Chapter 2 #2
Ciprian shudders. “You better tell your fae prince this wasn’t my idea.”
“Idris cares about you,” Sheena says. “He was worried, too.”
“Sure, sure.” He bumps his hip against hers. “Whatever you say.”
“I made three rooms for you.” Sheena turns to look at me. “Is that enough, Celine? I can always put Alistair in the garage if he acts up.”
“That’s rude,” he drawls.
Sheena grins at him. “I know.”
“Three is great,” I murmur, glancing at Riven. His silence is loud, and his shoulders are stiff, overlapping his neck on both sides. He’s clearly uncomfortable, but there aren’t any other great options. No one will kill him while he sleeps here. It’s the best I can do.
Ciprian bends to whisper in Sheena’s ear, but speaks loud enough that we all hear him. “How big is the bed, bestie? I need room to work my magic.”
Luca snorts, and Alistair rolls his eyes.
“Do you?” Sheena raises one eyebrow. “If there isn’t enough space for your ‘magic,’ you can always ask your mom if she’s got a better option.”
“Fuck.” Ciprian shudders. “Don’t say shit like that. Seriously, there is something wrong with you. Being abducted damaged your sense of humor.”
Sheena smirks. “Funny, I always thought it made it better.” She opens a door that’s comically large compared to her small frame and leads us inside.
The room has an en suite bathroom and a tall, four-poster bed with pretty, old-fashioned canopy curtains.
The color palette is warm and earthy, and the big window in the ceiling provides a breathtaking view of the night sky.
“Hyacinth, I thought you might like this room . . .” Sheena trails off, a little out of her depth while talking to a teenager.
Hyacinth nods shyly. “This is great. Thanks.”
“The bathroom is through there.” Sheena glances at Ciprian. “I’ll take care of the clothes now. Make the wish.”
Ciprian narrows his eyes. “I don’t know . . . You created three new rooms an hour ago.”
Sheena plants her hands on her hips. “I know my limits, Ciprian Casanell.”
He scoffs, ducks below her eye level, and looks up. Sheena clamps her hand over his eyes. “Stop trying to peek up my nostrils, asshole. I don’t have a nosebleed.”
Removing Sheena’s hand from his eyes, Ciprian turns to Alistair. “Does she smell like blood, Ali?”
He sniffs and shakes his head, ignoring Sheena’s glare.
“It’s object manipulation,” she snaps. “The easiest wishes there are.”
Ciprian rolls his eyes. “And you’ve overdone it with those kinds of wishes before.”
“Ciprian, don’t be rude,” Luca mutters, shifting his weight.
“Fine.” Ciprian tosses his hands out. “I wish for Sheena’s new house guests to have the clothes they need for their stay.”
I blink and stumble back a step as Sheena’s eyes glow a vivid purple. Her feet leave the floor, and her dark brown hair begins to float.
The closet door flies open, and a dozen pieces of women’s clothing appear, followed by several pairs of shoes. Hyacinth’s jaw drops and my eyes bulge. I’ve never seen magic like this. No wonder Sheena’s had trouble fending off greedy supernaturals.
She drops back to the floor and lists slightly to the side. “All done,” she says briskly. “I put everyone else’s things in the other rooms. I’m not nearly as fashionable as you, Celine, but I put some stuff in your room, too. You didn’t have much time to pack, and I know how it feels to be adrift.”
Sheena glances away, as if she’s not fully comfortable with the admission.
I consider giving her a hug, but I’m not sure if she would want that, so I settle for patting her on the shoulder. “Thank you. I—We really appreciate it.”
We leave Hyacinth in her room to settle in and drop Riven in the one next to it.
It’s nice. Filled with dark, sturdy wood furniture and a large window that looks real. We’re in an interior part of the wing, but the enchanted window makes it seem like Riven’s room overlooks a garden.
He doesn’t look back as we leave him there. I wonder if he’ll still be here in the morning.
Sheena leads the rest of us into the room next to his.
It’s by far the biggest, with a massive closet and the largest bed I’ve ever seen.
Ciprian, Alistair, and Luca eye the bed speculatively, and I shake my head. “Count me out,” I tell them. “I need a good night’s sleep.”
Sheena looks curiously between the three of them and grins. “Even Alistair?”
Ciprian opens his mouth to answer, but Ali beats him to it. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he demands.
“Nothing,” Sheena says breezily. “I expected your stubbornness to keep shooting you in the ass for a while longer, though.”
Alistair’s eyes flash red. “Casanell is mine.”
“Good for you.” Sheena pats him on the shoulder. “I’ve got a Casanell myself, and let me tell you . . .” Her smirk turns devious. “I have no regrets.”
“Ew.” Ciprian throws himself down on the love seat. “Please, for the love of the gods, can we not do this right now?”
Sheena heads for the door, clearly pleased with herself for rattling her friend. That’s when I notice the walls. They’re painted green, and not just any green, they’re a near perfect match to the walls in my apartment.
My eyes fill with tears, and I move without thinking, grabbing her in a hug before she can leave. “T-thank you,” I sputter. “For the green. For everything, really.”
It’s a silly thing to say, but Sheena doesn’t care. She hugs me back, then smiles softly. “I hope we can be good friends, you and me. Ciprian deserves so much love.”
“And he’ll get it,” I whisper. “As long as I’m around, he won’t go a day without it.”
She squeezes me, and her eyes fill with tears.
We pull apart awkwardly, and Sheena wipes her eyes with her sleeve. “Let me know if you need anything else,” she says. “I’ll keep Callum and Gideon away until nine tomorrow, ten if we’re lucky.”
I swallow and clear my throat, noticing Quaid lurking on the threshold, silently observing. “The security plan is pretty simple,” I tell him, answering his earlier question. “If they have wings, don’t let them in.”
He nods and melts into the shadows. Sheena follows him, leaving the rest of us to collapse in yet another unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room.
Thankfully, this one locks from the inside.