“I transferred your box to your new quarters, Master Kolstov,” the gargoyle informed him after standing up straight. “Nothing is remiss.”
“Good to know your loyalty is unwavering,” Kols replied, grinning.
“I’ve never liked Constantine,” Sir Kristoff muttered. His tone displayed a hint of emotion—a rare trait for a gargoyle. “Power-hungry and cruel.”
He stomped off toward the stairs, taking over the job of host. My grandmother had only told me we would be staying somewhere in this building, mentioning something about thegardens behind it. Fortunately, it seemed Sir Kristoff knew where to take us.
“Do all Midnight Fae creatures know how to find this paradigm?” Aflora asked as we trailed after the gargoyle.
“They know how to locate Midnight Fae,” I replied, my hand releasing hers and going to her lower back as I moved upward beside her.
“Does that mean they’re all allowed here?” Her mind added a follow-up inquiry soon after, telling me why she’d voiced the first question.If Kristoff can enter, is it possible for Constantine to send in a less loyal gargoyle or something worse?she asked herself.
“No,” I answered, addressing both of her queries. “There are numerous protective spells and layers that will prevent anyone and anything with ill intentions from crossing the boundary into the paradigm.”
“Can’t they just use a stonepecker? Like that day on campus?” she pressed.
“Hell Fae wards are not something stonepeckers can absorb and regurgitate,” I assured her. “Which means it wouldn’t even be able to reach the paradigm boundary to try to learn the spells.”
“Because the ill-intentioned creature would be destroyed upon entering Lucifer’s gates,” Zakkai added from right behind us. “Extremely useful setup, and also why your grandmother afforded us that meeting the other week. She knew I had good intentions.”
I lifted a shoulder. “Caution is what keeps her alive.”
“It’s more than caution, Shadow. Zenaida’s brilliant.” The conviction in his tone told me he meant the praise in his words.
I nodded in agreement and continued up until the stairs stopped, indicating our floor. It was nearly impossible to knowwhat level we were on because the steps had just continued up and up and up until they ended on a floor with a single door.
“Concealment charms,” Zakkai mused. “As I said, brilliant.” He stepped up behind Aflora, his hands finding her hips and trapping my palm between his abdomen and her lower back. “Can you sense the magic, little star? All the secret wires pulsing through the floors and hiding all the rooms except the one intended to be ours?”
She leaned into my side and back into him, allowing us to hold her as she considered the enchantments of the building. “It’s… intense.”
“It’s beautiful,” Zakkai whispered. “Like you.” He kissed her neck, then relaxed his chin on her shoulder. “But can you see through it? To the electrical energy beneath?”
“I sense it,” she admitted. “But I don’t understand it.”
“Close your eyes,” he breathed, his arms slipping around her middle while my palm remained between them. It created an intimate connection between the three of us, Zakkai seeming unbothered by the fact that I stayed close while he engaged their mental link to coach her through the magical lesson.
Her thick black eyelashes splayed across her cheekbones as she did as he’d instructed, her lips parting at whatever he unleashed inside her.
Kols and Zeph shared a look while Sir Kristoff stood stationary in the hallway.
Static hummed through the air as Zakkai and Aflora spoke mentally to one another, and after several minutes of intense silence, Aflora opened her eyes once more.
“What floor are we on, little star?” Zakkai said.
“The fourth one. Room seven.”
“Well done,” he praised, kissing her neck again. “Very well done.” He released her then, his focus falling to the gargoyle. “Continue.”
Sir Kristoff gave a subtle bow, acknowledging Zakkai as superior because of his Source Architect role. Or maybe because he was Aflora’s mate. Regardless, the gargoyle led us to our room and through the door into a living area surrounded by windows.
My eyebrows lifted at the courtyard beyond it. “Fourth floor?”
“Another impressive illusion,” Zakkai said. “That’s a roof garden above one of the other rooms.”
“Filled with real plants.” Aflora practically ran forward, her intrigue clearly replacing her need to eat because she ran right past the kitchen and open dining area to the sliding doors at the side. Zakkai sent a spell ahead of her to open the glass doors, allowing her to dart straight into the garden of flowers and trees.
The four of us chuckled at her excitement, then Zeph wandered after her and leaned against the doorway. “Are you going to strip like last time, pixie flower?”
