Veron had the same type of household faerie as servants in his palace. I never knew their names, and though I could tell the difference between at least five of them, he treated them interchangeably. Not Rys. Though the brownie barely comes up to my knee, covered in thick, brown fur and wearing a sack dress, he gives her an indulgent smile as he introduces me to her.
“This is Elle. She’ll be staying with us.”
“Mistress,” she says reverentially. She straightens, pulling herself to her full height as she basically vibrates in place, she’s that excited to see me. It’s a nice change. “If you need anything, ask Lolly. She’ll take care of you.”
“Um. Okay. I will.”
“As you can see, Lolly, there’s going to be two of us for dinner. We’ll take it in the dining room. Until then, I’m going to show her to her room.”
“Yes, Master Rys. Lolly will.”
As soon as the brownie jumps up and down, then scurries from the room, Rys murmurs for me to follow him to the stairs leading off from the room. Spiral stairs, as elegant as everything else I’ve seen in his house so far.
Wasn’t he one of the Fae Queen’s guards? A soldier? A prison guard? It must pay freaking well because, damn. His house seems so expensive, I’m almost afraid to breathe.
My steps are careful as I start to follow him up the stairs. The railing is crystal, too, and I keep my hands to myself so that I don’t leave fingerprints on it.
“So, uh, you have a brownie.”
Rys nods. “She came with me when I moved from my family home. She kept the house up for me when I went on missions for the Fae Queen, and tended to it even after I was imprisoned. She’s happy to have me back, but you… you can rely on Lolly. Ask for anything. It’s yours.”
Part of me wants to ask for him to stop acting so distant. But, since that’s not gonna happen, I just say, “Sure.”
At the top of the stairs, the hall splits in two, leading up to a closed door on each side. He points to the left. “That one is my bedroom.” Pointing to the one on the right, he says, “That one’s for you. Let me show you it.”
The room itself reminds me of the decorative guest room at Hildy’s inn. There’s a huge bed in the middle, at least a queen size, and it has a decadent comforter stretched across it; it’s padded and thick, a pristine white color decorated with golden thread. The bed frame is golden. The canopy above it is sheer. A couple of sconces line the walls, with a soothing yellow light.
A mahogany dresser lines one whole wall. Next to it, there’s a floor-length mirror perched on an angle. I avoid it, turning so that I can see Rys has an oversized shower box in the opposite corner.
Forget the rest of the room. I want a fucking shower.
Somewhere behind me, I hear Rys say, “There’s clothes in the dresser. Help yourself to anything. They’ll fit you.”
Oof.
I don’t want to be jealous. That’s never been me. Even when I was a teen and I just started going out with Jim, it never bothered me that he was one of the most popular guys in school and half the girls in our class had a massive crush on him. But even though Rys tells me that no one stays here except him and his brownie servant, this room has to belong to someone—and if the clothes will fit me, they’re definitely not Lolly’s.
“That’s okay. I don’t want to borrow someone else’s clothes.”
“Borrow someone else’s… Leannán. They’re yours.”
“No. These are.” I pluck at my leather jacket. “They could use a wash, but other than that, they’re good.”
Better than wearing some other woman’s clothes.
“No, Elle. I don’t think you understand. This room… all of it is yours. It’s a gift for you. The furniture. The clothes. The bed.” His lips curve just enough to maybe be a smile. “Even when I told myself you were gone, I couldn’t help myself. I gave the order before I left across the veil. I hoped… I hoped, one day, I could offer this to you.”
Wait— what?
Well, that changes everything, doesn’t it?
I head right to the dresser. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for, but it doesn’t matter since, inside the top drawer of the dresser, I find—
“Socks!” I can finally wear two of them again! Feeling giddy, I turn to look back at the allure of the facilities. I can’t help it. I moan. “And you have a shower box. Oh my God
, Rys. I fucking love you.”
It… it just slips out. I didn’t mean to say it. I don’t even know if I would have realized that I said something so loaded except for his reaction.