Lord of the Night

Chapter 27: The Palace Garden

I awoke when the door opened. The first light had just breached the window, silhouetting the figure in the doorway. A fitted long-sleeve shirt and jeans hugged his lean frame, and his hair was combed so it spiked a bit on one side. I wondered if he had spent some time getting ready for this, checking his image in the mirror.

If so, it had certainly paid off. Despite my conflicted feelings, I couldn't deny the attraction.

"You still want to do this?" he asked, his eyes traveling over my t-shirt and boxer briefs. "I know you a drank a lot last night, so—"

"I feel fine," I said, and it was true. I felt better than I had since arriving at the palace. The mere prospect of being in contact with the ground made my breath come easier. Besides, after learning a little more about Demons and about Isalio, I didn't feel quite as useless as I had before. Each time Isalio followed one of my requests, I regained a little more hope that I could still make a difference. There was a darkness to him—a poison festering in his soul—but that was only part of him. I could also see glimpses of the soft-hearted child the Duchess claimed Isalio had once been.

He certainly seems different around you.

"Then get dressed," said Isalio.

I slid out of bed and dug out a shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I tugged the jeans up right over my boxer briefs and then ripped off the shirt I had been sleeping in.

Isalio's breath hitched.

I turned toward him. His wide eyes were fastened to my bare chest, and his mouth hung slightly open. For some reason, seeing him flustered gave me a rush of hot satisfaction.

I raised an eyebrow. "You told me to get dressed."

"I didn't know you'd take your shirt off."

"I didn't know you'd stare at me the whole time."

He made a muted sound of protest, then tore his gaze away to stare at the side wall. I pulled on the shirt very slowly, watching the set of his jaw, the way his chest rose and fell a little too fast. When I was fully clothed, he turned back toward me.

"When we are outside of this room, you need to act submissive again," he said. "Keep your head bowed, and stay close to me, but don't touch me."

"Do you need me to bow to you?" Now I was teasing him. "Should I call you Master?"

"That won't be necessary." His voice was a little choked...and First Guardian, was he blushing?

After days of suffering pain and humiliation, it was so gratifying to watch him squirm. "Can you demonstrate for me one more time? How should I look when I'm playing submissive?"

He rolled his eyes, then pivoted toward the door. "I need to attend a meeting in half an hour, so let's move fast."

Isalio led me toward the same stairs we had scaled after dinner, but from there, our route diverged. We climbed down a series of spiral staircases, looped around curved hallways, and ascended ramps. I had hoped this little excursion would help me create a mental map of the palace, but my head spun from the strange organization of it all. Back at the Guardian base, neat corridors blocked off rectangular passages divided into square rooms. Here, there were more curves than angles, and I saw no discernible pattern.

Even Isalio paused to get his bearings every once in a while. I wondered if this was the first time he had taken the stairs the entire way. The thought made me uncomfortable. When I told him to stay away from me, he stayed away, and when he saw how poorly I handled transportation, he switched to stairs. I couldn't fathom his intentions, but he seemed intent on giving me everything he could. And every little kindness picked away at the crumbling wall I had constructed between us.