Natalia

The young man turns his broad shoulders and faces me. He wears a puzzled look as he takes in my appearance—my ripped jeans dirty from the party, my shirt shredded just above the navel. Obviously, I’m not one of his kind, and he notices.

I feel a sudden flush of embarrassment hit my cheeks. Whoever he is, he’s beautiful. And obviously, important. The nurse bowed to him.

Then his eyes climb up to my face and settle heavily on mine. I feel a sudden thrill rush through my veins as I lose myself in the depths of his gaze.

Then, one of his men steps forward. He has pale skin and a sort of sniveling expression. He pushes blond hair back from his face as he raises his chin high.

“You dare not bow before Prince Kallen?”

The prince?

The sniveling man steps forward, challenging the nurse at my side. “Is this mortal under your supervision? Have you not explained what its place is here?”

It? I feel a flash of anger at the way he speaks to her about me, but the nurse simply bows her head. “I’m sorry, Lord Glyn. The mortal is new here.”

My focus returns to the beautiful man. His eyes haven’t left me, and I find myself trapped in them. A vibrant honey brown, pooling with lights and shadows. His hair, a dark, rich auburn—like when the sun strikes the trees during the golden hour.

And his ears are pointed too.

He—Prince Kallen—holds up a hand to quiet his lackey, and returns his gaze to me. “What is this human doing here?” he asks sharply.

The nurse clears her throat. “I’m to deliver her to the others who have awoken, Your Majesty.”

The prince tilts his head just slightly. A look of displeasure shadows his face. “Others? How many others?”

“I don’t know,” the nurse admits. “I only know that the king ordered the delivery of them personally.”

I haven’t been able to take my eyes from him, and when the prince finally turns his gaze back to me, I’m trapped, staring like a hopeless buffoon. Anxiously, I fumble for the necklace my parents gave me at my throat, relieved to find the cool metal there. I squeeze the pendant tightly in my hand—I’m so glad they didn’t take this from me. I try to exhale slowly, my eyes still fixated on him.

I can’t help it. I’ve never seen anyone so handsome before.

He holds my gaze for another moment. Just long enough to strike chills up my arms. Then he turns away in silent dismissal. “Take her where she’s meant to be. And do it quickly.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” the nurse says. She curtsies, sending a purposeful elbow into my side to prod me to do the same.

I lower my head in a half-assed, begrudging bow. By the sounds of it, this guy has a lot of pull, and I don’t feel like dying in this place. Not until I find Ash.

The nurse is obviously frazzled by our encounter and slumps against the wall with a breath once the prince and his gaggle have left. “You have no idea how much trouble we were almost in just now. You’re lucky that Prince Kallen is more forgiving than his brother.”

“His brother?” I ask.

“King Leander,” the nurse explains. She clears her throat and we continue down the corridor. “I understand you don’t know any better, but try to show more respect in the future. Unless you want your time here to be very short.”

My skin prickles, and I shoot a glare at the back of her head as I follow along. Of course, I want my time here to be short. How was I supposed to know the guy was a prince, anyway?

I bite my tongue until we arrive at our next destination—a large palace room with ceilings that seem to reach straight up into the heavens.

Long racks of lovely clothes line the walls, where women—just as pretty as the nurses—are buzzing about, taking great care to select the right clothing and accessories for the girls awaiting them in chairs.

I scan the crowd, searching through every pair of normal human ears, when I finally spot Ashlyn’s telltale mop of curls. When she sees me, she races over and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug. “Oh my god, Nat. Are you all right?”

I squeeze her tightly, relieved to feel her alive and well in my arms. “I’m so sorry. I tried to protect you, but—”

“It’s okay,” Ashlyn says, emphatically. “I mean, this place is amazing, isn’t it? How could I be mad that I’m here?” She spreads her arms out wide and fawns over the stained-glass ceilings above. “God, look at it. Can you imagine, our whole lives, this world has been sitting right here, next to ours?”

I frown, feeling my fingertips go cold. Amazing certainly isn’t the word I’d use.

“Don’t get too comfortable, Ash,” I urge her. “Play nice for now, but we’re going to get out of this place.”

Ashlyn blinks at me, her gentle eyes wide with confusion. “I don’t understand,” she says. “It’s so beautiful here. Why would we want to leave?”