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She looked so contemplative that I forced myself to look away, staring fixedly at a spot just over her shoulder. While it may have all been an act to weaken my defenses, it was proving to be a rather effective one.
Queen Ophelia cut quite a pitiable figure.
Eventually, she moved on, heading down another passageway until she came to a set of heavy black doors, her hand resting on the handle as she stared at the engravings of books on the wood.
“The library,” I said, since it didn’t seem like it would do any harm for her to know that. The pictures sort of gave it away.
With an absent nod of acknowledgment, the queen let herself into the dim, quiet space, swallowing so loudly I could hear her from a few feet back. Perhaps because of the reduced orb light here? The line of black candelabras down the middle row threw off enough light that no one could shadow walk directly into it, but perhaps that wasn’t reassuring for a being who’d been raised to fear Shades in the dark.
It was difficult for me to stay focused and on task as she idly looked at the spines of the shelves closest to the main thoroughfare. So far, guarding the Hunter Queen of the Shades was a lot more tedious than I’d expected it to be. I followed her back out into the corridors, my awareness of my surroundings spiking as she headed into a more populated part of the palace. Shades stared openly, though remembered to dip their chins in respect at my glares.
She was still the queen, and she was carefully not giving us any reason to treat her poorly. The more I watched her, the more I wondered ifshewas waiting forusto instigate the first hostilities, and that wasn’t going to happen on my watch.
“Where are the kitchens?” Queen Ophelia asked, startling me out of my musings.
Please no. Anywhere but there.
“Bottom level,” I replied, hoping that the question was purely a hypothetical one. A just-out-of-interest question and nothing more.
The queen nodded, immediately heading down the sloping path that led to the kitchens.
I blew out a quiet breath before I followed along behind her. Perhaps I would be incredibly lucky and Calix wouldn’t be there today. I’d been avoiding him so successfully for so long, avoiding eventhinkingof that night, and I wasn’t ready for that good luck streak to end just yet.
It might mean a conversation.
And I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready forthatconversation.
“What do you want?” Calix barked the moment Queen Ophelia pushed open the kitchen doors, making the queen jump. Whether it was his brash voice that did it or the giant cleaver, I wasn’t sure.
Or perhaps it was the half-butchered carcass laid out on the bench in front of him. The goriness of it was an excellent cure for the panic I’d been feeling at the idea of seeing him again.
“This is thequeen.Watch your tongue,” I snapped, wincing slightly at how quickly I’d failed at remaining aloof and distant. Then again, I’d also had that problem the night we’d spent together too. Something about Calix made my emotions suddenly feel too big for my body, and it was the most aggravating sensation.
Calix looked at me over the queen’s head, dark orange eyes filled with irritation that sparked an answering wave of defensiveness in me.You have nothing to feel guilty about. You were upfront and honest. You made no promises.
He’d tied his hair back at the base of his neck in a messy knot that drew attention to his throat, and the muscles and veins in his arms flexed with every movement. I was surrounded by warriors day in and day out—physically strong males were an everyday feature of my life—but Calix had a raw physicality to him, unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
“She can be the queen outside this room. I’m the king in this kitchen.”
Arrogance is an unattractive trait, I reminded myself because apparently I needed it.
But my body wasn’t getting the messages my brain was valiantly trying to send it, even though I knew getting further entangled with Calix would be asking for trouble. Already, there was a possessiveness to his expression that warned loud and clear that nothing with Calix would be casual. That maybe just one night had landed me deeper than I’d meant to get, and I needed to get myself out of it.
“That sounds fair,” the queen agreed with nary a shred of concern for her own safety, shooting me a placating smile. “In here, I’m just Ophelia. What shall I call you, sir?”
To think we’d all been afraid of her.
Maybe I was being too trusting, but it certainly seemed like Queen Ophelia would be completely defenseless against even the weakest Shade. That physical force might not be necessary at all if one wanted to hurt her. She looked like a few well-placedwordswould make her cry.
“Not ‘sir,’ that’s for certain. My name is Calix.”
“Call him ‘vermin’ for his attitude,” I grumbled, mortified at his flagrant disrespect.
“Careful now,” Ophelia said with a laugh. “The King of the Kitchen may exile you for your cheek.”
My tension eased ever so slightly as Calix relaxed, almost amused in spite of himself. Apparently, Queen Ophelia was not an easy person to be angry around.
Ophelia looked around the kitchen, perhaps searching for something familiar. I’d seen human kitchens through dark windows, and we were missing many of the buzzing, shiny features they seemed to necessitate.
