Fae Fiefdom - M. Sinclair Page 0,8
was so dark and shadowed, especially as the afternoon stretched on. Antique furniture, dusty and covered in sheets, paired with dim lighting, made the space feel heavy and the stench of old perfume practically suffocated me.
I placed the tea bag inside my mug and hit the instant hot water, the cup turning a deep blue that matched the blueberry flavor of the tea. I had to admit, that was an improvement and change Denise insisted that I agreed with. A brand-new kitchen. Just made sense to me.
I could feel eyes on me as my skin prickled, but as I’d stated, that had become somewhat of a norm for me. Walking towards the massive staircase, I shook my head trying to not feel immensely creeped out. I’d never been one to believe in the paranormal, but I couldn’t deny that the house seemed to be living and breathing in shadows. Making me feel both scared and comforted, which shouldn’t have been possible.
As I trailed up the stairs, my eyes tracked the two flights I still had to climb. I wasn’t positive why my stepmother had placed me in such a large suite on the top floor, originally the attic, except that it could ensure that I wouldn’t be able to sneak out. It also kept me out of sight of the others. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of me, at least not fully, but I was like the moon compared to her sunlit daughters. I imagined she had no idea what to do with me.
A sound, like someone on the stairs, creaked behind me and I snapped my head around. My breathing hitched but there was nothing. No one.
I inhaled, shaking my head and walked just a bit faster until I came to a massive door in the foyer of the third staircase landing. I gripped the big handle and yanked it open. Sliding into my room, I slammed and locked the door securely.
Exhaling I shook my head. I hated that panicked feeling, like something was right behind me, right about to reach out and grab me. I mumbled a curse and turned on the lights that had replaced candles in my chandelier.
The living room suite and attached bathroom occupied most of the room. Except for the hand-carved, wood-framed, glass doors that led to my bedroom, everything was in dark rich tones. The fireplace had me imagining that I was somehow living in a different world than everyone else. Sometimes I would see the fire dance as if it was little figurines turning and twisting.
I could create entire worlds in my mind. Sometimes when I was dreaming, or I dozed off in class, the room would explode in color. Those boring cream-colored walls would change into vibrant rainbows, and plants would break through the windows, filling the space with life and breaking the dull stiff air.
My cell buzzed from the coffee table in front of a pair of light green velvet couches, drawing me out of my thoughts. I picked it up, the smooth device cool in my hand, and frowned, not recognizing the number. I shook my head and hit ‘decline,’ if it was important they would call again.
“What if that had been important?”
A masculine voice had me letting out a small scream, jumping, and dropping my teacup. Boiling water and shards of ceramic landing everywhere, including my sock-covered foot.
“Fuck!” I stifled a cry, pulling my foot back and hitting the wall near my fireplace. My eyes blurred with tears, trying to focus on a rather large shadowed figure. Panic pulsed through me and pushed away the pain. My heartbeat was rapidly firing because…there was a huge fucking dude in my room.
“Hell!” he snarled, his voice low and rough, appearing in front of me, impossibly fast and making me flinch back. “I didn’t think you would be so goddamn clumsy and manage to hurt yourself.”
Instead of saying anything, I froze. Absolutely went still, because the energy radiating off this man was otherworldly…I couldn’t describe it any other way. It was natural and raw.
The scent of lemon surrounding the space as I inhaled sharply, his rich green grass eyes examining my expression. His body was tense, but he didn’t move forward or even say anything, both of us clearly at a loss at what the hell was going on.
My biggest question? Why was I not more panicked? Why was he so hot? No seriously. This guy had shoulders that were twice as wide as mine, and stood at least 6’2.