Page 28 of The Evernight Court

I was relieved for a moment because Grey cared a lot about these animals—justlookat this place!—but then it occurred to me that I didn’t have any money to pay this guy with. Romin probably did. The problem was, how was I going to ask Romin for money when I’d already decided that I wasn’t going to speak to him again or even leave the tower at all unless I absolutely had to?

For now, I decided I’d think about it and figure out another way. For now, these animals needed someone who knew what they were doing with them, so I turned to leave, to explore more of the tower, wondering if I’d find other people who worked for Grey hiding in these rooms, but…

Just as I was about to walk out, something else came to mind, so I turned to Zane again. He hadn’t moved from his spot at all as he waited for me to leave, still smiling.

“How did you get in here, if you don’t mind me asking?” Because I sure as hell hadn’t let anyone in.

But then Zane pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Through the back door of the greenhouse. It’s the shortest route.”

“Shortest route to where?” I doubted he lived here. I’d have seen him before.

“To the exit of the castle that the help uses. From there, the town is just a forest away,” Zane said.

My heart almost beat right out of my chest as I returnedhis smile. “Would you mind showing me the way to your town sometime, Zane?”

His green brows shot up. “Of course. Absolutely.”

“Very well,” I said, feeling a million times better already. “Please carry on.” And I slipped inside the tower again.

Maybe I didn’t have to spend every waking second locked up in this tower, after all.

Maybe, just maybe, I could figure out other ways to gather power without bedding the Evernights—and if there was, I wouldn’t rest until I found it.

Seven

I heardthe footsteps around the corner just as I was exiting the last room of the ground floor—another lounge area with a gorgeous library at the corner full of books in Faeish.

My heart skipped a long beat, and my stomach twisted a million times, expecting to see Romin turning the corner, even though he wasn’t allowed into this tower.

But he was the ruler of the Isles, wasn’t he? He wasn’t going to let the likes ofmestop him from roaming in his own damn castle any time he pleased. It was only a matter of time before he found reasons, before he came topunishme, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

Fortunately for me, though, this time it wasn’t Romin.

Instead Amita and Cynthia were coming toward me with their hands fisted tightly at their sides and their eyes red with rage.

They stopped walking when they saw me, a good distance of five feet away.

“Good morning,” I said when the initial shock faded away—because they were Grey’s brides. Of course, they lived in thethird tower.It was more shocking that I hadn’t seen them before, but that was probably because I stayed locked up in my bedroom every second.

“You,” Amita said, pointing her index finger at me. She had long dark hair that seemed black with the dim lighting of the castle and big brown eyes that made her look kind of haunted.

Apparently, when she was pissed off like right now, she looked fuckingpossessed,too.

“Me?” I whispered, touching my hand to my chest instinctively. I threw a look at Cynthia, who’d crossed her arms in front of her and looked about to burst into tears, her blonde hair tucked under a black shawl, her chin quivering.

“Yes, you!” Amita exploded. “How dare you sleep inhisbedroom like you own it, and then forbid the Masters from coming into this tower?!”

I cringed so hard it was impossible to hide it. “Grey’s bedroom is my bedroom, too,” I forced myself to say. “He gave me this tower, and?—”

Amita burst out laughing while Cynthia just shook her head at me like she both hated my guts and was disappointed in me.

At least she didn’t look on the verge of tears anymore.

“MasterGrey’s bedroom was his bedroom, not yours. And he couldn’t have just given you this tower. It’sourtower, too! We live here!” Amita continued, and God, she was really, really pissed.

“Listen, Amita, Cynthia—I have no other choice. They have no boundaries. If I let them come in here, they’re going to?—”

“Boundaries? Are you serious?” This from Cynthia. “They are the Evernights and this istheircastle!”

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