Page 82 of Their Offering

I pressed my lips together, a little embarrassed I’d assumed so much. She’d been right on the nose. I was expecting a sleek, dark home like I’d been accustomed to with the boys, but that was not at all what I walked into.

“Sorry, I just…”

“No worries, girl. Spend enough time with the royal family, and you’ll begin to believe life lacks color. I couldn’t do that to Mavis. That’s why the house looks like it does. This is my little piece of freedom down here,” she said with a wink. “Believe it or not, it used to be more neon, but Mavis asked me to ‘tone it down’.” Ida chuckled, as if remembering something funny.

“Who’s Mavis?” I asked her.

“I am.”

My heart stopped when an unknown voice carried into the room. I could see a staircase from where I was standing in the kitchen, and my heart rose to my throat as footsteps sounded.

The girl who came down the stairs and into the kitchen was practically an exact copy of Ida, except she had no freckles, and her eyes were a paler blue. Her black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, but it still hung down past her waist.

We made eye contact with each other, and she smiled, then looked at her mom.

“This her?” Ida nodded, and Mavis pulled me into a tight hug. “I have been waiting to meet you since you got here! Hail Satan, you are fucking gorgeous! The princes are fucking lucky!”

She stepped back, and I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding.

“Hi,” I managed to say, and a hot blush rose immediately to my cheeks. I’d done the same thing when I’d met Ida. What was it about these two that rendered me speechless?

“This is Mavis, Lilly,” She looked like she was holding back a chuckle. “My daughter.”

“It’s really nice to meet you,” I said to her daughter.

“Likewise, babe. We are going to be great friends.” She winked and then pulled two glasses from the cabinets and filled them with red wine. “This okay?” she asked as she handed me one.

I nodded and took the glass, closing my eyes as I savored the first sip of alcohol I’d had in a while. Keir was strict on the alcohol thing. Confessing I’d survived by being drunk all the time back on Earth bothered him, and he constantly told me he wanted me sober.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Ida said, checking her watch. “We have maybe twenty minutes.” She winced as she looked at me. “Sorry, Lilly. We can’t have you getting in trouble.”

Her last comment stuck with me, even as she left the room. In trouble? Since when did I become a child? Is this what having a strict parent was like? The brothers were like my wardens, rather than my rescuers.

“Want to sit on my balcony?” Mavis asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I took another sip of wine and nodded, forcing a small smile to my face. “Sure. I’d like that.”

As we walked up the stairs and took a couple of turns, I felt like I’d entered a void. Her room was black. Pitch black. Was there something darker than black? Her room was darker than black. The walls were practically non-existent, along with her floor and ceiling.

In each corner of the room, there were tall, single-bulb lamps shining light into the void. Her bed and dresser were the exceptions. They were the brightest shade of yellow I’d ever seen, probably seeming even brighter against the dark walls.

Mavis walked across her room, put her hands on a wall, and ripped it open. They’d been curtains, blocking the double French doors leading to her balcony.

“Wow.”

Mavis laughed at my response. “It’s a lot, I know. Mom keeps the house so fucking bright. I needed something different. It’s like working for the royal family sucked the life from her, so she plastered it on the walls instead.” She shrugged. “I get it, but it’s a bit much.”

I nodded. “I get that.”

“Come on,” she said as she opened the doors, a breeze whooshing in and blowing against my face.

I followed her out, wine glass still in hand, and sat next to her in one of her chairs. We sipped our wine in silence for a while. Surprisingly, though we’d just met, the silence wasn’t awkward. I felt comfortable with Mavis, like she was an old friend.

“So, please tell me if I overstep because I have no boundaries,” she said with a giggle. “But you’re with all three princes, right?” she asked eagerly.

I let out a breathy chuckle and took a bigger gulp of wine. “Not all three. Just the twins.” I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

“Oh.” she paused to take a drink. “That’s so fucking cool.” She nudged my shoulder with her arm. “You’re living every girl’s dream; I hope you know. Most girls here dream of even meeting those men, and here you are, living with them and fucking two of them.”

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