Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

LILLY

The Stoneheart manse is nothing like I envisioned. Where are the harsh stone parapets and gargoyles? The sinister portcullises waiting to drop? The menacing storm clouds? The sky had been an inviting shade of blue when we pulled up, and we were greeted only with the sound of trees twittering lazily in the breeze—not screams from the damned. I stifle a laugh at the images I’d been carrying of this place. They certainly don’t fit with the open, airy home I’m standing in the foyer of right now.

“Lady Adair, Miss Byrne,” A man dressed in black and indigo livery says as he bows deeply to each of us in turn, the tell-tale pointed ears of a High Fae poking through what’s left of his thinning gray hair. “Welcome to the Stoneheart holdfast.” We both tilt our heads in response. “If you will follow me, I shall show you to your rooms.” He doesn’t wait for a response, turning on his heel and marching towards the massive staircase dominating the center of the room. Inara and I exchange a glance and hurriedly follow to the second level, where a long hallway circles around the opening to the floor below.

He turns us down a hallway, and then another, where massive floor-to-ceiling windows frame the breathtaking mountain views. “Lady Adair,” he says, opening a gorgeously ornamented door to my left with another tilt of his head. “The valet will have your trunks brought to you and your Lady’s attendant shall be by shortly. Should you require anything else, my name is Mustrach.”

“Thank—” I start to say, but he’s already scuttling off to take Inara to her room. She shrugs as we share a quick glance, then scurries off to follow the man. I shut the door behind me and turn back to the room— rooms— sprawling before me. “Holy shit…”

A bed big enough to sleep six of me dominates the inset center of the room, covered in fluffy fur blankets and a mountain of pillows. Open French doors lead to a bathroom on the right where a clawfoot tub peaks around the frame. A dining area and a furnished den complete the space. And the windows! The view of the Black Mountain landscape covered in the reds, pinks, and purples of sunset might as well have been a room to itself!

The colors adorning the room are a match for them, though. Bright but elegant, and all of them my favorites. The modern decor, the colors, the fabrics… It’s like … My phone vibrates in my pocket—a text from Inara.

OMG! Have you tried the bed yet? CASHMERE. BLANKETS. Stoneheart can’t be that bad with taste like this.

I turn back to the furs covering my own. It’s like these rooms were designed for us… Like someone did a little research. A trick. Something to put guests at ease, lull them into a false sense of security. A feeling the young High Lord could use to his advantage—I won’t let myself fall into that trap. This bright, open room suddenly feels a lot smaller.

A soft knock sounds at the door. Queasiness grows in my stomach as I open it to find an older woman. She’s short, her features lined with signs of aging, but her blue eyes are kind as she smiles up at me. “Lady Liliwen.” My real name? I nod, and she brushes past me further into the room. “We need to get you ready, tonight’s banquet will be starting shortly and I cannot have you late!”