Page 24 of Gilded Curses

It would probably be best if they all stayed together, but there was no way he was sharing a room with the demon. He’d saved Zeth’s life, but that was where he drew the line. Besides, Sahira would eventually get over being mad at him, and he wasn’t about to have company when she returned to his bed.

And she would return.

“Of course,” another woman murmured, and the guards closed two doors.

“You are free to roam the castle,” the woman from his bath said.

“What about outside?” Sahira asked.

“There are guards outside too who will be happy to show you around should you decide to explore out there,” a guard gruffly replied.

So no, Orin decided. And he suspected the second they exited their rooms, they’d have a contingent of guards ensuring they didn’t go anywhere alone.

When a woman placed her hand in the small of Elsa’s back, she handed her a small bag and waved for her to enter her room. Sahira stepped forward as if to follow but stopped as the woman clasped the knob and started to close the door.

Sahira craned her head to see more into Elsa’s room and waved to her. Orin couldn’t see if the witch waved in return.

Zeth entered the room beside Elsa’s while another woman placed her hand on the small of Sahira’s back and steered her back across the hall. They were all handed small bags that Orin suspected contained what little the dagadon had decided they could keep of their things.

Sahira moved woodenly as she stopped outside the door to the room next to his. Their eyes briefly met before Sahira gave him a small smile and strolled into the room.

Unable to tolerate the idea of having her out of his sight, he almost went after her, but a woman leaned in to close the door behind her. Orin stopped himself from continuing after her. She was already gone, and they’d only stop him; a confrontation wouldn’t accomplish anything now.

The brownies vanished into the room on the other side of Orin’s, but he remained outside his door. “What are our chances of ending up in the dungeon?”

He wasn’t surprised when his question was met by silence as they all stared at him.

“Do you need help readying your room?” the woman asked.

He didn’t want any of these assholes in his room. Without looking back, Orin strode inside; he turned to shut the door, but the woman leaned in and grasped the handle.

“Have a good night,” she told him, handing him a bag too.

Orin didn’t bother to respond as the door closed with a click. He was about to turn away when he spotted something white floating in the air.

The woman must have dropped it when she was closing the door. Before it hit the ground, Orin snatched it from the air and discovered it was a scrap piece of folded parchment.

He glanced at the door before unfolding it to discover she’d written a note inside….

Meet me in the garden at 2 a.m. Destroy this.

He stared at the note before crumpling it in his hand and taking it into the bathroom. He tore it into tiny pieces before flushing the toilet. The small pieces of parchment floated on the water before being sucked down the drain to somewhere far away.

Satisfied they were gone, he opened the bag and discovered his birth control potion tucked inside. Closing it again, he leaned back to survey his surroundings. Like with everything else in this realm, white brick surrounded him.

It was so white and clean that the lights, and their golden holders above the sink, were almost too dazzling as they reflected off the pristine surfaces. The tub beside him was also a clean, sparkling white and large enough to fit two or three immortals.

When he was sure none of the note would resurface, Orin left the bathroom and turned off the lights. The main bedroom was also completely white, though a red comforter covered the king-size bed, and the clock in the corner had a gold face and wooden base. Of course, it was all flecked with gold.

Gold drapes covered the windows, but like the bathroom and almost everywhere else in this place, the walls were bare of any adornments other than the light fixtures. A door across the way looked as if it connected with Sahira’s room, while the one to the far left of his bed must go into the brownies’ room.

Orin contemplated knocking on Sahira’s door, but there was still more to explore here. He crossed over to the drapes and pulled them open to reveal two French doors and the balcony beyond.

Grasping a handle, he pulled one of the doors open and stepped into the cool night air. He strode over to the edge, and, seizing the railing, gazed down at the garden below. He couldn’t make out much of the details, as most of the vast space was lost to the night, but it overflowed with plants silhouetted by the low-hanging moon.

The door to the balcony beside his opened, and Sahira stepped out. Her eyes found his across the ten feet separating them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO