Like now. I could still see her expression although I was concentrating on a table two over and one down. She apparently didn’t know Luke had told me how mad she was at me and wanted to keep a casual facade. That was fine with me.
I focused more closely on the three ladies who leaned in whispering secrets only to glance at me between comments. They weren’t the only ones, but they were the most blatant. I struggled to keep from getting up and punching them or running to my room for a good cry. The odds were fifty-fifty at this point.
Who knew what was going on here? The last thing I wanted to do was stay too long. In so many ways, I was thankful to only have two days, especially because this one was already half over.
Luke touched my hand and I smiled at him. “Are you ready to go?” I nodded and placed down my napkin. Luke pulled me up with him as I turned to Queen Kalista. “Thank you for such a lovely meal. I’m kind of tired, so I hope you will excuse me.”
She stood with the grace of a doe. “Of course, Rayla. Get some rest because we have a show planned for later.”
“Oh, well, thank you, that sounds great.” Keeping this level of smarminess brought a trickle of sweat down my back. I nodded at her and let Luke lead me away.
He didn’t say anything until we had made it up a couple flights of stairs. “Well played, my lady.”
“That’s just it, Luke. Acting has never been one of my greatest skills.”
He squeezed my wrist, and I glanced at his amused face. “How can you say that? You had her, how does the phrase go…eating off of your fingers?”
I smiled. “Close.”
He shrugged. “Your room is not far.”
My relaxed muscles stiffened. The thought of having my own space was nice, but was it wise considering the rumors? “What, no harem of lords to keep me company tonight?”
“Interesting image,” he said with a huge smile.
He sent a racy picture to my mind. I choked and slapped his arm. “I didn’t mean that!” He raised a brow, not conceding one bit. “Okay, it is how it sounded, but…man, I need to shut up now.”
He patted my hand that rested on his arm. “Not to worry, Rayla. Lords do not share.”
I cleared my throat and left it at that.
My room was spacious by anyone’s standard. The Tiffany blue walls blended into the creams of the gynormous bed. Great, another one. I couldn’t stop a frown from pulling my lips. As nice as it was to have all the room you could ask for, there was something wrong with having one person use that much space. There was also something discomfiting about it. Sleep, for me, at least, came easier on a smaller bed.
My bag had been set in a closet that housed nothing else. No hangers, no shelves, just empty space apart from my single suitcase.
I’d gotten used to being supplied with clothes, so I hadn’t really brought anything other than my favorite flannel pajamas and fluffy slippers. I left my other things with Mom because I thought it was a little weird for me to be carting my stuff everywhere.
Because Luke watched everything I did, I tried to keep my thoughts from migrating to my face. After scanning the vacant space again, I gave him a curt nod and stepped toward the door.
He caught my arm, turning me around. His eyes held a shadow that hadn’t been there moments before. “Have you already been shown how to use a system like this?”
I blinked at him. “System?”
He relaxed instantly. “Good. I wanted to be the one to show you.” He clutched my hands to his chest and looked at the ceiling. “Oh, what first?”
I shrugged and gave a giggle.
When he looked back at me again, his eyes were bright. “Think of this closet as your personal assistant. It can produce any sort of fashion you can dream up.”
I laughed at the thought, my mind sorting through the most ridiculous wardrobe I could conjure which brought a charming smile to his lips when I shared a few of my masterpieces. I studied him again. “Are you serious?”
“Too, true, my lady. Many a time I have wished there were limits placed on the system, but—”
There was that word again. “Are you saying this closet is a machine?”
“Of course. Altasia is known for leading the technicological race. In fact, you might be surprised to learn Altasia is a machine.”
I took a double take. “Like a spaceship? Are you telling me I’m in a frigging spaceship right now?”
He gave me a cursory glance. “How else would we keep our realm concealed?”
Wow. Some conspiracy theories were true. I thought Zach told me the fae didn’t need machines. Hmm. My own conspiracy theories solidified. Supposedly the thing that kept us from using our power on the island had been a machine. The connection wasn’t lost on me, which had me focused on those blasted raiders again. “How does it work? The closet, I mean.”
He seemed pleased with my question as if he was the one who made it. “It picks up your brainwaves and transforms the images you send into matter.”
“Sounds amazing, but don’t all of you have the capability to change clothes whenever you want? I mean, you’ve done it for me a few times. And several Ignisians were able to help me out like that, too.”
“Oh! I’d hoped you would ask that question. We are working on a wireless system that allows access to the machine from all corners of Faeresia. Soon, we will not need laundry service as the dirt is cycled out through metamorphosis.”
“Wow, I thought it was just part of fae power.”
“My lady, we only have access to one element, and I hardly think it would be reasonable to clothe an entire kingdom in water.”
Might as well be water for the kind of things these people wore. “Interesting, so you really can only manipulate the elements. You can’t use them like magic?”
Giving me an eye roll, he laughed. “The things you think up. I am mystified. You could be a priceless asset to our team if we could put your ideas to use.” He smiled down at me and brought my fingers to his lips. After a brief kiss, he asked, “Would you like to try it out?”
