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Raúl chuckles as someone knocks on the door. He goes to answer it while I watch the bath, making sure it doesn’t overfill. He comes back with a small basket and hands it to me.
I take it, even more awed. Inside is a collection of soaps, and I smell lavender, rosemary, even chamomile. “Are you sure I can use these?” I ask. It’s so generous of him and his people.
He looks affronted. “Of course you can have these.” He turns the knobs off, now that the tub is filled almost to the brink. “When you’re dressed, simply call for me. I want to show you the library.”
I nod, and with his vampire quickness, he vanishes out of the rooms. Quickly, I undress and step inside the tub, groaning at how good the water feels. The lavender and chamomile scents fill the bath, and I scrub all the dirt from my toes. I float in the warm water, staring up at the intricately tiled ceiling. This entire castle is gorgeous, clean, and welcoming. As each second passes, Raúl’s offer to stay here becomes more and more appealing. What would my life be like if I could live like this every day? At home, I haul bucket after bucket of warm water down the stairs to fill my tub, then pour the entire thing out in the water closet to drain. It is hard work, and sometimes I am just as sweaty as before my bath.
By the time I finish, I am probably cleaner than I’ve ever been in my life. With a sigh of satisfaction, I drain the tub, marveling at the fact I do not have to do anything else, and grab one of the many towels off a shelf on the wall. Raúl’s basket even has lotion in it, which I promptly rub into my skin. I’ve seen Mother do the same with her bottle of lotion, one I was not to touch, ever.
I pick up my dress and walk to the bedroom, wondering if there’s some way to clean it. What I see on the bed, though, banishes that thought, because Raúl left me another gorgeous gown, a deep purple hue with matching slippers. I slip the dress on, surprised at how comfy it is.
When I am finished dressing, I open the door and lean out, calling Raúl’s name. In an instant, he stands before me in the door, his mischievous smile spread on his face.
Raúl offers me his arm and we walk down the hall back to the throne room. From there, he leads me down a set of stairs to another hallway. We walk a short distance until we are standing in front of two large brown doors with stacks of books carved across the top.
He opens the door with a flourish. “I present to you our library.”
My mouth drops open at the rows of books I see before me. “Where did these come from?”
“Everywhere,” Raúl says. “We’ve collected them from all across the realm since we moved in here.”
We walk farther inside, and he shows me different sections. “I know you aren’t used to having so many people around you, so I guessed this would be a good starting point. I’ll be back in to visit you, and my mother mentioned she would be here later as well. Food will be here for you soon. Is there anything else you need?”
I shake my head, turning around and gawking at all the books. “Not for now, thank you.” I stop and look him in his eyes, watching the color of his red one. “What are you off to do today?”
He grimaces. “Taking care of some minor vampire squabbles. Incredibly boring.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Oh. Is there any way I can help?”
“No. But thank you.” He pauses, and runs a hand through his hair. “Listen, Penny. While you’re here at the castle, how do you feel about learning how to defend yourself? Physically, I mean. I don’t want that witch hurting you more than she already has.”
“I doubt I’ll ever fight her, but it could be good,” I say.
He grins at me, elated. “We’ll have a session every night whenever you’re here.”
“Thank you.” I debate kissing him on the cheek again, but a sudden shyness overcomes me. With a short bow, he leaves, and I immediately set to work finding some books. The first section I head for is romance. Obviously, Mother would never bring any of these books into our tower, so I find my knowledge in that area lacking. Nothing a few books won’t fix, though. I also pick up a book on the five queens. It is small, but Carmen’s story sparked my interest. I want to learn more.
I settle into a chair with my stack of books at my feet. It isn’t long before I’m lost in the pages, barely registering when food arrives, followed by Carmen.
She takes one look at the romance books and raises an eyebrow.
Chapter Nineteen
My face heats as she takes a seat across from me, folding her hands into her lap. The man who brought the food in wheels the tray next to us before bowing and leaving.
“So,” she says, “are you interested in love?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly.
She nods as if she thought I would say that. “My son used to flit from girl to girl.”
For some reason, my heart drops when I hear that. She must notice the distress on my face, because she smiles and adds. “Not anymore, though. He hasn’t shown interest in anyone for the past few decades. Even less since he received that scar of his.”
“How long do vampires live?” I ask, wondering if it would provide some context. Did a decade seem like a few minutes?
“For a very, very long time,” she says. “Raúl has been a vampire for about two hundred years, if that’s why you’re asking.”
She walks closer to me and studies the titles of the books in my stack. “This is one you should start with.” She heads to the shelves and pulls out another, coming back and handing it to me. “This is the one you should read next.”
