Page 92 of Of Shadows and Blood

His deep laughter feels fuzzy in my head. I’m afraid not.

“Spelled to keep the heat in and cold out,” Nita tuts as she continues walking. I quickly pick up my pace and skirts to follow her.

The next building is some of the same style but the skylights sprinkle beautiful sunlight onto the floor of a large ballroom. The layout of Skysong is interesting, to say the least. Nita takes me through a servant passage on the side, similar to Lux, and a few turns later we emerge into the kitchens.

A little smaller than Lux’s, most likely due to a smaller staff, servants are working to prepare some food. Not a lot, of course, considering vampyr only eat for routine and not necessity.

“Look who we have here,” the tall chef, who I imagine is Cook, says before a deep bow. “My eyes have been blessed once more.”

“Remember who she’s betrothed to,” Nita corrects with a wink. Cook comes around from behind a worktable and wipes his floured hands off on his apron. Nita, in the background, nimbly stuffs some pastries into her dress pockets.

“It smells amazing in here.” I gesture to the spread being prepared. “How do you manage to do all of this?” I take in the various dishes of different styles, smell, appearance.

“Magic and then some,” Cook replies with a wink. “Come to try my dessert for tonight?”

I nod and follow him over to a platter with small cakes coated in a powdered sugar. I break open the sponge cake and smell the filling.

“Is this elys?” I question. The scent is unmistakable. Cook nods excitedly as I bite into it and immediately relish in this foreign treat while accidently powdering my chest.

“Wow,” I say with a mouthful. “This is…” I chew again. “Mmhmm. Yes.” Nita and Cook burst into laughter and bite into theirs.

“Keep me in mind for your wedding!” Cook sings as he goes back to arranging the courses.

In an effort to ignore his comment, I curtsy in thanks to the rest of the staff before following Nita’s quick feet out of the area.

“Where to next?”

Chapter 24

You must acknowledge both the allure and deception of immortality: the balance between boredom and a lifetime of adventure.

Walking from our shared quarters, I welcome the warmth of the cess lights along the hall. The dress I’m wearing to dinner is elegant and simple, fitting in easily with the surroundings. We plan to dine privately in Baron’s quarters due to lasting discussions over Duresden’s movements.

“You can leave, anytime.”

“You said it yourself – this won’t last very long.”

Cedric’s hands have already found their way to my shoulders, sending shivers down my spine while whispering in my ear.

“I just wanted you to know that tonight might be a little… disorienting,” he whispers, while leading me down the bridge that connects the main palace to the king’s tower. Dinner will be a relaxed fare compared to Lux and Duresden. I feel my experience in royalty has grown tenfold. Baron’s court is quite small and mostly composed of close friends who are also nobles and some servants he is fond of, such as Nita. A blizzard rages outside and I’m thankful for windows once more. We arrived later than we anticipated with the snow, so any discussions Cedric needs with Baron will happen in the morning.

The grip he has on my hand feels foreign and thrilling. The thought of physical contact with him months ago put bile in my throat but I have never felt safer. Something changed after our last argument. I’m not sure what, but he feels easier to be around. Easier to learn.

He turns back to me before the guards open the double doors. Surely checking I haven’t changed my mind, he nods and lets a small smile warm his face. I squeeze his hand, causing him to turn back in shock. His eyes focus on our hands as his gaze draws back up to my face, drinking in each inch of my body on his way up.

Cedric’s mouth opens, then closes, as if he had something to say. Like the words lost their way in his throat.

The doors swing open, warm red and orange light illuminating the hall. Cedric leads us inside and it takes a few blinks for my eyes to adjust. This level of the tower is one giant room bedecked in furs, silks, tapestries and macramé covering every inch of the space. The light fixtures are even covered in them too, causing a dim glow on the room. A large fire pit is in the center of the room with a thin chimney pipe rising out through the ceiling.

A loft above us wraps around the whole room with little sections giving a glimpse of the king’s life: a telescope and planetary orbs next to an easel and paint pots on one side; a large bed and silks hanging from the ceiling on the other. In between are desks of trinkets, maps, riding boots and every other wild hobby he enjoys.

I forget that I’m not alone when I turn full circle again and meet eyes with Cedric, who hasn’t taken his off me. I blush and hide my face, giggling.

“What?” he asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he finally looks around the room.

“It’s just so…”

“Different than Lux?”