I couldn’t exactly explain why I hesitated. There was just something lingering in my mind that wouldn’t let me jump at the chance to play with my unexpected gift. “Is there a catch?”
Luke’s eyes danced with shadows. “How do you mean?”
I leaned against the bare wall. “If I start thinking to this thing, will it be able to read other thoughts of mine?” Thoughts someone else could then use against me? Or worse, give them access to plant thoughts into my mind. I wasn’t going to ask that part. It might offend him.
He shrugged. “I am not sure if it is capable. It is only a machine without the capability of real thought. I had this unit specially built for your use. No one else has access.”
Why was he playing this down? “Yes, but could someone else besides me program it if they happened to gain access?”
He glanced at the floor and then back at me after a moment. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
His tone took on a fatherly twist. “Rayla, I designed this particular device myself a few years ago. It was the predecessor to the one we use now.”
“I thought you said it was made today.”
His skin darkened slightly. Was he getting angry with me? “The design is mine. I did not hand craft it for you, although, I would have if I had not been otherwise engaged.”
I frowned at him. “Couldn’t you just fill it up with stuff for me to use?”
Warm fingers brushed my upper arm. “I know you have heard rumors about the raiders, but I assure you they are only that. The rebels were disbanded millennia ago.”
Not from what Mom said. “What about the people that follow the same line of thinking as a certain princess I would rather forget?”
His voice went flat. “She doesn’t have as many followers as you might imagine.”
“It doesn’t always take a majority, Luke.”
He grimaced. “I understand your concerns, and I will have the machine tested f
or tampering. In the mean time, I will choose some items for you. Sound okay?”
I nodded. Within two seconds shelves and racks hung against the walls. It didn’t take much longer to fill them.
I nudged his arm and laughed. “I had no idea you were such a clothes fanatic.”
His expression turned wistful. “I’ve had plenty of time to imagine exactly what I want to see on you.”
Um…total awkwardness. I pulled the nearest shirt, if you could call it that, from the rack. “Silk?”
He nodded.
“And blue.”
He grinned.
All that time ago in the tunnels under St. Mary’s College, he had told me he wanted to drape me in fine silks. The slick fabric flowed through my fingers like water. His element. When he edged closer, I backed away until my back hit the wall behind me. The shirt fluttered to the floor, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up.
Images of him as I’d sketched his naked form at school resurfaced. His bright eyes pinned me where I stood. He leaned in and brushed a kiss along my jaw toward my lips.
“Luke…”
He stopped, only pulling back slightly. His sultry voice told me where he was going with this. “Yes, Rayla?”
I held my breath for a minute to clear my head. “This isn’t a good idea.”
A hearty laugh jolted my ribcage. “I quite disagree.” His hands found my waist, anchoring me. “In fact, this is the best idea I’ve had in a very long time.” His breath tickled my neck as he made his way lower where he placed a lingering kiss at my collarbone, his smooth skin making my own jump with heat.
“I just…I don’t think—”
He stood up straighter, pulling me closer to him. “No. Don’t think…feel.”
How could a lord of the Seelie court bring to mind such wicked pleasures?
“Give in to it,” he whispered, his voice dark. “Give in to me.”
I closed my eyes and sighed, my body melting at his command.
I had to stop this. I had too, but oh, his lips were warm and his hands working along my spine shot strange jolts of need straight to my belly.
I had to stop this. He had to move away from me. I needed…space.
Too much space between us. I inched closer.
A loud bang brought me out of the spell I was under. Luke gritted his teeth, but he let me slide past him. I straightened my dress and went to see what the commotion was about.
My heart drummed against my chest. That was close. Too close. As much as I craved being near him, something felt completely off. Wrong even, now that we had some distance between us.
I found a picture on the ground with glass shattered all around it. Avoiding the shards of glass, I picked up the frame and turned it over.
A girl about my age stared back at me. Her shocking green eyes appeared nearly as translucent as her pale skin, which was quite a striking contrast to her black hair. Her clothes were strange and her hair fashioned in tight braids that curled into two buns on either side of her head. Her lips were tilted slightly, reminding me of the mischief I had seen in the Mona Lisa. In a word, she was beautiful.
The thing I couldn’t figure out was why I felt connected to her, like I was looking at the tintype of an ancestor.
Luke stepped out of the closet and came closer. “What is that?”
I glanced at him over my shoulder and made a face. “Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing.”
I turned the picture around for him to see and before I could comment, he snatched it out of my hands, his eyes flying wide. “Where did you get this?”
I glanced down at the floor and back at him in reply.
Luke’s skin had lost its glow and his haunted eyes tore over the image before it just disintegrated.
“Wait!” I yelled.
Luke merely shrugged.
Anger crept up my neck. “Why did you do that?”
His innocent tone irritated me. “I didn’t.”
Really? What a convenient answer. “But, it…what just happened?”
“It must be the air.” Luke gave me a casual smile. “Something that old cannot survive in a normal environment.”
“How old is—” I grunted. “Was it?”
