Page 16 of Courting Envy
One side of this corridor was lined with windows, and the other with doors, each one a different color.
I guessed that would make it easy for me to remember which one was mine. The doors were spaced so far apart that I could only imagine the rooms within were cavernous, and snake-men were settled halfway between each door. Perhaps to give some privacy to the occupants?
Reon stopped outside a door that looked like it was made of pure gold, the handle a huge, glittering diamond.
Excessive. Totally ridiculous.
And yet, I kind of loved it, my heart skipping a beat. I’d always loved the decadent. Beauty a reward of its own.
“This is yours, Rava.” My name rumbled off his lips as he gestured to the handle and I reached toward it, my fingers hovering in the air.
“Shouldn’t you go in first?” I asked, quirking my eyebrow at him. “You’re my guard, after all. What if someone is waiting to ambush or kidnap me?”
I watched as he tilted his head, as though listening to what was on the other side. There was no way he could though. Right? But once again, what the hell did I know about demons, and it wasn’t like I had my cell phone here and could just Google it.
Another wave of grief hit me in the chest then, making me feel light headed. The things I didn’t know about Hell combined to form a tsunami inside me. So, I dropped my fingers onto the handle and twisted, pushing the door open. It was surprisingly light, moving smoothly back. Reon followed inside, the sound of his tail scraping against the lush carpet of my rooms so different to the noise it made on marble and runners, on gravel.
How long would it take me to get used to those sounds, to expect them?
I let out a long breath and examined the space I’d stepped into. It was a wide room with plush sofas and other pieces of furniture scattered around the place. I had no idea who had occupied these rooms before, but their taste was not like mine at all. A thread of jealousy itched at the base of my skull to think of another woman in here, demonic or not. A queen before me, someone else that Lucien had fucked and brought here.
I decided then that I hated everything about the room, but I ground my teeth together. I’d have to deal with that later, and not with Reon in the room.
He dutifully made the rounds of the room, checking behind long drapes that pooled on the floor before moving into a side room. I trailed behind him, peering in to see a bed chamber with another room off it, perhaps a walk-in wardrobe or an ensuite.
He moved through to a door on the left of the room. I followed behind him, watching him move as he inspected each nook and cranny in case there was someone lurking.
He obviously didn't think it was likely, but he was doing this for me, and that felt... Good.
Reon wasn't what I had been expecting from a personal guard to a Prince of Hell. Not that, ah, I'd had any expectations of that before now. But I'd seen a flash of Lucien in his demonic form, I knew there was darkness there. And while Reon as a snake was as formidable as they came, his nature was gentler. Very much the strong and silent type, but apparently without a need to prove that he was every bit as tough as his snake body obviously was.
His more human aspects though... Well, those I could get on board with. His dark hair curled in soft waves, and his upper half was clothed in only the remaining scales, which seemed to dip in and out of his skin seamlessly. I wanted to reach out and touch him, see what he felt like compared to a regular human male. Then I glanced at my fingers, realizing that they weren't normal now either, and the darkness seemed to be seeping from my fingers to my palms now.
How long would it take before I was consumed?
Sharp pain shot through my head, and I winced, knowing it was my horns. They were getting bigger, weighing on my head like an unwieldy crown.
"It's fine, Reon. I was only joking," I said, just wanting him to step onto the other side of the door and give me some privacy. Despite being a famous singer in my regular life, I was deeply introverted, and this whole shift from earth to hell was fucking with my head big time.
He came back into the main room, a frown on his face. "Joking? What is this you speak of?"
I rocked back on my heels, mouth falling open in shock until his lips split into a grin and he laughed. It was a good laugh; his shoulders shook with it and something warm uncurled in my belly.
"My lady, I am sure there are more similarities between your world and mine than you think. Don't let appearances scare you. You belong among us now." His gaze moved to my horns as he said those words. I wanted to hide them away, but there was no hat in existence, no veil, that would cover these monstrous things. "There are refreshments on the table by the sofa, and then a servant will be with you shortly to help you bathe and dress for dinner if you would like." He paused for a moment. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
With that, he dipped his head and slid out the door.
I waited only seconds to move towards it and check for a bolt. It had one, of course, but I did want help. I could wait until the servant had come before I locked it. My guess was that if the Prince of Hell wanted in my room, then he would find a way in, one way or another. This was his realm, and if the power of it flowed through me via his blood, then he sure as shit was going to be able to do whatever he wanted.
I stalked across the room and pushed into the other one, finding the nearest pillow I could to shove my face into and scream. Damn it felt good to let that out. I'd been containing myself as best as I could, but the situation had been piling up on me, one strange new thing after another and I'd reached maximum capacity. Irritation, grief, and frustration burned inside me as I threw the pillow down on the bed and stormed to the window. It was puny, tiny, and there was nowhere near enough light coming into this room for my liking. Hell, the light outside was stupid too, tinged with a sickly green hue. I didn't care if that was the typical color of Envy, didn't care if that was normal.
It had to go. All of it. I wanted a big ass balcony, windows as wide as the wall, and I wanted golden light to shine down on my body, give me some of the warmth of the human world that I was so used to.
Another scream built in my chest, but this time I didn't swallow it, didn't bury it in a pillow, this time I let it explode from inside me. My magic awakened, tingling through my limbs and bursting from me.
It shattered the glass in the frames, sending slivers of it to the outside world. The movement seemed to make the entire wall ripple and pull and the floor beneath my feet shuddered as my room recreated itself, exploding all the pieces that had been there before, before drawing them back in to create exactly what I wanted.
A balcony.
