“The last time I checked, yeah,” Derek replies, not catching that my question was rhetorical.
“It’s not exactly how I imagined her place would look like.”
“What did you expect?” Sophie looks at me.
“Something darker and more sinister, not a Disney princess castle.”
“Don’t be fooled by Queen Tatiana’s taste. Sheisruthless.” Sophie stares at the castle, tension making her shoulders square.
“I believe you. She raised that piece of shit Boone.”
Sophie sits straighter at the mention of that vermin. I know she hates his guts, but I’m beginning to think he’s donesomething to her. If he hurt her… God, there’s nothing I can do about it since he’s worm food now. But hell, it makes me livid just imagining that he might have hurt her.
“Please don’t say his name to me.”
“Sorry. I won’t anymore.”
Derek parks the car in front of the mansion but doesn’t make a motion to exit the vehicle.
“What are we waiting for?” I ask.
“One cannot simply knock on Tatiana’s door.”
“Why not? Isn’t she expecting us?”
No sooner do I ask the question than the small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Something creepy is out there. A second later, a couple of pairs of glowing ember eyes appear in the darkness. Wolves.
“She has wolf shifters protecting her mansion?” Sophie’s voice rises in pitch.
Derek rubs his face. “Yes.”
“Too bad I’m all out of Scooby snacks,” I joke.
The front door opens, and a tall woman with white hair and dark skin walks out.
“That’s Enya, Queen Tatiana’s familiar,” Sophie tells me.
“What animal did she used to be?”
“A hawk.”
“That’s cool,” I say, which is a stupid comment to make all things considered. That’s me, saying stupid shit at the worst possible times.
“All right. Let’s go.” Derek opens the door and gets out of the car.
I’m not as keen to follow him considering the wolves outside, but hell, I can’t stay in the car like a coward while Sophie doesn’t hesitate to exit the vehicle.
I use the opposite door and join her in front of Derek’s car but avoid touching her. I’m going out a limb here that wedon’t want Enya and the wolf shifters to know Sophie and I are involved.
“I didn’t think you would come tonight,” Enya addresses Derek.
“I wanted to be here sooner, but there were some complications. I understand we had a small window. Are we too late?”
Small window for what?
“No.” She turns her attention to Sophie. “It’s good to see you awake, child.”
“I’ve been awake for two months. My father hasn’t told you?”
