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Instead he just stood there, looking stoic and guardly I wanted to pinch hi at a snowflake She was draped, from neck to toe, in a fabric so delicate it was virtually sheer, and her skin beneath was nearly as diaphanous She was almost as pale as the frost that coated nearly every surface of her queendo, and even while she was sitting, I could see that she was tall and y She reminded me of the dancers in the clubs Brook and I used to frequent Elegant and sparkling and lithe

But it was her eyes that held ht as her skin Not in the way Sabara’s had been-- into clouds of spun silver It was as if tiny fila both soft and hard, i the way I wished I looked: si, and feminine Like a true queen

"Don’t be sorry," she said in her throaty voice as she took a step closer Her lips pursed into what could have passed for a smile "And don’t worry You’ll be fine,h--aside frouards--it was only the two of us in the oversize throne roo her voice at all "On each cheek And it’s entirely unnecessary" She looped one arh mine like ere old friends, and her touch, too, had that saility She ledme across theto you"

I glanced up at her, my eyes wide "Why ever would you do that?" It was theI’d spoken since my arrival, which was pathetic at best

"Because you," she answered, without glancing down atno one else has been able to do You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for"

I sive rin, and I felt as if she were looking into hts "You deserve this You, Charlaina, belong here"

We reached the door and I glanced over my shoulder, only to find Zafir mutely at our heels Unlike at the entrance, where it took two men to open the enor the door for us As we passed, she stepped aside, dropping one leg behind her and tipping into a perfectly executed curtsy

I silently rateful Xander hadn’t been there to witnessstaircase with serpentine balusters forged from black iron that stretched as far as I could see, disappearing into the upper floors Its black marble stepswe stood on Ebony crystals dripped froht, the interior of her palace was dark and foreboding Everything about her was a contrast of sorts

"Your rooms have been readied, and your wardrobe has been"--she paused thoughtfully--"replenished"

"How did you--"

She held up her hand and wispy fabric revealed wrists so slender they should have been skeletal Instead I could see leanbeneath her skin "Coot word of your detour almost immediately Preparations have been made ever since" She smiled then, a real smile "There’s much we can teach you Much we have to offer You and I will be great allies, I think"

I tried to iine the level of couess at how it ht benefit my people Suddenly it didn’t matter that I’d made a fool of myself, or that I was nervous I remembered exactly why I’d come "I appreciate that, Your Majesty"

"Neva Just callover a footman as dressed in all black I wondered how Brooklynn had felt, seeing that her uniform matched those of the palace staff "Show Queen Charlaina to her roo "I’ll have dinner sent up to your rooer to meet you tomorrow"

Neva hadn’t lied when she’d said she’d sent up clothing, and not just for e into

I had no idea how she’d guessed our sizes, or whose clothes we actually wore, but it felt like heaven to strip out ofclean and soft So that didn’t s better would have been a bath, but I knew there’d be time for that after we filled our stomachs

We ate in almost total silence, just the three of us: Brook, Zafir, and me

I didn’t eat slowly, as a queen probably should Instead I couldn’t chew fast enough, and I practically shoveled the food into my mouth Food that hadn’t just been hunted and skinned The meat--whatever it as perfectly sauced and seasoned and was probably the best dish I’d ever eaten It had only been a few days, but it felt more like a lifetied or