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“Oh, I can walk,” I say, my cheeks heating again.
“It’s more amusing this way, for the both of us,” Raúl says with his mischievous smile. “Now, would you like the scenic route? Or would you simply prefer to be there already and rest?”
“I don’t know,” I say, my voice wavering slightly. “All my life, I wanted to leave that tower. But you saw what happened. I don’t know if I can handle more world.”
Raúl winks at me. “I believe, Penny, you are stronger than you think you are. I’ll do a mix of the two. How about that?”
“I guess that would be fine.”
Needing no further encouragement, Raúl whisks us off through the forest. The hard muscles in his arms hold me close, the strength of them quelling any fears of falling. Instead, I rest my head against his shoulder and watch the multicolored trees blend together in dark shades, lit only by the moon and stars. The entire world felt silent and ethereal.
“Are you really a king?” I ask, my heart beating. All this time, had I been talking so informally to royalty without knowing? If it had been the human king, I doubt I would have been graciously pardoned.
He grins at me, tossing his hair. My hand reaches up to brush the locks off his face, but I snatch it back down before I give into my urge. “Don’t I look kingly?” he asks.
With a laugh, I shake my head. “No.”
“My mother will be disappointed to hear it,” he says, his tone teasing. “As for your question, yes, I am the king. I assumed the throne after my father.”
The last part of his sentence has a note of finality, and I don’t ask any more questions. By then, Raúl has passed the lake Mother always mentions, slowing down so I can get a better view. Light bounces off the water and I gasp at the simple beauty of the sky’s reflection. He smiles down at me. “I knew you’d like that. I’d stay, but night wanes and I must be inside before dawn.”
He speeds up, the trees becoming a blur until he stops. “We’re here,” he says. He holds me for a minute longer, which I’m grateful for as my mind catches up to my head.
When I am sure I will not fall flat on my face, I tell Raúl I’m fine to walk. He gently sets me on the ground. I step into the dirt, loving the feeling as it rises between my toes, and look up at where we are. In front of me is a massive stone castle. The entire building is tall and imposing, with a blood-red flag flying at the top of a tower. Not a single stone is crumbling, showing how well taken care of it is. Lights are on in a few of the tower windows.
Raúl leads me to the entrance, a large, brown wooden door with metal strips crisscrossed on it. He opens the door, and bows, gesturing me inside. When I see the grandeur, I am painfully aware of my dirty feet. I stop moving and glance down at the plush, dark red carpet. “Raúl, my feet are too dirty to walk on this.”
He tilts his head back and laughs. “No, they’re not. Trust me, you are perfectly fine to do as you wish.”
The castle has incredibly high ceilings and I briefly wonder how they clean them, before remembering how Raúl stands outside my window on air as if it were ground. Raúl leads me farther in through the hall. I take in what I can, glancing at the tapestries and paintings decorating the walls as high as the ceilings. A quick glance behind shows the dirt from my feet has disappeared off the carpet. We pass a room with giant glass doors flung open and vampires dressed in elegant and stylish clothing moving gracefully across the floor.
We travel up stone stairs, twirling upward, and stop in the middle of the tower. Raúl knocks on a wooden door with a pointed top. It’s painted with beautiful designs and I study them as he knocks again. The door opens, and a young woman stands there. “Beth,” says Raúl. “Is Mother in?”
She smiles warmly at him and opens the door wider, ushering us inside. I stop and take in the room, my eyes not moving fast enough to see everything. The room is large, with stone walls, but painted with forests and meadows. An intricately woven carpet is on the floor, with a long sofa on one side flanked by two smaller sofas. They are made of a plush black velvet, contrasting with the pink and red woven carpet. A desk sits on the opposite wall, made of dark wood and carved with woodland creatures, with a stool made of the same black velvet as the sofas. Two smaller doors are on the far wall, and I’m assuming one leads to the bedroom.
An older woman, appearing perhaps only a few years older than Mother, sits on the sofa with a book in her hand. Raúl tugs me closer, and I follow him until we are standing in front of her. “Mother, I’d like you to meet Penny.”
He gestures to me, then smiles at me. “Penny, this is my mother, Carmen.”
I smile and drop my hair to the ground, bending into an awkward curtsy. My heart pounds as I wait for her to speak.
Chapter Fifteen
“Raúl, you brought a woman home?” Carmen says as she inspects me. I stand straight and clasp my hands in front of me, unsure of what to do.
“Penny lives at the old werewolf castle. She needs a favor from me, and I thought she could stay here until it’s done.”
Carmen puts a hand on her heart. “Goodness me, someone lives in that drafty old castle?” She looks me in the eye and smiles warmly. “Of course you can stay here, child. Here, come sit next to me.”
I glance up at Raúl and he smiles at me. “Don’t worry, she won’t bite.” He turns to Beth. “In fact, no one will. Beth, circle it around. Anyone who touches Penny will regret it.”
He grins and his fangs slide out. Carmen shakes her head at him and they pop back in. I giggle at the exchange and Carmen smiles at me. “I’m glad you have some life in you,” she says. “Let’s get your hair into a more manageable state.”
My mouth drops open in horror. “Please, don’t cut it,” I say loudly, panic in my voice.
She looks taken aback at my outburst. “No, no. I mean, braid it so you can walk without it dragging the earth behind you.”
My shoulders sag in relief and I sit down next to her, dropping the heavy coils of hair. It really is a nuisance carrying it around. I have a few weeks, at least until Mother returns from Ixtla, anyway. Raúl watches us for a second, and Carmen calls for him to fetch her comb, a cup of water, and a box of ties on her dresser. He brings them and presents them to us with a bow. He sets them on the low table in front of the sofas.
