Free Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key) by Skeleton Key, Ali Winters

carried her down a wide hallway at the top of the stairs with large arched windows that looked over the path that led back to the forest and swamp. Other windows were solid, made of slabs of black obsidian stone and lit with sconces that lined the walls.
    The sound of his shoes echoed off the walls, as they tapped against the stone floor and, combined with the gentle sway of his gait, lulling her into a relaxed state. She could fall asleep in his arms like this, but fought to stay alert. It would be her luck that she would give in and miss the most incredible thing about this world—something she couldn’t even imagine at this point.
    “This isn’t what I thought a fairy castle would look like… even for a dark fairy.”
    “What did you expect from an Unseelie fae castle?” he asked, stressing the word fae.
    “It’s very gothic, I thought it would be more… magical,” she murmured as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. “Other than the waterfall, this castle could be in the human realm.”
    “Don’t judge so quickly, there is much you haven’t seen yet.”
    She nodded against his shoulder and felt her eyes grow heavy, drifting shut.  
    “Ugh, I don’t know what happened, but this fever is so different from anything I’ve had in the past.”
    “The longer you are here, the better you will feel.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You were only sick because you were not here. If you had come sooner, you wouldn’t be so worn down.”
    Evvie leaned back, suddenly wide awake and looked at him incredulously.  
    “Excuse me? Why would I be sick if I wasn’t here? I haven’t ‘been here’ my whole life, why would that change now?” Anger boiled up inside her. There was a reason to do with him that explained why she’d been so sick for days. Whatever had happened to her could have killed her and she’d come to this weird, scary, fairy land by pure chance.
    Evvie squirmed in his arms, pushing away but his strong arms held her close.  
    “Put me down, Auri.”
    Obediently, he set her down.  
    “Yes,” he said.  
    Confusion clouded his features, as he processed her sudden anger. She didn’t care if it threw him off. Being sick, being here, had turned her world upside-down.  
    “I would have come to get you, had you been any longer. In fact, I was on my way to you when I found you on the paths.”
    Evvie glared up at him, once again lost for words.
    This is all too much, she thought.  
    Rest first, then she could deal with this… with him.  
    “Just, please take me to my room now.”
    Aurelian nodded and his hand reached out toward her as she stepped to the side and walked, putting distance between them.

CHAPTER NINE

    Evvie

    Evvie held her towel tightly in place around her and trailed behind Aurelian as he led her through the massive castle.
    It’s his fault I’ve been sick… but why? Why would he do that to me? What is the point in making me come here? she thought, as her fingers anxiously played with a frayed edge of her towel.
    Aurelian cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him. He was standing in front of a set of massive double doors.
    “This will be your room,” he said, pushing both sides open.
    Temporarily forgetting her anger, she let her jaw hang open in awe of the opulent room. Stepping past him, she entered the large room.  
    It was adorned with a table in the corner, two plush, black couches facing each other in the middle of the open area, a dark oak coffee table between them topped with a vase of red roses, and a door on the left side of the room. Directly across from her were ceiling-high, glass, French doors with one side open, letting a soft wind inside and making the wine colored, chiffon curtains dance on the soft breeze.
    A king-size, four-poster bed was placed against the wall to the right. Thick black drapes hung from each post, just as they had from every arch she’d seen so far. Three of the sides were down, leaving only one side open to expose what