9. Zoey
Zoey
Thanks to ending the swim lesson early, I have a bit of time before I have to change for lunch. And I know exactly what I intend on doing with that time.
So, instead of heading back to my suite, I continue down the hall to the most elaborate door in the human wing. It has beautiful designs of moons and stars, the wood is embossed with gold paint, and marble columns stand proudly on each side.
It’s the suite for the humans who serve the queen.
Henry, Elijah, and most importantly, Matt. He’s never in the courtyard, and he hasn’t come to any meals. Even though he’s likely in the queen’s quarters, I’m not going to give up this rare time when I’m finally alone without trying to see him.
I knock on the door, and it swings open, revealing Henry. His slimy grin spreads across his face, and the way he leans against the doorframe makes my skin crawl.
“Well, well,” he says, his voice dripping with fake charm. “What brings Aerix’s favorite pet to my humble abode? Couldn’t stay away?”
I fold my arms, keeping my expression neutral. “I need to see Matt.”
“Ah, the ex-boyfriend. I can’t say I’ve seen much of him lately.” He steps aside, motioning for me to enter. “But by all means, come in. Unless, of course, Aerix is keeping you on a short leash these days.”
“He’s my friend’s ex-boyfriend,” I correct him. “Not mine.”
“You knew each other from home.” He shrugs it off. “Same difference. There’s a certain bond between the humans who knew each other back in the mortal realm, don’t you think?”
As much as I hate it, I can’t help but be intrigued.
“Did any of the others know each other before coming here?” I ask. Because if any of them knew each other before they were taken, they’ve said nothing.
“If they did, they wouldn’t tell.” He smiles mischievously, as if he knows something I don’t, and tilts his head again for me to come in, his dark red hair falling over his forehead.
I hold my head high and step past him, ignoring his bait, just like I ignore Aerix’s. After all, I didn’t come here to get roped into a conversation with Henry. I’m here to talk to Matt.
The queen’s suite is darker than the one I share with Sophia and Victoria, dimly lit, the faint smell of incense lingering in the air. Plush chairs and thick velvet curtains give the space a false sense of luxury, but it feels suffocating—like the room itself knows the kind of power games that happen here.
“It’s interesting how fascinated Aerix is with you,” Henry continues, looking me up and down in a way that makes me wrap my jacket tighter around me. “I’d love to learn more about what you’ve done to entrance him so much.”
I glare at him and tell him to buzz off, although in a far more explicit way.
He laughs, the sound as hollow as his eyes. “Fine. Matt’s in his room.” He gestures lazily toward a door at the end of the suite. “Although I’m not sure he’s up for company.”
I stride toward the door, Henry’s chuckle following me like a shadow, and knock.
No response.
“Matt?” I call out.
Still nothing.
“He’s in there,” Henry repeats. “And I don’t know about you, but if I wanted to talk to him as badly as you do, I’d just walk in. Who knows when you’ll get another chance?”
There’s something in his tone that I don’t like. A warning.
“Did something happen to him?” I ask.
“Why don’t you go in and find out for yourself?”
Curious—and worried that something’s really, seriously wrong—I push the door open and step inside.
The room’s small, but tastefully designed in fine silks and plush furniture, like all the rooms given to the humans.
Matt’s lying on the queen-sized bed, his face turned away, sleeping.
Relief fills my lungs at the fact that he’s here. I’ll finally have a chance to actually talk to him, without anyone else around.
As I close the door and slowly make my way toward him, he stirs, groaning softly.
He turns his head, and my heart clenches. Because his face is pale, his eyes sunken and shadowed, his blond hair flat and dull. He looks like he hasn’t eaten or slept in days.
Confusion flickers across his features before recognition dawns.
“Zoey?” He blinks at me slowly. “What are you doing here?”
I walk over to the bed and perch on the side of it, taking a sharp breath inward at how he looks even worse up close than from far away. “What happened to you?” I ask. “You look?—”
“I’m fine,” he cuts me off, smiling weakly. “Just tired.”
“Tired?” I shake my head. “You’re barely hanging on. This place—it’s killing you.”
“She’s not killing me.” He chuckles softly, the sound more like a rasp.
“She?” My stomach twists. “You mean the queen?”
“She’s…” He trails off, his eyes glazing over. “She’s everything. You wouldn’t understand.”
Given what I already know, it’s not difficult to piece together what’s happening here.
“She’s drinking from you too often, and too much,” I say it as a fact, daring him to contradict me. “She’s going to kill you.”
“No,” he insists, the one word stronger than any he’s said so far. “She loves me. I just need rest. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not fine.” I force myself to take a steadying breath, not wanting to anger him to the point where he shuts down. I’ve seen him shut down on Sapphire far too many times to know it’s in the realm of extreme possibility. “You need to eat something. Drink something. Anything to keep your strength up.”
He shakes his head, his smile slipping. “You don’t understand. She needs me.”
I bite back a curse, frustration bubbling in my chest .
“And what about what you need?” I ask. “Have you seen yourself today? Because if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not going to survive this.”
“I’ll be fine,” he says, closing his eyes again. “I just need to rest.”
A lump of tears forms in my throat, but I swallow them down.
“I’ll find a way to help you,” I say, even though I have no idea how. “I promise.”
His breathing evens out as he drifts off, and I sit there for a moment, watching him.
At home, I never liked him. In high school, he was full of himself. Then he turned bitter when he didn’t get a football scholarship and therefore couldn’t go to college. He treated Sapphire like she was something he wanted to own. Hot and cold all the time, as toxic as all else.
But now, he’s my lifeline to home. He’s the reminder that the life I had before coming here is more than a distant dream. He’s the only thing familiar in this place that’s more dangerously fantastical than I could have ever imagined.
I have to help him.
Eventually, I rise and leave the room, closing the door quietly behind me.
Henry’s still lounging in the suite’s common area, a smug expression on his face. I’m pretty sure it permanently lives there.
“Didn’t like what you saw?” he mocks.
I glare at him. “Shut up, Henry.”
“Careful, Zoey.” He smirks and leans back in his chair. “You wouldn’t want to make an enemy out of me.”
Seriously? That’s the best he can do?
“If you have to tell people to be afraid of you, then you’re doing it wrong.” I smirk right back at him and turn on my heel, storming out of the suite before he can reply.
Henry and whatever game he’s playing are the least of my problems. Because I have to figure out a way to save Matt.
Before it’s too late.