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“I would never harm a consort,” I bark, and she takes another step back.
I grit my teeth and stretch my neck. Fuck. Romulus tends to wake up when I get agitated, always ready to take charge of my screwups and save the day with his calm, cold logic. I tug my flask from my pants and chug a small swill. The liquid is bitter, metallic almost, and a little salty on my tongue, but it does the trick and sends my twin back to dreamland. I am fully my own again.
My consort eyes me warily, and I see the distrust her distrust.
“If there is one thing I have learned to value above all others, it is the health and well-being of one’s consort. I will see to your happiness here. I vow it.” I lift a hand to my chest over my heart. She may not know me yet, but in this, I am earnest. It feels strange to show earnestness when I wear so many other masks for everyone else. With her alone, perhaps, I can be real. Or as real as a monster such as me can ever manage.
Her tense stance loosens slightly. Her arms stay crossed even as her shoulders lower a bit. “Trust is earned,” she says.
I nod. Ah, so my consort is wise as well as beautiful. I am happy to discover this.
She bites her lip. “My name’s Lauren.”
“Lo-Ren,” I pronounce, then grin. “Lo-Ren consort, it is my heart’s delight to have you here.”
I hold out my arm wide to the doorway of my bedroom, gesturing toward the rest of the castle, hoping it will delight her as much as my room has. “What would you like to see first?”
Chapter Four
LAUREN
I don’t know quite what to make of him. This man claims to be a god but, at the moment, he feels much more like a man. Well, one with wings and a tail anyway.
What do I know though? I don’t have the best track record with men.
But we’re not thinking about that right now. I’ve stepped into something that resembles a fairytale at the moment, and one doesn’t clutter that with bullshit memories of the past. At least not right now. Right now, I want to be lost in this moment and completely forget my past.
Because what I wanted, what I’ve really wanted—even though I never knew how to pray for it—was to be free. Free from all the bullshit of my own life. And somehow, miraculously, that freedom has been delivered in the form of a seven-foot tall, muscle-bound, handsome if wild-eyed, bewinged god. And the tail, I can’t forget about the tail. Even now, it twitches in the air behind him like a playfully curious cat.
Only as I watch him watching me do I remember he asked me a question. What do I want to see first?
“Everything!” I exclaim.
He grins wide, white teeth flashing, and holds out a hand toward the door. “I’m not sure our castle is as magical as you might wish. Our father had lavish tastes, but my brothers burned many of his things after an. . . er, extreme disagreement.”
“You have brothers?” I ask. “Are they like you?”
He coughs a little, and the hood he’s still wearing falls back from his face a bit. He tugs it into place again. “We were all given different. . . ah, gifts by our father. So no, not like me.” Then he grins, the big one that splits his face, one eyebrow quirking up as he flirts with me. “I assure you, I am quite unique. And you have gotten the best of all the brothers.”
I laugh at that. “Oh yeah? Maybe I should judge for myself. Where are these brothers of yours? Or do you all have your own castles?”
He waves a hand dismissively. “They’re on vacation with their consorts. Well, my youngest brother does not yet have the joy of companionship because he’s just returned to us.”
I shake my head, not quite following all he’s saying. “But they’re all gods, like you?”
“As I have said,” he steps nearer and dips his head closer to mine. “None are like me, little Lo-ren.”
His closeness sends my heart suddenly racing, and my breathing quickens. I spin away and head for the door. “You said you’d show me everything. I’m ready.” I hustle out the door, but I swear I hear him chuckle behind me.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, I step out into a hallway. I still can’t believe I’m in a real castle.
Traveling to Europe and visiting places where castles exist has always been on my bucket list. But it’s also something I sorta never believed would ever happen for me. Cross-the-ocean plane tickets are expensive, as is travel in general. Hell, I’ve never even been to the ocean!
I lift my hands and trail them along the walls as I walk. The stones feel old. Older than anywhere I’ve ever been in the States. Light filters in from huge windows at the end of the hallway, and when we reach it, there’s a spiral staircase heading both directions.
I turn around to Remus. “Which way, up or down?”
“If you want to see something magical, then go up. Three flights.”
