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She sent a furtive glance my way, hissing, “Don’t talk to me.”

I was left dumbfounded as she ran down the hallway, her face tilted towards the floor.

A couple of the Kakian demons strode past me, and I hurried in the direction of the throne room. I was unsure if that was where I was supposed to meet her, but I assumed it was.

The connection between Nancy’s remark about the zit that once graced my chin, and the current state of her once clear skin was not lost on me.

Neither was the way I’d begun to crave Lukas.

There was no denying the effect drinking his blood had on me. While I was already drawn to him, it had almost become a biological need. My guilt over yelling at him was true, but could I trust the rest of my body’s reactions? He’d helped me with my makeup, and all I’d wanted was for him to kiss me—despite how he’d tossed Kiam on the ceiling like a frigging chandelier.

Was I lying to myself when I said his psychotic possessiveness wasn’t that attractive?

Questions to mull over later, when I wasn’t faced with the guards and doorway that the Queen lay behind.

The two guards stared at me. “Uh, excuse me? I think the Queen is waiting for me?”

Neither said a word, they simply opened the doors. I looked at each of them and walked though, the doors shutting behind me with a hollow thunking sound.

Everything was silent and still, streams of sunlight pouring through the windows. The beams looked slightly foggy but didn’t contain a speck of dust. The yellow light streaming from the blood red sky was beautiful. While I visualized a new spread of colors on my palette, I heard my name.

Annalise stood beside me. “You are painting a new picture in your mind.”

Immediately, I dropped to the floor, bowing my head. My first concern was making sure I didn’t leave any cosmetic stains or imprints behind, and then I realized I was probably supposed to. Lukas had his forehead right on the ground the day he introduced me to her. I’d been so lost in the scene, I’d momentarily forgotten myself.

How ironic it would be to have survived everything up until this one, careless moment.

“You may rise,” she purred.

My shoulders swayed before I pushed myself up. “Thank you for the invitation. I apologize if I kept you waiting.”

She waved a hand like it was no big deal. “Come, they will serve us out on the veranda.”

Her hips swayed in the hypnotic manner I remembered. The woman oozed sex and it raised all kinds of questions in my mind. Her movements were unnatural but designed to seduce. I knew if I was a man, I’d want to bed her.

Visions of Kiam or Lukas being in her bedroom popped into my head before I could stop them, and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the illicit ideas away. I would bet money, if I had any, that Kiam had already slept with her.

The idea of Lukas with her, however, made me feel slightly ill.

We walked to the far end of the room, up a short set of stairs, and then across another floor before we reached the patio. Lightweight white gauzy cloth formed the ceiling, suspended by towering, molded columns with carved arches between them.

The view was gorgeous from here, which didn’t surprise me. Everywhere I looked in this Realm I was faced with breathtaking landscapes. It’d been a while since I’d arrived and I hadn’t tired of it.

A man in a loincloth stepped out from behind one of the marble columns and held out a chair for the Queen before assisting me. The small piece of fabric was just as useless as the one I saw on the guy who’d announced everyone in the throne room the day I was introduced to her.

Annalise’s gaze was watching the well-endowed man’s equipment with avid interest.

“Well, Cassia, how are you finding my Realm?”

My finger trailed over the silverware. It appeared made of glass or crystal, with silver woven through it in small threads. It was beautiful. “It’s a gorgeous place. The landscape is just so amazing.”

“I hear you have a talent for painting it. I wonder if that will remain when you see its true beauty?” She turned to the server. “Please bring us drinks.”

The man left and I replied, “I’ve seen many things and I’d love to see more.”

She angled her face toward the sunlight, letting a ray warm her cheekbones. She sighed. “I smell Lukas on you.” A strange look wobbled deep in her eyes before it cleared. “However, my dear, the man still has not claimed you.”

I’d never been one to kiss and tell, and the direction of the conversation was uncomfortable. I wasn’t about to instigate anything, though. “We have spent some time together.”