River grabbed my hand and led me inside. A glimmer overhead caught my attention instantly. ‘Wow, this chandelier is spectacular.’
‘I know, right? My mother had it commissioned from the same designer who crafted the one in the Air Castle. Have you ever been?’
‘No, but if it’s anything like this, I might just pay the queen a visit—if only to admire her fixtures,’ I teased, watching the sunlight catch on thousands of tiny crystals.
We moved further inside, reaching a medium-sized kitchen with a marble island. The open-plan layout made it feel spacious and inviting.
‘There are three bedrooms upstairs and a portal in the basement. What do you think?’
I ran my fingertips over the marble surface and the meticulously carved cabinets. ‘It’s wonderful. Are you moving here?’
‘No, it’s… yours.’
I whipped toward him. ‘What?’
‘The chalet… is yours,’ he repeated a little shyly.
My throat dried, making it challenging to speak. ‘W-Why?’
He stepped closer, leaning on the cupboard opposite to where I stood. ‘You need a place to sleep.’
Oh my Gods. My eyes stung. ‘No, River. I can’t–’
‘It’s yours. You don’t have to live here if you don’t want to, but I want you to have a place where you can sleep undisturbed.’
I didn’t know how to react.
‘It’s not that bad. Sure, Alec and Willow are…’ Fuck it. 'Yeah, I might sleep here once in a while, actually. But I can’t accept it as a gift.’
A soft smile warmed his face. ‘It’s a gift from you to me if I know you have a safe place to rest. Those bags under your eyes are starting to make me worried, Ava.’
‘Don’t worry. Fae can’t die of sleep deprivation, can they?’
‘But witches can,’ his tone was solemn enough that I didn’t know what to say.
Miriam did say I looked horrible; maybe she was right if they all suddenly seemed so worried. ‘Okay then, show me your favourite spot of the house. Something you’re most proud of.’
The amber eyes of his darkened before he grinned in that scandalous way that made me ignore better judgement. ‘There is a spot.’
My pulse hammered in my ears. ‘Sounds dangerously ominous, River.’
He ate up the distance in a few strides, forcing me to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. ‘If I take you there will you indulge me?’
‘Um… It depends on what you mean.’ I shuddered. Resting him was growing harder.
There was a dangerous kind of knowing in his eyes. He was fully aware of what he was doing to me—and he kept pushing, like he wanted me to unravel.
‘Strictly platonic. Purely recreational,’ he purred, and my fire fought for control.
‘You’re worrying me,’ I said honestly, and he grinned harder.
‘Because you’re overthinking it. Come on,’ he urged, leading me out through a door on the other side of the house, his hand never leaving the small of my back.
By the wall, surrounded by planted flowers and bushes, sat a massive rectangular vessel covered by a tarp that River rushed to remove.
‘The lights are useless now that it's daytime, but you need to see them at night,’ he gestured toward lightbulbs built into the tub.
A hot tub.
