Page 147 of House of Crimson Hearts
“What, why? Does he know what the right answer is?”
“Yes. But he’s not willing to do what it takes to get it.”
“And you are?”
“It’s different.”
“Octavia, for fuck’s sake, I thought we were a team. What’s with the smoke and mirrors? Do you not trust me?”
“I trust you. I just… can you give me a minute? I will tell you. And we can decide together whether we’re willing to do what’s needed. Okay?”
I nod. But I huff at the same time, fold my arms and sink back into the carriage seat. I must fall asleep because I’m shaken gently awake.
“We’re at the castle. It’s almost sunset,” Octavia says.
“Shit, how long did I sleep?”
“A few hours. But it’s dark enough I should be okay. I wanted to take you somewhere. If you’re okay with that?”
“Is there time?”
She glances at her watch. “We still have about fourteen hours, so I’d say so.”
“Okay.”
She holds out her hand and I take it as we step out of the carriage and into the castle’s carriage station.
It’s still a bit of a walk up to the main building of Cordelia’s castle through the underground tunnels, which include far too many steps. Especially given the tremors now wracking my body. But eventually we emerge into the main foyer.
“We’re going up,” she says, pointing to the castle roof.
“More stairs?”
“There’s a lift this time.”
“Thank fuck, because my stake was starting to look real appetising,” I say.
She laughs, but everything about her tonight is tense, including the way she smiles. It reaches her eyes, but they don’t close and crinkle the way they normally do when she laughs.
We get into the lift, and she presses the roof button.
“Is it dark enough for that? I swear I saw some tinges of orange still.”
“I should be okay, the sun sets in about three minutes.”
We step through the doors out onto the roof and I gasp. “Oh, wow. It’s stunning.”
“That’s the other reason I should be okay.”
She points at the woven greenery that has been shaped into an arched living tunnel we can walk through. The broad leaves and smooth vines are peppered with the sweetest smelling flowers. The archway bends and twists as we walk along the rooftop. Finally, it breaks out into a large open area, the vines combining with tall shrubs to form a roof overhead. The waning sunlight speckles the castle roof in freckled patches. But she’s right. For a vampire of her age, there’s little enough light to cause more than a bit of itching.
And by the time we walk to the jacuzzi on the other side of the space, the sun has fully set.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I say, staring out at the horizon and the molten sky. It’s like a thousand fires smoulder in the distance.
“It is, but don’t you feel like sometimes the sunset is a goodbye?”
I stare at her, wondering where that came from but before I can question it, she rounds on me. “Strip.”
