Satisfied that no one is going to come to blows in the foyer, Sheena glances at Luca, Riven, and Hyacinth. “I’m Sheena. I don’t think we’ve met before.”
Luca’s smile is immediate as he steps forward and sticks his hand out. “I’m Luca, thank you for your help.”
Riven steps in front of Hyacinth in a clear signal of mistrust, and my eye twitches.
“That’s Riven and Hyacinth,” I tell Sheena. “Sorry, I should have introduced everyone sooner.”
Sheena notes Riven’s defensiveness but doesn’t take offense. My shoulders dip. At least someone here isn’t overreacting.
Ciprian tosses his arm over Sheena’s shoulders. “They’re running low on clothes.”
Her eyes brighten, flickering briefly from green to lavender. “Oh, sure. Let’s get you to your rooms, and I’ll take care of it.” She leads us past the tree and down a wide hallway with a cathedralceiling. “I put you in the rooms down the hall from ours,” she tells Ciprian.
He raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t know there were other bedrooms down there. I thought Idris required personal space.”
Sheena grins. “I might have done some rearranging. He’ll be fine.”Rearranging?Like we’re going to be sleeping in a hastily converted laundry room, or she added on to the wing in the hour since we last saw her? With the way my feet are dragging against the carpet, I’m not sure I care. I could sleep in a truck bed full of gravel.
Ciprian shudders. “You better tell your fae prince this wasn’t my idea.”
“Idris cares about you,” Sheena says. “He was worried, too.”
“Sure, sure.” He bumps his hip against hers. “Whatever you say.”
“I made three rooms for you.” Sheena turns to look at me. “Is that enough, Celine? I can always put Alistair in the garage if he acts up.”
“That’s rude,” he drawls.
Sheena grins at him. “I know.”
“Three is great,” I murmur, glancing at Riven. His silence is loud, and his shoulders are stiff, overlapping his neck on both sides. He’s clearly uncomfortable, but there aren’t any other great options. No one will kill him while he sleeps here. It’s the best I can do.
Ciprian bends to whisper in Sheena’s ear, but speaks loud enough that we all hear him. “How big is the bed, bestie? I need room to work my magic.”
Luca snorts, and Alistair rolls his eyes.
“Do you?” Sheena raises one eyebrow. “If there isn’t enough space for your ‘magic,’ you can always ask your mom if she’s got a better option.”
“Fuck.” Ciprian shudders. “Don’t say shitlike that. Seriously, there is something wrong with you. Being abducted damaged your sense of humor.”
Sheena smirks. “Funny, I always thought it made it better.” She opens a door that’s comically large compared to her small frame and leads us inside. The room has an en suite bathroom and a tall, four-poster bed with pretty, old-fashioned canopy curtains. The color palette is warm and earthy, and the big window in the ceiling provides a breathtaking view of the night sky.
“Hyacinth, I thought you might like this room...” Sheena trails off, a little out of her depth while talking to a teenager.
Hyacinth nods shyly. “This is great. Thanks.”
“The bathroom is through there.” Sheena glances at Ciprian. “I’ll take care of the clothes now. Make the wish.”
Ciprian narrows his eyes. “I don’t know... You created three new rooms an hour ago.”
Sheena plants her hands on her hips. “I know my limits, Ciprian Casanell.”
He scoffs, ducks below her eye level, and looks up. Sheena clamps her hand over his eyes. “Stop trying to peek up my nostrils, asshole. I don’t have a nosebleed.”
Removing Sheena’s hand from his eyes, Ciprian turns to Alistair. “Does she smell like blood, Ali?”
He sniffs and shakes his head, ignoring Sheena’s glare.
“It’s object manipulation,” she snaps. “The easiest wishes there are.”
