Page 50 of Their Offering

She laughed, clearly not worried about my threat. “What do you need from me, Keir?”

“She will be staying here for a long time. She needs clothes and other girl stuff. She’ll also need a room.”

“A room? This doesn’t sound like a ‘no one’.” Ida cocked her head, observing me. “She’s important to you, isn’t she?”

How did she know that? Wait. Was she right? I barely knew Lillian. We’d just met, but she was definitely more to me, thanks to the cards fate had dealt. Did that mean she was important tome, though?

“Sir?” Ida said, bringing me from my thoughts.

I shook my head to refocus as I cleared my throat. “Doesn’t matter.” I looked her in the eyes. “Can you prepare things for her? It shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Of course.” She nodded as she spoke. “What’s she like?” I raised my eyebrows in question, but she just laughed at me like I was being ridiculous. “If she needs clothes and ‘girl stuff’, I need to know what she likes. I doubt she wants me to stock a closet full of random clothes.”

“Right. Um…” I put my hand up, tapping a finger on my temple. “May I?”

Ida nodded, giving me permission.

I closed my eyes and focused on Lillian. I saw what she wore, how she did her hair, her favorite things, anything I thought Ida might need to know to adequately prepare for Lillian. When I finished, Ida staggered.

“Wow.” She let out a snort. “You sure know a lot about this girl.” She put her hands up in defense before I said anything. “I’m teasing. Don’t worry, I got this.”

“Thank you, Ida.”

“Where will her room be?”

I paused, having not thought of that part yet. I walked down the hall, and Ida followed. I stopped at the first door to the left, a room we’d left mostly untouched. After opening the door, I stepped inside. The room was a bit stale, having not been used or inhabited since we’d moved here.

“This room,” I said rather bluntly.

I turned to look at Ida, who gave me a curious look again. “Keir, are you sure? This room is for––”

“I know who it was for,” I interrupted her. “I think it's been long enough. She’s not coming. This will be Lillian’s room.”

The room had originally been intended for our mother. When my brothers and I made the decision to move out, we’d extended the offer to her as well. She denied it, saying she had to stand with our father since we were abandoning him–and her.

We’d designed it with all her favorites in mind. The walls were pastel green—her favorite color. Pictures of her favorite flowers, sunflowers and daisies, hung on the walls. Two plush, furry white chairs sat in front of the fireplace, and the closet was full of clothes in her size and style.

I’d left the room the way it was in the hope she’d come to her senses, but she never did. I was tired of waiting for her. It was time to accept things for what they were and move on.

“Lillian,” Ida started. “I like it. I can’t wait to meet her. What realm is she from?”

I turned away without answering, unsure how to tell her the truth. I liked Ida, but she wasjusta servant. Yes, she’d been around for as long as I could remember, and she chose to take care of us when we moved out, but I couldn’t let that cloud my judgment. She still worked for Father.

“Keir?” Ida pressed. “I just want to know where she’s from so I could bring a little bit of her home here, make her more comfortable.”

I nodded. It was a valid reason. I huffed as I came to the realization that Ida would know Lillian was human the moment she arrived. Lillian was human. She’d have a distinct scent. I had to tell Ida the truth.

“She’s not from here.”

“Not from here, like this realm?” she inquired. “That’s fine. I can visit another realm for things if I need to. It’s no trouble.”

“She’s not from any realm, Ida.”

I could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to figure out what I meant. “I don’t understand.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “She’s not fromHell.”

I saw the lightbulb go off. “Your father… I overheard something about a portal…” I nodded my head. “Youfoundthe portal? Your father doesn’t know, does he?”

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