Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,72

cannot tell you why. Now, stop arguing with me. It’s no use. You’ll be staying in my quarters from now on.”

The Emperor’s quarters made a king’s rooms look like a chamber built for servants. It stretched across the entire floor on the top of the tallest tower, eight rooms in total. When he’d first ordered her to move her things into his quarters, she’d pictured being cramped up with him with nowhere to escape. She’d be forced to see him day and night. He’d never let her be alone.

“You’ll sleep in here,” he said, leading her to a room adjacent to his. A four-poster bed squatted beneath a flowing tapestry of golden silks. There were two small windows overlooking the city, neither big enough for anything larger than her owl to fit through. A small sofa sat beside a hearth, and several shelves held herbs, candles, and trinkets.

“It seems fine.” It was a bit of an understatement. The room was luxurious and spacious, but she wouldn’t admit that to him.

“I’ll personally deliver you anything you need, and your owl is free to hunt whenever he needs food.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you had better things to do than bother with me.”

“I do,” he said in a low, dangerous voice. “But as I said, you cannot be trusted. So, I’ll have to take care of everything myself. You’ll stay in here and mind your business. If you try anything, I’ll bend you over my knee and spank the living daylights out of you.”

Eislyn flushed, taking a step back. Her heartbeat cantered in her chest. “You wouldn’t.”

He grinned. “Try me.”

“I’m not some toy,” she said, her voice rising. “You can’t just treat me like one.”

“I can and I will.” With that, Lir stormed out of the room and slammed the door on her face. She glared at the wood, her fingers curving into claws. She wanted to rip the door to shreds and stick him with one of the shards. His blood would make the most beautiful paint in the world.

Eislyn awoke with a start, her hair plastered to her face, her heartbeat trembling like hummingbird wings. She’d had another one of her dreams. Of ash, of death, of an impenetrable darkness that swallowed her whole. Terror ripped through her, her pain raw, the wound fresh and festering. Her mother’s face flashed in her mind, transforming her to a time she’d tried so hard to scrub from her memories.

Wherever Eislyn went, the darkness followed close. It nipped at her heels, desperate to tear her apart limb by limb.

She reached out for her owl friend, but he wasn’t there. Somehow, she could feel him flying across the city, his eyes trained on the ground, searching for mice. How did that make any sense?

The door creaked open, and Lir’s head poked into the room. His eyebrows were threaded with worry, and his tousled golden hair framed his bronze face. “I heard screaming.”

She swallowed hard and glanced away, pulling the sheets up to cover her thin nightdress. “I had a bad dream.”

“I see. Would you like to tell me about it?”

“Not really.”

Emperor Lir was the last person in the entire world she wanted to share her deepest, darkest thoughts with. He’d already trapped her with no hope of a future outside of these walls. She didn’t want him to know what she feared the most.

He stepped into the room, ignoring her. “Do you have these dreams often?”

“What does it matter if I do?” she snapped, twisting away from him. She clutched the sheet, her heart racing. Couldn’t he just go away?

“It matters a great deal, Eislyn,” he murmured.

She kept her back facing him. “Why?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

With a growl, she whipped toward him, and the sheet slipped from around her shoulders. His eyes dropped to her breasts. Her nightdress was white and sheer, and the chill from the open windows peaked her nipples. Face flushing, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and strode right up to him as if she didn’t have a single fear in the world.

She pulled the door open and motioned for him to leave. “This is the way out.”

His lips tipped up, and then he chuckled. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Likewise.”

“Eislyn.” Voice soft, Lir brushed the damp strands away from her cheeks. Her heart froze at the surprising tenderness of his fingertips. Lips parted, she gazed up at him, confusion swirling through her gut. One minute, he was slamming doors into her