“Old.”
Yeah that was an answer. “Who was that girl?”
“I’m not sure.”
I stiffened my spine. “You’re lying to me. I can tell.”
He frowned. “Why would I lie about a picture?”
“You tell me.”
He tried for complete innocence again. “Tell you what?”
I let out a huge breath. “You know what, Luke; on second thought I’d like to be alone.” When his frown deepened, I plodded forward. “I just need some sleep before the show tonight.”
He didn’t argue which completely threw me off. Instead, he hugged me then let himself out.
My heart still pounded, but fear had replaced the heat of desire. Gibbit had been telling the truth: Luke was being controlled and he didn’t even know it. The thought sent a shiver through me. Should I talk to him about it? Maybe I should tell Zach? But what if Zach had been compromised, as well?
“Gibbit?” I whispered into the room, hoping he would come to me.
No answer came.
“Creed?”
Silence.
I thought about calling Jett, but he would make a scene. This was probably my only opportunity to figure out what Ainessa was up to. Even though I was taking a risk, I thought it was worth it. Pretending to let the lords decide which of them I would bond with seemed a bad idea on a whole new level. I had never intended for it to go that far. I just thought it would buy me some time while allowing me to see the true nature of each lord. I’d learned one thing at least.
I couldn’t bond with Luke without taking too big of a risk. As if on a spin cycle my mind came back to Zach. Was he tainted too? My head ached and my stomach rebelled from all the food I had eaten.
I wanted to talk to Cassie so bad my teeth ached. Wretched fae didn’t even have phones. Maybe I could drift to see her without anyone finding out?
Not likely, but it might come to that. Who cared about danger? I was already in plenty. Heath would be only too pleased to help me, but that help would certainly come at a price I wasn’t sure I was willing to give.
I couldn’t trust my mom to look out for my best interests, and I couldn’t really trust the lords to be unbiased. A horrible thought hit me. What if Cassie had an agenda now too? After all, she was bound to Finn.
Man this sucked. I was alone in this whether I liked it or not.
I kicked off my shoes and padded into the closet. Of all the clothes I had to choose from, the only appealing option were my PJ’s. I grabbed my suitcase and slid the zipper open then snuggled the fabric to my face. In a couple of minutes I was in bed and on my way to a peaceful sleep. Or so I thought.
My next coherent realization was me wondering why I was floating in space. An unending blanket of stars stretched across my new horizon while the warmth of the sun caressed me. I turned my face toward it, reveling in the feel of the blinding light.
Wait a minute. Since when was the sun oblong? I shuddered, or have hands? A man stood in front of me. One glimpse of him brought acidic tears to my eyes that ran down my cheeks in a searing hiss. This was worse than the first time I had seen Faeresia. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my eyes to open again. It didn’t really matter because his image flashed into my mind.
If the pulsating light coming from him wasn’t scary enough, his skin seemed to be the source.
Why was I having such a weird dream?
The man laughed and the sound pierced my body. I twisted away from it. If I thought the lords were bad, this guy had taken perfection to an unimaginable height.
“Rayla,” the being said with the voice of thunder. “I bring news.”
I whimpered once but refused to let out another sound. At least he hadn’t said he carried my death on his back. With my hand s
hielding my eyes, I faced him again.
If I peeked through my fingers, it wasn’t too bad. No words existed for the exquisiteness of this creature. His beauty was magnificent and at the same time horrifying. The weirdest thing was I didn’t think it was his looks I was reacting to. Something about his soul made it impossible for me to stare at him for long.
I straightened my shoulders and swallowed hard. “I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”
He gave me a smile that sent a tremor through me. “Such a brave one. It is why you were chosen.”
“Thanks for that,” I said, sounding a bit more snarky than I should have given who my current companion was, not to mention that he could probably fry me where I stood. I willed my voice to come out strong. “I would have been happy with a job at the Smithsonian, but I guess this is okay.”
He laughed again. The sound vibrated me backwards, but I floated nearer to him without moving my feet.
“Some are chosen for a higher calling.”
I nodded. “So the big guy sent you?”
His simple reply startled me. “No.”
“Then who?”
“I’m guessing by now you have heard of Faine?”
The picture of that green eyed girl that had disintegrated just a while before came to my mind. So that’s who that was. Chicken, was all I could think, sending a messenger instead of coming herself. If I could have managed it, I would have shoved my hands at my hips. “Tell me. What does the girl who ruined my life have to say to me?”
The being held out a hand, and I was pulled closer. The stars whizzed by like a whole universe lay between us. My heart exploded as if trying to beat a hole out my back. The second before I reached him, I threw my hands over my face.
His voice came softer but still made my insides tremble…kind of like Jett did when he spoke, only on a scale a thousand times more intense. “I am not here to harm you, but to strengthen you.”
That sounded nice yet suspicious. “How?”
His hand extended again and he placed it at eye level. When his fingers opened a tiny fragment of light pulsated an inch over his palm. “Take it,” he said.
“What is it?”
“The only thing you need to know is that it was hard won.”
Genesis Page 19
