Well, what I really wanted to do was lie down, but I absolutely refused to do that right now, especially in his bed. I’d been jarred out of sleep by his presence too many times already.

I got out of the chair and brushed my teeth. While I scrubbed savagely at my molars, I decided I’d get out of here. If Wylfrael could jet off somewhere without warning, then so could I. I was too tired to go outside and hike through snow without Wylfrael doing his whole psychic snowplough thing, so I figured I’d explore the rest of the Eve Tower since that hadn’t been covered on our tour.

I left the bathroom and walked through the main bedroom to the door. I paused, though, the armoire catching my eye. For a second, I considered pulling all the clothing out and dumping it onto the big fire rock that crackled in the fireplace. But even in my anger, I knew I wouldn’t do it. Even though I didn’t want the items, even though they’d come to represent how little power I really had in this bargain, they were too beautiful to destroy. Some Sionnachan had put their time and care into the clothing, and I couldn’t burn that. Plus, Aiko had been so excited during our measuring session, like she was getting to play with a real-life dress-up doll, and I didn’t want to imagine the disappointment she would try to hide if she came in tomorrow and found only ashes left of all the clothing.

It would have made Wylfrael furious, of course, which at this point was quite an alluring idea. But ultimately, I decided to go in the complete opposite direction of burning the clothes.

I’d wear them.

If he’s going to completely suck at playing husband, I’m going to give 110% at being his wife. So that there’s no way he can find fault in my performance.

I stomped over to the armoire, a wicked smile on my lips as I yanked it open. I hurried out of my human clothing, leaving it on the floor. I ended up discarding my bra and panties, too, since I’d need to wash them tonight anyway. I stood naked before the armoire, perusing its contents, my eyes and my hands running over fur and leather and silk.

I settled on a crimson silk robe. It was far too big, but it had a belt which helped tighten the garment at my waist. The sleeves I wouldn’t be able to help until Aiko tailored them, so I rolled them up past my elbows as best I could. As I walked, the silk flaps of the robe trailed behind me like a river of shining blood.

In this luxurious red robe, walking through this quiet castle in the dark of night, I felt like some lost woman in a Gothic story. Like I should be creeping through the halls holding a candle up in the darkness.

I actually wished for a candle as I left the room and went up the stairs. There were no firestone lanterns in this passageway, and as I ascended, I fought the feeling that I was walking into nothing.

Wylfrael’s room was quite near the top of the tower, so there wasn’t too much left to explore up here. I poked my nose in a couple of rooms that, thankfully, were lit by fires. One was something like a study, another was a large, lovely bedroom.

I continued upward to the last room – the highest point in the Eve Tower. I pushed the door open and held my breath, surprised by the hushed darkness that met my eyes after the light of the other rooms.

I blinked furiously, trying to adjust my gaze to the lack of light, feeling dread prickle, like I’d found something I shouldn’t have. Was this something horrible? Was it a dungeon, a torture chamber?

No, I told myself bitterly, if it were, you would have been thrown in here as soon as you arrived.

Slowly, my eyes did adjust. I wondered if the crystal was carved to be thinner up here, because the barest amount of starlight was filtering through the translucent silvery walls. I couldn’t tell exactly what I was looking at as I entered, even as my eyes adjusted. There was nothing in the room except a huge tubular thing in the centre, jutting straight up from the floor, with a domed top. The tube was easily large enough for a person to stand in, and as I walked around it, I found one part of the tube was open, as if that was exactly what you were supposed to do.

After examining it as closely as I could and finding nothing in there that would indicate danger – no hidden spikes about to jump out and skewer an unsuspecting human – I cautiously stepped inside.

Nothing happened. I turned in a circle, frowning. I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d been expecting, but the fact there was what seemed to be a completely useless, empty tube taking up an entire room by itself was weird.

This doesn’t seem Sionnachan, I thought with a small shiver. This tube wasn’t carved from crystal or stone. It didn’t have the rustic feel of Sionnachan furniture, either. It almost looked like it was made of perfectly shaped glass – transparent except for the occasional whorl of smoky silver running through it.

“It doesn’t work when the roof is closed.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Wylfrael’s voice. I spun in the tube until I found him, a nebulous shadow lit by tiny stars, looming in the doorway.

“What? What the hell? What are you doing here?” I stammered, startled.

“I live here,” he responded dryly. The sarcastic edge to his tone made me feel like I was going to explode.

“You know what I mean!” I seethed, storming out of the tube towards him. “Where were you? You just took off! I was doing what I was supposed to do, and you, what? Just decided you needed a break from the wedding planning?” Wylfrael didn’t answer, silent, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. His lack of response made my anger burn brighter.

“Aiko was confused by your absence, you know” I ranted. “She brought two plates of food to our chamber and didn’t understand why you weren’t with me. A newly mated god leaving behind his bride. Looks very legit.” I crossed my arms, a reflection of his pose. All the extra rolled-up silk bunched around my elbows.

“Do you want to know how it works?”

I blinked, my arms falling to my sides. “Do I want to... What? What are you talking about?”

“The starfinder. You were standing in it a moment ago. I assume you were curious.”

“Right now, I’m more curious about why you completely disregarded your end of our bargain this afternoon. What was it you said earlier? If you can’t fake it in front of the Sionnachans, you’ll never be able to do it in front of the other stone sky gods?”

Still, he didn’t fucking answer. Instead, he pushed off from the doorframe and strode into the room, a shadow taking shape.

I wanted to shout, to make him respond, make him justify himself to me. You fucking left me here!

But that was just too pathetic. If he could be cool and detached, then that was just fine. I’d be that way too.

Wylfrael had lost his vest at some point during whatever the hell it was that he’d been doing. His markings cast a dim blue glow over everything, including me, as he approached. His gaze glowed, too, the colour of clear Canadian skies in winter, so beautiful it made my ribs constrict. His gaze was intense on me, more penetrating than his detached tone of voice would have had me believe. His eyes dipped to my neck, my collarbones, my chest. I realized, nipples growing taut in the cool air of the fireless room, that my robe had started sliding down one shoulder, exposing cleavage. I thought about grasping the material and pulling it closed, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to make myself small. To hide myself and acknowledge I was vulnerable. Instead, I raised my chin, heart pounding.

Wylfrael didn’t say anything else and he didn’t touch me, though, for half a hammering heartbeat, I’d thought he was going to. He walked around me, his movements creating a brush of air on my exposed skin that made me shiver. He went past the tube thing in the centre of the room to the wall across from me, grasping something on the wall – a lever? – that I hadn’t noticed before.