Chapter 15
Rummy
King Cornelius was a fucking sight.
Maybe he was ordinary, but the lack of available men in Scarlata lowered my standards. Or maybe I just hadn’t seen as much of the world as I should have.
Either way, the man standing in front of me was absolutely delicious. His bronzed skin glowed in the sunlight. He had dark, luscious hair that fell perfectly behind his ears, and his teeth were too damn white to be real.
He looked nothing like the old bastard I expected to be barking orders at his guards. Kings and queens were getting younger and younger, weren’t they?
I was entranced by him, unable to glance away. Not with the way his bright blue eyes pierced into me, freezing me in place.
He approached Jessiah first. “An angel,” he greeted. “I can’t say we see many of your kind around here.”
“There aren’t many of us in Scarlata, either. Aside from myself and my brother.” Jessiah’s tone was measured, careful.
Cornelius surveyed him slowly. “Ah, yes. I’ve heard all about the half golden angel, half vampyre who has won the hearts of many. It’s impressive. Wings like yours hold great power, Jessiah.”
Jessiah’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
It had to be killing him to hold his tongue, but it was obvious that Matthias had been correct. Cornelius’s ego was enormous. If we played this game his way, he would be too blind to see just how much of a threat we could be.
We were here for answers. So far, the streets of Pericius had only raised more questions.
Cornelius greeted Xavier, then stood in front of me, holding out his hand. He wore several rings that glinted, despite the cloud cover. “And who might this fine young lady be?”
I took his offered hand, rising to my feet with my chin held high. “My name is Rummy.”
“Rummy.” I could have sworn his eyes glistened as he repeated my name. He assessed me from head to toe.
As his attention moved down my body slowly, I fought the chill that threatened to cascade down my spine.
Get it together, Rummy. He’s just a man.
“A woman as beautiful as you surely has no business traveling on such a long journey with the likes of these men. Let’s get you cleaned up and fed. I have a feeling we’ll all be getting to know each other very, very well over the next few days.”
The smile that spread over my face wasn’t entirely forced, but I couldn’t explain why. All my senses told me that this man was bad news. Yet I felt a strange pull toward him.
I bowed my head, finally pulling my hand from his. “It’s an honor to meet you, King Cornelius.”
With a smile, he turned away, saying, “The honor is all mine, Rummy.”
He barked orders at the men surrounding him, then strode toward the large doors at the front of the castle and barged inside.
Castle wasn’t quite the right word for the structure we were approaching. Within these walls was an entire city. Granted, I hadn’t seen much outside the confines of where I’d grown up and the new kingdom of Scarlata, but I was impressed.
Guards flanked us, guiding us inside. Behind me, Xavier and Jessiah whispered to each other, but I kept my focus ahead of me.
As if I could have looked anywhere else.
With every step, I was more impressed. Grand statues lined the perimeter of the entrance. Hallways led in every direction, with a massive spiral staircase on each wall, leading to the levels above.
Our footsteps echoed as we trod across the perfect white flooring. How did they keep floors like this so clean? Who had the fucking time?
Cornelius disappeared, but a group of women stood together, looking at me as if they were expecting us. “Hello,” the woman in front said. “My name is Nance. I’ll show you all to your rooms in our guest wing. This way!”
I glanced over my shoulder, making sure Xavier and Jessiah were following me. They each smiled politely, but when my eyes met Jessiah’s, there was a warning there.
Be careful.
Right. Because I was a damn imbecile who didn’t know how to act.
He underestimated me just like the rest of the world. Did he really think I would just fall into Cornelius’s good looks and charming demeanor?
Please. I had some spine.
We walked up one flight of stairs in silence. At the top, Nance scurried across the clean floor, leading us down a long hallway. On either side were massive arched doors with gold details and matching doorknobs. Not a single aspect of this place had been unattended to.
It took effort to keep my expression even.
On the inside, I was damn impressed.
“You’ll be staying here, miss.” Nance stopped and opened a door on the right side of the hall.
The three of us stopped in front of the door. “And what about the others?”
“They’ll be right down the hall.” Smiling, Nance pulled a set of keys from her white dress and fumbled with them before finding the one she was looking for. She slid it into the keyhole of the door and turned until the lock clicked.
Jessiah stepped closer, his body heat soaking into my back. “The doors lock?” he asked.
