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I wanted to know if the place had a library. Or if it had a cafeteria. Or if Zoran had a secret stash of treasure or something.
These things were important.
Or at least interesting.
He promised to give me a tour after I asked if he would mind us spending the night there, and he agreed readily, so I was really damn excited.
Carrying a bag over his shoulder—one he’d apparently brought over from his castle, with a few changes of clothes for him and now two dresses for me too—he slipped his fingers between mine as we strolled down the street.
Walking with him through the city felt a hell of a lot less risky to me than just walking through it alone. Even if some of the other fae still hated me, I’d be safe. No one would attack their king.
A few of the people we passed stopped to greet Zoran—women, especially. They barely batted an eye at me, which irritated me, but I pretended not to notice.
I doubted the king would enjoy me getting territorial. And I didn’t even know if Iwasterritorial.
But they did bother me.
Zoran didn’t stop to talk with them though, simply walked by with a polite wave and no second glances.
That made me feel better about my possible possessiveness.
We reached the castle a bit later, and the building was empty when we stepped inside. I’d been in the throne room before, but I’d never seen it without at least a few people inside.
“This is kind of creepy,” I whispered, squeezing Zoran’s hand tighter.
He chuckled, tugging me closer so our upper arms were pressed together tightly. The floor warmed below my feet as we walked, and it probably shouldn’t have, but it made the whole castle seem friendlier as we looked around. Everything was made out of light colors and smooth sandstone, which gave it an upbeat tone and made me feel welcome.
“Do you have a dungeon?” I checked. “Or a torture room?”
He flashed me a grin, releasing my hand long enough to sign, “If I want to torture or imprison someone, I don’t need a special room to do it.”
A band of his water wrapped around my wrist and squeezed lightly to emphasize his point while he spoke.
I laughed. “That’s fair, I guess.”
Between his magic and the Aboa, he was pretty much set.
His hand slipped back into mine, and he led me down a long hallway. When I peeked at every door, he opened all of them, letting me see plenty of guest rooms. At the end of the hallway, there was a large library.
“Do you only have nonfiction books?” I asked him, tugging him along the first row of books as I scanned the titles.
He squeezed my fingers twice.
Yes.
“Not interested in fantasy books?” I teased him.
He chuckled, squeezing once.
No.
“I guess when you’ve got all this magic, there’s not much of a reason to imagine different worlds,” I mused, running a finger over the spines of the books. “I used to read a lot of fiction when I was a kid. It was a nice escape. I was so focused on good grades in high school and college that I didn’t let myself spend the time reading. I kind of wish I did. I’d probably be more ready for romance if I had. Maybe I even would’ve gotten a boyfriend or something.”
Zoran released my hand, and I looked over at him as he signed, “I’m glad you were focused on your education, then. I don’t think I’d cope well with the thought of you with another male.”
My lips curved upward. “You’d be fine.”
“Unlikely. I still want to kill Salt for bumping into you in the throne room, even after so many days in the Aboa together.”
