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The space between us was vast, all dense and soft bedding for me to climb over, but neither the woman nor the basilisk so much as twitched in my direction.
"What do you want with me?" I asked.
"Birsha's house has fallen," the basilisk said. My body contracted on itself at his name. "You're here to be kept safe."
"Until he rebuilds," I said.
Lillian set the cup aside and twisted toward me, shaking her head. "No. No, not that at all. Until he isdefeated. You are here to…rest and recover, and to be sure that no harm comes to you. From Birsha or anyone else."
"Asterion is coming," the basilisk said.
I wanted to run to the window at my left, throw myself out into the night, escape. I wanted to burrow down into the deep bed, cry into the velvet, smother myself with the down pillows.
I held still, and the heavy footsteps approached the door.
I knew who he was. Asterion. The minotaur. A legend of my mother's world. An infrequent visitor to The Seven Veils.
He knocked once and the basilisk opened the door, dwarfed immediately by the figure who stepped inside.
He was not wearing his human disguise now, but I recognized the full, dark gaze that had found me in the street. His horns were broad, tipped with gold, and his jaw was massive and squared. Those plush lips had pressed to mine. He was dressed in human gentlemen's clothing, his massive chest stretching the seams of fine fabrics. He was potent and beautiful, powerful and pristine. Just the sight of him was a little kernel of relief to my starvation. My mouth watered and I swallowed hard.
Birsha had never sold me to either of these men, but I'd seen them come and go, Asterion especially in recent months. He bowed now at the waist, his broad shoulders blocking out the room as I stared.
"I apologize for the deception. I don't fault you your caution, my lady. I only wanted to get you off the streets before one of Birsha's men found you."
"Asterion has offered his house to the women who escaped The Seven Veils," Lillian murmured, but I couldn't tear my gaze from the minotaur.
"You were there," I said, glancing briefly at the basilisk to include him.
"An unfortunate part of my role as spy," Asterion said, straightening but ducking his eyes to the floor.
There was a pause of silence and then the basilisk, Marius, cleared his throat. "Temporary necessity."
Lillian snorted. It was a sound of humor and skepticism, but with a sweetness to it that was rare to my ears. Everything,everyonein the room was a heady flood on my senses, a buffet of pleasantness so rich, it became indulgence.
"What do you want?" I asked the minotaur.
"For you to rest. To eat. To recover," he said. "That is all."
It wasimpossible.
"Leave us," Lillian said to the men. "We will start with the chocolate."
Asterion seemed almost to flee the room, his steps quick and heavy, but Marius remained the stubborn sentry for several moments.
"I know you're still there," Lillian said with a dry smile.
He twitched slightly in my direction. "If you harm her, I will eat you."
It ought to have frightened me, but the threat was nothing but the promise of an ending.
"Go, Marius," Lillian laughed, and the sound was clear and lovely. I shut my eyes to soak it in. Even the clip of the basilisk's footsteps made a curious kind of music as he paced away. "Here now, drink this."
Fabric swished and whispered, and the bed dipped. But I wasn't scared of the pretty human woman with the tender voice. I wanted to throw myself into her arms, steal all her quiet joy and make it my own. She pressed warm porcelain into my shaking hands, and I opened my eyes just enough to raise it to my lips.
The chocolate was dark and divine, thick and rich. It was bitter, sweet, and salty all at once. I let it sit in my mouth, warming me from the taste alone, and my eyes filled with tears. As I swallowed, I started to weep.
CHAPTER2
