Page 54 of Stolen
And heck no, I’m not going to let it slip through my fingers just because it feels too good to be true.
I grin like a lunatic and sit up, grabbing the sheet to clutch it around my chest, when I hear soft footsteps outside the door.
“Alaric—?” I call, hopeful.
But it’s not him.
“Good morning, Lady Jules,” Shade greets me with her usual melodic voice, stepping into the room like she belongs in a painting.
My grin softens, and yeah, I’m a little disappointed, but I like her.
“Just Jules remember?”
“I am afraid not, my lady,” she says, and offers me a knowing grin.
I bite my lip, and I nod.
What can I say?
But I refuse to be embarrassed.
Besides, Shade feels like the cool, unflappable BFF I never had.
She carries a silver tray and a folded bundle of what looks like more impossibly soft clothes.
“Lord Alaric bids you to break your fast, refresh yourself, and dress for the day.”
I snort. “‘Bids me’? Really?”
Shade’s lips twitch. “Yes. He is waiting for you. He is taking you on a tour of Nightfall.”
My eyebrows shoot up.
“He is?”
She nods, and for the first time in ages, I feel this sense of, I don’t know what to call it, giddiness? Maybe.
Like a girl with a crush.
Like someone who might actually be someone else’s crush.
And isn’t that amazing?
For someone like Alaric to want me? Not for my utility. Not for convenience. But simply because I’m me.
Well, it’s just too good to be true.
Definitely too good to waste on all thewhat ifs.
And honestly, I am so curious.
About him.
About this world.
About where this path might lead.
Even if it’s all smoke and mirrors.
