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“Raze, you abducted her?” Leven turned to this brother and sighed. “Told you before. Stop with all the heroic shit. Just talk to people. Girls don’t like to behijacked.”
“Talk?” Raze raised his voice. “Talking to her is like trying to convince a bull to wear a tutu.” His nostrils flared. “Nothing is happening tonight. If you want to leave, you know where the front door is. But I doubt you’d make it far. Now, follow me and I’ll show you to yourroom.”
Okay, so everyone had a prickly personality. Fine, I could play that game too. “I’m not in the mood for sleep. What’s with your brother in the cage? When did he first startchanging?”
He shrugged, as if nothing in the world could touch him, his lips thinning to a straight line. “I don’t have the headspace for this tonight. And I’ll carry you to your bedroom if you prefer.” Raze stood there, arms tight by his side. Yep, someone was used to getting hisway.
“Excuseme?”
Leven moved to stand between us. “It’s for your own safety, Bee. And under no circumstance are you to return to the west wing on the topfloor.”
I stared from one shifter to the next, both with judging expressions. While I agreed that maybe sleep might clear my thoughts, I hated to give in on principle alone. But if they refused to talk about the situation, we’d be going incircles.
“Then I need my bag from the carriage,” Iinsisted.
“Leave it to me,” Leven said before heading out of the kitchen, leaving me with Raze and his piercingstare.
I pushed past him and marched into the corridor. “Are you showing me to my roomthen?”
Raze stormed ahead of me, his arms swinging wide by his sides. I trailed after him to the next floor and along a long hallway until we reached double doors. Wooden and arched, golden trim decorated the edges. He opened them both and moved aside, waving me toenter.
I stepped into a room large enough to fit two carriages and horses, plus wriggle space. “Wow.” A king-sized bed sat on one side, complete with four posts and a fishnet fabric hanging from them. I held back the squeal in my chest because I’d always wanted a bed like that, and I needed every inch of strength to hold myself back from rushing over there and jumping on it. A blazing fire crackled on the opposite wall, warming theroom.
There was a wardrobe on the opposite end and even a sofa overlooking an oversized window covered by golden curtains. Damn, I’d move in here this second if there were no ravenous bears outside and bring Dad with me to take one of the otherbedchambers.
“We’ll bring your bag up in a moment. Good night, Bee.” His voicefaded.
I listened intently as he retreated and shut the door. No locking me in this time, but I noted the key was on my side, meaning I got to lock myself in, which Ipreferred.
At the window, I pushed aside the curtains and stared down at the torches lining the road leading up to the castle. I’d never been this goddamn high before. This must have been how birds felt, taking in the landscape in one sweep. Night swallowed the rest of the terrain. Who would have thought I’d spend the night in a castle in White Peak? Wait until I told Scarlet. She’d bounce on her toes with excitement and ask a millionquestions.
Still, I was here and by daylight it would be safer to travel back home. I tracked my way to the cupboard and flung it open to find a plethora of outfits and gowns. I squealed out loud. Goddess, whose room was this? I reached over and touched the silver-threaded skirt, a silky blue chiffon dress, and a strapless blacknumber.
If I owned these clothes, I’d wear a different one every single day. Giddiness swirled in my chest, the kind that made me deliriously happy. Who would own such clothes? A princess? I recalled the portraits with four brothers and one daughter. Where was she now? Married off to a lord in White Peak, most likely, but why leave her clothesbehind?
To my right was a door and inside I discovered a bathroom. Perfect, as my clothes were damp from thesnow.
Just then a knock came at thedoor.
“Comein.”
Leven waltzed in, my bag held over his shoulder with one hand. He dumped it near the sofa and rubbed the back of his neck. “Is the bedroom to yoursatisfaction?”
“It’s amazing. Is yours this bigtoo?”
He smiled, his furrowed brow smoothing out, and nodded. “This is a visitor’s room. My sister, Vivienne filled the cupboard with clothes in case guests needed them since we’re so far from the closesttown.”
“Oh, where’s Vivienne now?” I shuffled closer and sat on the other end of thecouch.
He ran a hand across his mouth, his eyes darkening. “She died in anaccident.”
“Oh, shit. I didn’t know.” I lowered my head because what else was I supposed to do with such news? I detested people talking about my mom as sometimes I felt as if they had no right to bring her up and resurrect emotions I barely controlled. Yet I’d done exactly that to someone else. “I didn’t mean topry.”
“It’s all right.” He stared at something over my shoulder, his posture curlingforward.
“When I lost my mother,” I started, “I swore the world would swallow me whole because I wasn’t sure how to face a new day without her. Even now, I miss her all thetime.”
He nodded. “My sister, Vivienne was taken too young.” With a sigh, he patted my bag and cleared his throat. “Anyway, it’s too late for such dark talk. Here are your belongings. Sleep well.” His voicelowered.
When he left, I curled up on the corner of the sofa, hugging my knees, unable to get his words out of my head. So not only had the princes lost their sister, but now one of their brothers wascursed.
Having so much empty space left me feeling lonely. Maybe I missed Dad and our small living room, warming by the fire, chatting into thenight.
Silence reminded me of things I’d rather not ponder. Like how I wished Mom was still with us. How I hated the world for taking her. How I loathed the universe for allowing her illness to snuff her from us. And I detested myself for not having been able to do a single thing to help her. Magic hadn’t saved her… I’d failed my mother. What if, even if I really wanted to, I couldn’t fix the cursedbrother?