“For your privacy, yes.” Nance seemed innocent enough, but we all knew better than to believe a pretty woman just because she was smiling. “They’ll lock from the inside. The keys here are just for emergencies.”
Xavier said nothing. Jessiah just nodded.
They were uncomfortable with splitting up, but we were in their kingdom, so we’d have to play by their rules.
“Okay, then!” I turned to face the guys, clapping once. “You boys enjoy. I’ll be taking a long, hot bath and trying to look presentable.” With that, I spun toward the now open door.
“Rummy, is it?” Nance called from behind.
“It sure is.”
“Cornelius has requested that the three of you dine with him this evening. He’d like to celebrate the arrival of his new friends.”
Jessiah’s focus was fixed on me, the weight of it palpable, even without looking at him. “Perfect. I’ll be ready.”
I walked inside and closed the door softly behind me.
Only when I heard the sounds of footsteps retreating did I exhale.
The room was just as grand as the rest of the damn place. Cornelius had really outdone himself. A small balcony on the far side of the room flooded the room with fresh air and sunlight, the sheer white curtains on either side flowing in with the breeze.
The place was massive, with a four-poster bed bigger than any I’d ever seen in the center and several golden wardrobes lining one wall.
Crystals strung from the ceiling, sunlight reflecting off them and illuminating the place with a special glow. They either had way too much fucking time on their hands, or they wanted their guests to feel special. Royal, even.
I wasn’t complaining.
After I’d spent a solid hour making myself look somewhat presentable in the grand, porcelain bathroom, I flung open one of the wardrobes.
The golden box was filled with more dresses than I could count. White, red, adorned with rubies, pearls. You name it, they had it.
I had never worn a dress this fancy before. Not once in my entire life.
Oh, this would be fun.
I spent another hour trying on dress after dress and assessing my reflection. The room was a fucking disaster by the time I chose one, but damn, it was worth it.
I took in my reflection in the long mirror again, trying my best to remember why I lived in Scarlata when places like this existed. When dresses like this existed.
The red silk fabric hugged my curves with little effort. The halter top exposed my shoulders and arms, and plunged just low enough between my breasts to draw the eye, but not enough to minimize the elegance of the garment.
The skirt fluttered around my calves, moving with every step I took. The dress left the majority of my back exposed, so I twisted my blonde hair into a braid over my shoulder to keep it that way.
We had to have some fun with these men, right?
And weren’t we trying to impress our newest host? I had a feeling Jessiah and Xavier weren’t going to get the job done.
Not on their own, anyway.
A knock on the door pulled me from my musings.
I spun around and made my way to the door, stepping over half a dozen dresses in my strappy heeled shoes along the way.
On the other side, Jessiah stood, waiting.
An angel, indeed.
He wore an all-white suit, one that matched those enormous wings with ease. He’d gotten plenty of sun during the journey here, and the white fabric made his tan skin practically glow. And the golden eyes? They were almost too much.
He took me in from head to toe.
One singular muscle in his jaw twitched.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
Stupidly, disappointment washed over me.
I supposed that was the biggest reaction I’d ever get from him.
It didn’t matter. I had to remember that. He wasn’t our target.
I nodded. “Ready.”
He held his arm out to me, and I looped mine through it without question. He was so damn tall, I had to hold his arm near his elbow rather than his bicep.
As we headed down the hall, his white wings covered the back of my dress, making all the effort I put into my choice pointless.
Xavier walked in front of us, following Nance down the massive staircase and through the back of the castle.
We passed guards and what looked to be staff on our way, but for the most part, the castle was empty. Quiet.
Still.
In complete juxtaposition to what we’d witnessed on the way into this kingdom.
Past a large set of doors, we found an intimate dining room. Dim candlelight flickered off the walls, reflecting off the silver plates and utensils.
Not a single object was out of place. Not a single detail forgotten.
“Ah, welcome, welcome!”
Cornelius stood from his spot at the head of the long table.
The few guards standing around the perimeter didn’t move. They were as still as the statues, waiting for their orders.
Quite a fucking life.
I tore my attention away from the guards, releasing Jessiah, and greeted Cornelius.
He took both of my hands in his and pressed his lips to my knuckles.
I smiled and fluttered my lashes.
“It is a pleasure to see you again, Rummy, and goddess above…” He straightened, taking me in fully.