“Come on.” I latched onto Liz’s hand and pulled her out of the car. “Let me show you my room.” When I first came here I dreamed about showing Liz around and sharing this amazing new world I’d entered. Now that dream was a hazy shadow of what it once was.
Smoke still clung to the air as we made our way through the halls, and although each day the palace was leagues cleaner than the one before it, there was still a long way to go. Liz didn’t seem to notice it, or maybe she didn’t care. Either way, she didn’t say anything. There was no point worrying about it anyway, we wouldn’t be staying here for long.
“Damn! This place is even more amazing in person than it is on television.”
Liz skipped ahead of me, stopping to look at a piece of artwork or smell the flowers the servants had just begun to place in vases like they used to. I sniffed the air and allowed their delicate scent to replace the smell of the carnage that evil had left behind. A whiff of Liz’s fresh perfume filled my senses and eased me farther away from the nightmarish memories that were trying to break through.
“It’s even better when it’s not under construction.” I flicked my fingers across a tarp that was draped over an expanse of wall. Ladders, workbenches, buckets of paint and all manner of tools lined the hallways as we made our way up the back staircase to my floor.
“What is that?” Liz squealed, tapping the glass of a large window.
“That’s the palace gardens.” I smiled at the memories I had there; walking with Arrick that first night after our Blood Mate ceremony and my favorite bench on the edge of the pond. “Seems to be the only thing that wasn’t destroyed during the attack.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her voice grew softer as a yawn escaped. “Can we go there?”
“Sure, just not tonight.” As much as I’d like to walk amongst the fragrant flowers and sit at the bench under the ancient tree that overlooked the pond, I wasn’t going to. I would take Liz to the gardens in Naos. They were just as beautiful.
“Can I at least stay with you tonight?”
“Duh!” I winked at her. “Of course you will. My bed is big enough for four people.”
“That should be enough space for you to roll around like a maniac, and hopefully not kick me in your sleep?” She raised her eyebrows at me. I was a notorious fidgety sleeper.
“I won’t kick you,” I raised my right hand, “I promise.”
The sight of my closet roused Liz from her sleepy state. She was like a kid in a candy store. I told her to take what she wanted as I threw on an oversized shirt and dropped myself into bed. She dashed in and out of the closet asking what I thought of a certain outfit and I’d mumble that she looked amazing until sleep finally claimed me. Louie curled up at my feet and purred madly. Maybe having Liz around was good for him too; a familiar face was always comforting.
Chapter 5
Light pierced through my lids and roused me harshly from a deep, dreamless sleep. My eyes opened despite my desire for sleep, squinting as the beam glared at me. A moment of panic clutched my heart, but released quickly when I discovered it wasn’t the deadly rays of the sun that were assaulting me, but something entirely different. Liz lay beside me, breathing deeply as she slept. Louie was curled up by her head, his tail curled across her face like a furry mustache. I held back a giggle knowing how much that annoyed her. She’d probably be sneezing all night.
Every one of her fingers was sparkling, reflecting light from the bedside table lamp that had been left on. Each of her fingers held a ring from my jewelry case. Rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds. They were just as beautiful as I remembered them, but somehow they looked better on Liz than they ever would on me. She always enjoyed the finer things in life. I thought all the jewelry was gorgeous, but I never much cared to wear any of it. It was too flashy for me, but for Liz, it just seemed to amplify her beauty. Or, maybe she was amplifying its beauty. Either way, at least it was being enjoyed and not collecting dust in the closet.