Page 27 of Acedia

I stacked the dishes back onto the tray as best I could after eating, leaving it sitting on the table and feeling my way back around the room to get to the washroom—which was up three steps and circular in shape.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any fresh clothes to change into, so I just cleaned myself up as best I could before heading back down to sit in the squishy dining chair for a moment and catch my breath. Tilly flopped down for a nap at my feet as Hela came in to collect the tray, followed by a morning visit with Meera that made me feel more at ease with everything—especially as she assured me she’d source me some more clothes to wear.

I was feeling quite the lady of leisure when another knock on the door came. Like a grand dowager in my elegant home, receiving guests all day the way the old dames did in the shows Nana used to watch.

“Come in!” I called while Tilly let out a snore. She hadn’t seemed the least bit concerned by anyone who’d visited thus far, though I supposed she’d mostly avoided my brothers rather than growled at them. It had never occurred to me before, but Tilly might be a bit of a coward.

I couldn’t judge. I was a bit of a coward too.

“Good morning, Iris. How did you sleep?”

“Is that you, Prince Damen?” I asked tentatively. I certainly hadn’t expected a visit from him.

“It is—call me Damen, please.” He crossed the room in a few steps—how long were his legs?—and took the seat closest to me. His voice was so lovely and friendly that I couldn’t help but feel at ease in his presence.

“I didn’t expect you to visit again,” I said honestly. “You’re a prince. You must be very busy doing important things.”

“I have no trouble making time for you,” he replied smoothly.

“Oh. Okay then.” Was that… Was he flirting with me? Was that what that was? Perhaps he was testing to see if I had the capacity for lust.

Surely, princes had better options.

Damen cleared his throat. “Is there anything I can do that might make your transition to life here more comfortable?”

Now, he sounded exceedingly polite. Perhaps hehadbeen flirting and I’d reciprocated poorly.

Should I flirt?

I didn’t know how to do that. I supposed that I’d never learn unless I tried though.

“Could I touch your hand?”

“You… you want to touch my hand?”

“Yes, please. If that’s okay. Only I don’t know what a Shade looks like, and it might be helpful to feel.” That was a little flirty, wasn’t it? While also being a genuine response to his question—knowing what a Shade felt like would make my transition to life here more comfortable.

“Of course.” Damen moved closer, dragging the chair with him. Tilly huffed at the scrape of the wood on the stone floor. “You might not like what you find, Iris. We don’t feel human.”

He almost sounded worried.

“No, I expected as much,” I assured him, reaching out my hand, palm up. After a long moment, he placed his hand on top of mine, and I gently began exploring.

Five fingers—that was standard. His palm was a little softer, the back of his hand a little bonier—also pretty regular. The texture of his skin was different to mine, though. Warm and smooth and much tougher. More like leather than human skin.

“Careful,” Damen warned as I traced his knuckles. “You’re getting closer to my claws.”

“Claws,” I repeated, pausing. Hela hadn’t just had sharp nails, she’d hadclaws. That made far more sense.

“Here.” Damen used his free hand to gently clasp my wrist, guiding my movements. There was an odd swooping sensation below my stomach in response to his grip, and I swallowed loudly. “You can touch the top of them. That won’t cut you.”

I hummed appreciatively, noting how long and tapered they were. Smooth, though. Were all Shade hands like this, or did the prince have particularly soft ones from a more restful life?

“Is there anything else about you that’s different from humans?”

Damen made a slightly pained sound. “Maybe a couple of things. Do you, uh, want to feel my face?”

“Would you be okay with that?”

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