Page 16 of Empire of Dark

“May I accompany you to the dining hall? It is a bit of a maze in these corridors.” My fingers twitched on my phone in my pocket, ready to pull it free to get work done as I waited for her.

Her brow crinkled in slight confusion and she disappeared for five seconds, then the door opened fully and she stood in front of me.

“Sorry—I didn’t have shoes on.”

A vision.

I’d never put much stock in how the first of our species made themselves into gods on earth. What they had done had left a foul legacy for both the panthenites and malefics. Those firsts of our kinds had embodied the worst traits to have walked this earth—petty, selfish, cruel, jealous, wrathful, hypocritical, manipulative, violent, greedy—it went on and on. And it had been a just result when they fell out of favor with humans.

But Ada was a goddess of old if I’d ever seen one.

She’d cleaned herself up, her blond hair parted on the side, the soft waves of her golden strands shiny and smooth and pulled loosely over her bare right shoulder. She’d chosen the pale peach gown of silk with the thin straps out of the three that I’d had Josie lay out for her. The dress long and elegantly simple, the skirt of it flowed in rippling waves about her legs as she took a step toward me. The top half of the dress draped along her curves. Tight enough to accentuate her full breasts and to flare out at her hips, but not so much it was garish.

Her bare arms had strong lines of definition, the long muscles proof she kept herself in shape. The odd wide silver armlet was still on her upper right arm and I studied it closer for a moment. A never-ending infinity design twisted in relief around the silver metal. Entirely peculiar.

The heels she’d slipped onto her feet gave her an extra couple of inches so she now reached up to my upper chest. Her green eyes were bright and alert, springtime unfurling in them.

Alert because she was ready to battle or alert because she was hungry and wanted to eat?

Either way, she was early and ready to go. Something I hadn’t counted on.

I’d expected to see her still in her jeans and black top. Defiant. I had no doubt she was still irate from what happened in the drawing room earlier.

My fingers left my phone in my pocket and I held my elbow out to her. “Shall we?”

“Please.” She looked down at my extended arm and purposefully stepped around me, her arms solidly at her sides.

Yes. Still miffed.

We walked along the corridors of the castle and I pointed out rooms and hallways as we passed so she could start to orientate herself.

Entering a long hallway with a thick carpet runner lining the wooden floor, I motioned with my finger around us. “Most of the rooms in this area of Netherstone are bedrooms reserved for guests.”

Ada glanced up at me, slight alarm flickering in her eyes. I couldn’t quite place why it manifested. “Do you entertain often?”

I nodded. “The rooms are usually used by women who are here for breeding.”

She glanced around, noting the open doorways. “Is anyone staying in them now?”

I shook my head. “As it is, the rooms are all empty at the moment.”

That got her attention. She looked up at me, her left eyebrow quirking. “I imagined there would be other females here. Triaten said you were one of the best breeders of your kind.”

That had been generous of him. “I am.”

“They why are they empty? Aren’t you busy sowing your seeds wherever you can?”

“One, I am way more discerning about mating than you seem to think.” I met her look, my tongue slipping out to lick the sideof my lips in an overtly carnal motion. “Two, you are my only project for the time being.”

Her feet stopped next to me.

A quick stumble and she was at my side again, stride for stride.

But her falter had told me everything I needed to know.

We turned the corner to the hallway that led to the main staircase on this side of the castle.

Just as we reached the top of the staircase, Oriane darted out of the adjacent hallway and stepped in front of Ada.

---