Page 12 of Gilded Curses

He’d always been so cold and calculating. Somewhere along the way, that changed.

There was something far more volatile about him lately. The Cursed Realm had changed him, and in doing so, she worried it might be a stoic dark fae instead of a demon who set off a catastrophic chain of events.

When Orin remained under control, Sahira shifted her attention back to her surroundings. Everything inside the castle was pristine. Not one speck of dust marred any surface, and no motes danced in the air.

Being inside the castle made her acutely aware of how filthy she was with her torn, dirty, and blood-stained clothes. She yearned to run a finger over the walls, leaving dirt streaks everywhere, but she kept her hands fisted at her sides.

Glancing back, she expected to see someone following them with a broom and mop, but none of their still too-large entourage carried cleaning supplies. They did have swords, spears, knives, and daggers, though.

When she briefly met Elsa’s eyes, fear shimmered in their chestnut-colored depths, but her friend didn’t look like she was about to spiral out of control. But maybe she was as on edge and as good at hiding it as Sahira.

While they followed the crowd through the halls, Sahira became acutely aware that none of these gilded freaks touched the walls. Despite the size of the group and their immaculate cleanliness, none of them so much as brushed a shoulder against the walls.

It only made her itch to smear her handprints over them more. Her nails dug into her palms to keep herself from doing so.

Questions surged to the tip of her tongue, but she held them back. Desmond had made it clear he wasn’t answering questions yet. She wondered if he’d answer them or if this was another twisted game.

They entered another hall where, on their left, sunlight streamed through the windows lining it. The right side consisted of closed doors.

At the end of the hall was another closed door. Someone scurried forward to open it before Desmond arrived. They stepped back to let Desmond descend a set of stairs.

Sahira’s pace slowed as they approached the doorway, but they were the next ones to follow him through. They could be walking toward their deaths, and she didn’t know how to stop it.

Desmond took a right and then another as he led them deeper into the castle. The sound of running water reached her a second before a woman in white opened another door for Desmond.

White marble surrounded him as he turned to face them and threw up his arms to indicate the cavernous room. From her angle in the door, she couldn’t see much beyond him, but water trickled from somewhere, and white surrounded him.

“Here we are!” He lowered his arms and made a sweeping gesture around the room. “Please, come in. You are our guests, after all.”

“Is that what we are?” Orin inquired. “Or are we your prisoners?”

Desmond laughed. “You’re very much our guests, my distrustful, dark fae friend. Please, come in, relax, and enjoy.”

Sahira exchanged another glance with Elsa as Orin and Zeth glared at Desmond. Please don’t do anything, Sahira inwardly pleaded.

They had no chance of getting away now, the two of them had to see that, but if they bided their time and learned more about these immortals, an opportunity might present itself… or so she hoped. But that opportunity wasn’t now.

When she started forward, Orin seized her arm to halt her. His hand was like a vice as it encircled her flesh.

“Don’t worry, Orin. We won’t harm anyone, especially not your little witch,” Desmond assured him.

Her and Orin’s eyes narrowed on the man as they assessed him. He saw too much of their relationship, and Orin was giving them away, but she didn’t think there was anything left to give away… Desmond already knew so much about them.

“Come now,” a soft, melodious voice interjected with the same accent they all possessed. “Stop teasing them, Desmond, and let them get the pampering they deserve.”

A beautiful woman with gold-speckled skin, black hair to her waist, and warm brown eyes glided through the crowd to join them. She smiled at all of them before descending the stairs to join Desmond in the room beyond.

“Ah, my lovely wife has finally arrived,” Desmond said as the woman lifted a cheek to him; he kissed it. “Where have you been, dear?”

“Someone had to ensure our esteemed guests will reside in the luxury they deserve while here,” the woman replied. “I stayed to oversee the readying of their rooms.”

She turned back to them and smiled, but her smile wasn’t anywhere near as chilling as Desmond’s. Sahira wasn’t fooled by it and didn’t think anybody else was either. If she was with this man, then she was a ruthless shark.

“I’m Sheree,” the woman greeted in her pretty voice. “My husband and I rule this land and would like to welcome you to Epoch.” She quirked an eyebrow when none of them said anything, but her smile didn’t falter. “You must all be exhausted, and you could certainly use a good bath… as well as a massage or ten.”

A titter ran through the crowd, but Sahira didn’t find her words amusing.

“As our much-awaited guests, please call us Sheree and Desmond.” Sheree waved her hand at them as she stepped closer to Desmond. “Come with us.”