the Empress is considered to be the spiritual leader for the people, the mother of our race. In some ways, the Empress is more important to the Elves than even the Emperor himself.”
I could see where this was going. “People want it to be me, don’t they?”
