Three
CHAPTER
The room smelled light and sugary sweet.
Plates upon plates of French toast, fresh bacon, and juicy fruits of all kinds were laid across the maple dining table I was sitting at.
There was more food on this table for this single meal than I could ever eat in a day, let alone a week.
Yet my plate remained untouched, my mind elsewhere, admiring the sights through the partially open floor-to-ceiling window across from me.
Curtains gently billowing on either side of the hinges.
The clouds. The waterfalls. All of it. I imagined what it would be like if she was here instead of me. I missed her so dearly.
“Are you feeling quite alright, Aerilyn?” Neil lifted his glass of freshly pressed orange juice to his lips, taking a small sip.
His eyebrows were pulled up and together in a frown, his violet eyes locked on mine.
He looked at me as if I were a wounded dove in need of saving.
He had already saved me. In more ways than one.
More ways than he knew. He was my savior, my everything.
He was the one who found me and brought me here to begin with.
His Manor was my home because he opened his doors and welcomed me with open arms, the same way his Court did.
I still remember when I woke up here in the Realm of Clouds two months ago, just days after my death.
The kindness he showed me that day was the same kindness he still showed.
I had never been in love before, but with the way my heart skipped a beat anytime I was near him, I knew I was.
He consumed my thoughts, and most of my days were spent at his side.
I was free to roam about his Manor however I wished.
I had my own suite with a bathroom, new dresses made just for me, and a member of his Court who was assigned to care for me.
Neil cared for me so much, and he did everything he could to remind me of that.
I was blessed to be in his presence, let alone in his care.
“I am. Really, I am.” I smiled in an attempt to reassure him that I was, though it seemed that neither of us was convinced. I lifted a hand to push loose brown curls away from my face, careful not to touch the cloud barrette that was placed within my hair earlier this morning.
“You’re still having nightmares, aren’t you?
” he asked, his silky white locks hanging slightly into his face.
He watched me from across the table with his elbow on the arm of his chair and his hand under his chin.
Those eyes, those vibrant violet eyes. I could truly get lost in them forever if he let me.
I was reluctant to say a word, yet I did anyway. “I am.”
A sigh came from his lips as expected. Based on what I had observed of him, it didn’t seem to be a sigh of annoyance or exhaustion, but concern.
He always seemed so concerned when it came to me.
I couldn’t fathom as to why, however. I watched his violet eyes peer down into his glass of orange juice.
“I know you are.” He paused. “You’re restless.
I can hear you toss and turn throughout the night…
” His tone was soft and sweeter than honey.
I was continually struck by how beautiful he was.
Of course he was, the Divine always were.
I was Divine now, too, but I had yet to see the beauty in myself that I saw in everyone else around me. I didn’t look much different than before, except my skin was clearer, my eyes were brighter, and my ears had a slight point to them that wasn’t all that noticeable.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you…” I lifted a hand to toy with my curls, fidgeting with the ends of my hair.
“You didn’t disturb me, but you should eat. You haven’t touched your food.” He gestured to my untouched plate.
“You certainly should,” Acheron butted in, briefly standing in the doorway. His boots clunked against the ground as he walked across the room to sit down at one of the many empty chairs, purposely putting himself between Neil and me. He always did that.
Why does he always do that?
“Why waste all this delicious food we’ve had prepared this fine morning?” Acheron picked up a piece of bacon with his bare hand, chewed, and swallowed.
“He’s right, you know, it’s getting cold,” Neil added, eating his own meal.
I rolled my eyes playfully. Cutting into the French toast on my plate, I dipped it into the syrup and took a bite.
“Mmm.” I couldn’t help but moan. The food here was far richer and sweeter than it ever was back in Lelarin.
The Mortal Realm truly could not compare to the Realm of Clouds.
I wonder if the food in the other Realms was as delicious as this.
Though, I supposed it didn’t matter much when I had a whole table of food to pick and choose from.
Lapitah was far more beautiful than the stories my mother told me.
Clouds covered the sky, and I could see distant waterfalls out the window from my seat.
