Page 70 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

“Ravenhill. If you’re tricking me⁠—”

“I’m not. You might not believe me, but I’m not. You’re part of the bloody Dark Court and my responsibility. I won’t leave you alone in a moment of need, and I have my faults too.”

She faced the wall and covered her head with the quilt.

26

THE MOST POWERFUL MAGIC

Irene

The palace had over two thousand rooms and more than nine thousand hectares of land around, but I hadn’t realised how long it took to go from the bedrooms to the kitchen, even taking hidden passages and shortcuts. The kitchen could be in another county.

Alex held my hand softly in his, and a warm, fluttery sensation filled my chest.

I love you.

If my soul searching power worked on him, I would detect his love, and I didn’t deny I longed to experience his feelings. But the tender, sweet way he’d said he loved me had been a good replacement. The snakes slithered away from us, hissing. That was the strength of love.

Tears blurred my sight. I had to stop in the middle of the hallway.

“What is it?” His concern travelled through our bond.

“I’m happy we’re together.” I rested my head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me.

Being safe and protected in his arms was the best sensation in the world.

He was shaking but not as badly as before. With my ear against his chest, I heard the slow thump of his heart. I counted more than twenty seconds between two of them.

He ran a hand down my back, and I remained still, lest his anxiety be triggered. He’d overcome his fear, for me, without spells or tricks.

When we resumed walking to the kitchen, he put an arm around my shoulders, and I held his waist.

The fog was dense in some spots along the corridor and almost absent in others. The snakes stayed away from us as if frightened of our presence. We’d reversed our positions.

I went down another flight of stairs. “I can’t believe the butler and the footmen have to walk all this way to serve the food.”

“They don’t. The servants who work in the kitchen give the plates and trays of food to other servants who bring everything to an anteroom on the ground floor, close to the dining room. The footmen take the plates from there, and you know, they all have a magic power or two.”

“How many servants are employed here?”

“A few hundred. Only the gardeners are over fifty. Many sleep in Crowsbury.”

I was astounded. “I had no idea.”

“When Koschei was the Dark Duke, Raven Hall hosted over four thousand supernatural beings. The corridors were packed with valets, ladies’ maids, chambermaids, and personal cooks.”

I took his hand in mine. “Where are all those people now?”

“Many joined the Fair Court. Some went abroad. Others live among humans. Some of them are lords and ladies in human society. I can’t say I miss them. Those who left agreed with Koschei’s behaviour and expected me to shower them with gifts and privileges.”

“Good riddance then. You’re way better than that horrible man obsessed with kidnapping maidens.” I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him.

“Anyone is better than a horrible man kidnapping maidens.” He laughed and kissed me back.

The tension that had stressed our bond in the past few days was gone. Only lightness and warmth were left, and I burst out laughing too.

He lifted me by the waist and made me twirl. My skirt flapped around us, and my glowing light sparkled, enveloping us in a glittering bauble. When he put me down, we hugged each other tightly.