eyebrows. He certainly didn’t look like a monster. He looked too beautiful to be real.
In Drew’s opinion, Caine was only keeping Rosalind alive because he wanted to use her for something. But she just didn’t believe that. He had the ability to control her mind, and he’d never used it. That has to mean something, right?
As they neared the end of the hall, an imposing set of black doors opened. In a stream of silvery light, a woman stepped forward, descending down the stairs as the doors closed behind her.
Caine’s hand shot out, as if to block Rosalind. Obviously, this chick is bad news. Rosalind’s muscles tensed, fingers reaching for the gun in her pants—but it was gone. It must have been sucked out in her portal trip.
A lump rose in her throat as she stared at the overwhelmingly beautiful woman before her. She stood nearly six feet tall, her skin the color of desert sand. Powerful, ancient magic swirled from her—a dark, shimmering silver, just like Caine’s.
The woman’s midnight hair tumbled over a delicate pearly gown cut in a deep V down to her belly. Only her eyes were wrong. There was something about her deep, amber eyes that seemed unfocused, hungry—almost like she’d been drugged. And was it Rosalind’s imagination, or were there hints of other colors playing about the edges of her aura?
The woman flashed a brilliant, cold smile. “Welcome, Rosalind. My husband, Lord Ambrose, has sent me to greet you. I am Queen Erish.”
Demons are hierarchical. Play along, Rosalind. She bowed deeply. “Thank you for welcoming me here.”
“I’ll have a servant show you to your room.”
“I’m taking her to her room,” Caine cut in.
The queen’s nails dug into her own forearms, and her eyes flashed. “You’re the son of the shadow prince and the leader of an army. Showing a human girl to her room is a servant’s job,” she hissed.
“I said I’m taking her to her room,” he growled.
Rosalind frowned. What is going on with these two?
The queen prowled closer, heels clacking over the stones, and began to circle Rosalind, like she was inspecting a farm animal. The woman’s hair began to snake from her head, undulating in the air, and Rosalind’s blood turned to ice.
“ This is her?” Erish said, her voice dripping with disdain. “One of the two girls who are supposed to defend Lilinor? I’d expected someone a little more… epic. She looks like a drowned rabbit who hasn’t eaten in weeks.”
Rosalind opened her mouth to speak, but Caine cut her off with a flick of his hand. Oh right. The hierarchical thing.
“She’s been imprisoned in a cemetery and attacked by shadow demons,” Caine growled. “Speaking of which, you wouldn’t happen to know about an army of keres attacking Cambridge, would you?”
Erish’s eyes widened. “Honestly, Caine. As if I don’t have better things to do than meddle with keres. They are grotesque and traitorous creatures.” She turned, climbing the stairs, and the large black doors opened just wide enough to let her through. She cast a final glance back at Rosalind before disappearing. “I’m sure you’ll want to bathe, girl. You have that human stench.”
After watching humans being eaten by demons tonight, a little insult about bathing was hardly going to rile her up. Plus, the queen seemed slightly mad.
“Follow me,” Caine said. Instead of climbing the steps after Erish, he led Rosalind to a smaller oak door to the left and pushed it open to reveal a narrow, curving stairwell.
Rosalind’s mind churned with visions of Tammi bound to a chair in a dungeon, and she tried to push the images under the surface. She’d need to keep a level head if she wanted to figure everything out.
Dim candles lit the dark stairwell, and she traced her fingers over the damp stones as they climbed. “What did you see at the keres massacre? You were there before me. I felt your magic as I approached.”
“You could feel my magic before you even got
In Drew’s opinion, Caine was only keeping Rosalind alive because he wanted to use her for something. But she just didn’t believe that. He had the ability to control her mind, and he’d never used it. That has to mean something, right?
As they neared the end of the hall, an imposing set of black doors opened. In a stream of silvery light, a woman stepped forward, descending down the stairs as the doors closed behind her.
Caine’s hand shot out, as if to block Rosalind. Obviously, this chick is bad news. Rosalind’s muscles tensed, fingers reaching for the gun in her pants—but it was gone. It must have been sucked out in her portal trip.
A lump rose in her throat as she stared at the overwhelmingly beautiful woman before her. She stood nearly six feet tall, her skin the color of desert sand. Powerful, ancient magic swirled from her—a dark, shimmering silver, just like Caine’s.
The woman’s midnight hair tumbled over a delicate pearly gown cut in a deep V down to her belly. Only her eyes were wrong. There was something about her deep, amber eyes that seemed unfocused, hungry—almost like she’d been drugged. And was it Rosalind’s imagination, or were there hints of other colors playing about the edges of her aura?
The woman flashed a brilliant, cold smile. “Welcome, Rosalind. My husband, Lord Ambrose, has sent me to greet you. I am Queen Erish.”
Demons are hierarchical. Play along, Rosalind. She bowed deeply. “Thank you for welcoming me here.”
“I’ll have a servant show you to your room.”
“I’m taking her to her room,” Caine cut in.
The queen’s nails dug into her own forearms, and her eyes flashed. “You’re the son of the shadow prince and the leader of an army. Showing a human girl to her room is a servant’s job,” she hissed.
“I said I’m taking her to her room,” he growled.
Rosalind frowned. What is going on with these two?
The queen prowled closer, heels clacking over the stones, and began to circle Rosalind, like she was inspecting a farm animal. The woman’s hair began to snake from her head, undulating in the air, and Rosalind’s blood turned to ice.
“ This is her?” Erish said, her voice dripping with disdain. “One of the two girls who are supposed to defend Lilinor? I’d expected someone a little more… epic. She looks like a drowned rabbit who hasn’t eaten in weeks.”
Rosalind opened her mouth to speak, but Caine cut her off with a flick of his hand. Oh right. The hierarchical thing.
“She’s been imprisoned in a cemetery and attacked by shadow demons,” Caine growled. “Speaking of which, you wouldn’t happen to know about an army of keres attacking Cambridge, would you?”
Erish’s eyes widened. “Honestly, Caine. As if I don’t have better things to do than meddle with keres. They are grotesque and traitorous creatures.” She turned, climbing the stairs, and the large black doors opened just wide enough to let her through. She cast a final glance back at Rosalind before disappearing. “I’m sure you’ll want to bathe, girl. You have that human stench.”
After watching humans being eaten by demons tonight, a little insult about bathing was hardly going to rile her up. Plus, the queen seemed slightly mad.
“Follow me,” Caine said. Instead of climbing the steps after Erish, he led Rosalind to a smaller oak door to the left and pushed it open to reveal a narrow, curving stairwell.
Rosalind’s mind churned with visions of Tammi bound to a chair in a dungeon, and she tried to push the images under the surface. She’d need to keep a level head if she wanted to figure everything out.
Dim candles lit the dark stairwell, and she traced her fingers over the damp stones as they climbed. “What did you see at the keres massacre? You were there before me. I felt your magic as I approached.”
“You could feel my magic before you even got
Similar Books
