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“May I show you to your guest quarters?” Without waiting for her acceptance, he took her arm and started to lead her back through the gardens.
Fighting back a yawn, Cal allowed him to do so without protest. She was tired and wanted to see Maggie. “Will it be near Maggie’s or can we share?”
“We will provide you with adjoining chambers. Will that be sufficient? What you do after that is your choice.”
She winced at the arctic tone in his voice. His demeanor scraped like sandpaper against her frazzled nerves. Cold all of a sudden, she shivered.
Her troublesome hair took this chance to flop into her eyes—again. With a huff, she reached for the errant piece. Relian stretched a long-fingered hand forward and gently tucked the lock behind her ear. Her breath stilled. She couldn’t reconcile such a tender act with his icy manner.
Astonished, she searched his face. He gazed at her with a strange expression on his face. His stare...it was too much, too intense. She girded herself to not look away, to stand firm, though hormones coursed through her. What would he do if she reached up and pulled his mouth to hers? Her hands curled into fists. She wouldn’t make the first move.
But when he composed himself, his face returning to its normal calm mask, the moment ended. Whatever emotion he’d experienced, he now tightly locked away. He pulled her onto a main path that hopefully led to the palace.
***
“Details, girl, give me details!” Maggie demanded as she bounced on the tall bed in Cal’s quarters.
Cal stared at her exuberant friend dully. “You act like I just went on a date.”
“Well, if the shoe fits, dance in it, as I say.” At Cal’s expression of disbelief, Maggie grinned. “What? It’s so true.”
Not responding, Cal went to stand near the balcony that almost stretched the length of the bedroom wall. A year stuck here? How could she tell Maggie? It was all her fault that her friend was stuck here. She didn’t know where to begin, as she didn’t understand half of what’d occurred. Everything had quickly become a haze—her feelings, any understanding she’d gained of Relian and the whole situation. Even their walk back to the palace was fuzzy. He explained certain points of interest in the gardens they passed. Though she listened, her mind wouldn’t comply with processing much. In fact, it still spun from all she’d learned.
After meeting up with Maggie and Kenhel, he’d led them through a dizzying array of corridors and hallways, each lovely in their own way. But the beauty around her hadn’t soothed her shredded nerves—it just exacerbated her confusion and anguish. Everything looked odd and foreign. In the enclosed hallways, sheer fabric that gently blew in the breeze covered the windows. Shutters that could apparently be drawn shut to keep out inclement weather had elicited a frown from her. There hadn’t been any glass panes or screens. For some reason that fact bothered her. How could windows not have glass or some kind of screen?
Maggie spoke again, pushing Cal from her reflections. “I wonder how long we’ll be in this place.”
“The palace?”
“The palace, this world—take your pick.”
Cal’s lips trembled. “Relian says a year at minimum.”
Instead of exploding like Cal thought she would, Maggi instead gave a pained sigh and slumped down on the bed. “I had a feeling the king and his son would try to keep you here as long as possible.”
“They have a vested interest in doing so,” Cal said, her voice monotone. “Relian says a year is needed for me to decide if I’ll bond with him or not. After that, the veil should take us home. He says they can summon it at that time, and it’ll show up whenever it wants.”
“Should? I don’t like the sound of that.”
Cal shrugged and held her hands out to her side. “Me, either, but what can we do?”
“A big, fat nothing.”
“Right now, we have to trust them, though not blindly.”
“How far will they go, though? I know you are supposedly Relian’s ‘soulmate,’ so will they just let you go after that year is up if you want to leave?”
“Supposedly. But those are all questions I can’t answer with any conviction.” Cal slid onto the bed beside Maggie. “Was Kenhel anymore helpful?”
“What do you think?”
“Uh, of course not.” She hadn’t really thought Maggie would learn anything. The elves seemed reticent. They offered bits and pieces willingly, but she had the feeling they left much unsaid.
“Guessed that in one!” Maggie deflated again, bending over to hug her knees. “I’m tired. Too much action for me.”
Cal forced a teasing note to her voice. It was either that or cry. She knew Maggie felt the same. “I never thought to hear those words from your mouth.”
“Well, write it down—you did.” Maggie threw herself back on the bed and grinned. “This bed is heavenly. Try it.”