I could see the field of clouds in the far distance.
The lake that Neil found me at, too. I wished to go there again, to that lake.
It was so close yet so far away, as I was not allowed to leave the Manor.
Neil had told me that it wasn’t safe for me to wander about freely due to concerns about how different I was.
He didn’t explain to me the tension within the Realms, but he did make it quite clear that the Realm of Stars was not to be trusted.
That if I wandered off, I could be taken. Or worse.
I knew that Neil only had my best interests in mind, but my curiosity still left me with the desire to explore the Realm. Instead of physically doing so, I did so with the books that Neil gave me. He promised that one day, I would get to see the Realm, and I was keeping him to that promise.
For the remainder of breakfast, I was quiet.
Occasionally, I shared stolen glances with Neil.
I had my fill of the decadent savory and sweet assortment that lay before me.
Acheron devoured his food far quicker than Neil or I did.
I wasn’t even sure if Acheron was tasting his food.
He was quite literally inhaling it. Gods, it was a miracle he hadn’t choked.
He had things to do and places to be as Neil’s Right Hand, I’m sure, but couldn’t he wait long enough to eat a proper meal?
Duty called, it seemed, even in the Realm of Clouds.
I watched him turn to Neil, shoveling one last bite of French toast into my mouth.
“I looked into that thing you asked me to, my Lord,” Acheron said.
“And?” Neil questioned, raising his brow.
“And?” Acheron quipped. His milky white eyes met mine with a look I couldn’t decipher. I studied his face—his pale skin, his starlit freckles, and his long white hair tied back in a loose bun with a singular gold ribbon. I turned toward Neil, who was already looking at me.
“And?” I chimed in as if I should know what they were talking about somehow. Both Neil and Acheron looked at me, sharing another look I did not understand.
What are they implying, exactly? Are they keeping secrets? I don’t like secrets…
Neil cleared his throat. “Aerilyn, darling.” He paused. “Perhaps now would be a fine time to take that stroll in the gardens, hm?” He tilted his head, and I mimicked the gesture. “I will come and join you when I’m done.”
“Are you asking, or ordering?” A playful smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
What exactly are you two up to?
Acheron chuckled, and Neil shot a glare in his direction. Eyes narrowed, Neil pushed himself off his chair, making his way around the maple dining table and toward me.
He knelt at my side, taking my hand into his, and placed his other on top. “Aerilyn.” His tone was soft, sweet. It made my heart skip a beat.
“My High Lord,” I purred.
He smiled, his eyes meeting mine. “You are free to do as you wish. I would never make you do something that you did not want to do. You know that I merely want to protect you.”
“I know.”
“I know you know, Little Dove.”
Opening my mouth to reply, he pulled my hand closer to him. I leaned in closer, our foreheads only inches from one another. “I need you to understand that when I ask you to do something, it is in your best interest to do so. I only wish to protect you… So please, allow me to do as such.”
I became aware of the ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump of my heart beating against my chest. Neil had been so good to me. He always knew what was best. I wanted him to look at me like that forever. “As you wish,” I whispered.
Neil planted a soft kiss on the back of my palm, looking up at me once more with a look of gratitude.
Acheron rolled his eyes. “Okay, come on already you two.” He huffed, crossing his arms, a subtle hint of jealousy in his tone. Or at least to me, it seemed like jealousy. I smiled. Amused by Acheron’s commentary.
Neil shook his head, his smile reaching his ears.
He stood, carefully pulling me up with him.
He was so much taller than me. I only stood five feet and three inches, while he was at least a foot taller than me, if I had to guess.
Inhaling deeply, I took in his scent of citrus and cinnamon.
My favorite. He silently gestured for me to go, and I did.
The thick, maple wooden door closed behind me.
I stopped for a moment, standing alone in the hall, eyes resting upon that door and the gold etchings carved into it.
Clouds. Tempted to touch it, I refrained.
Whatever Acheron and Neil were talking about was muffled by the door.
Surely, they put up a barrier to prevent prying ears from listening. Prying ears such as my own.