Page 57 of For the Strange and Surprising

“You should contact Lyell.” The queen’s face is set in stone, allowing her son no room to argue. “Nesta may not care about her people anymore, but the Shade prince does.”

“I’m going to clean and figure out what to tell Ada.”

“Where is she?” His question is quick, full of the same concern I felt earlier.

“I dropped her off at her room before I came here. I told her to stay inside until someone came to get her, but I don’t know how well that’s going to go. She doesn’t strike me as the type of person who likes being told what to do.”

Ecaeris tips his head back with a groan, and Isolde laughs.

“At least one of you is beginning to understand.”

19

Adelaide

I pace.

And when that’s no longer satisfying, I stomp around my room like a herd of elephants. But there aren’t downstairs neighbors to distract me with their bitching. So, I fill the basin-bathtub-thing with water and stew.

Almost literally.

The water is hot enough to burn. I slowly step in, sit on the edge, and stare at the wall, trying to calm my mind to process today’s events properly. It doesn’t help.

Once I’m fully submerged, some of the tension eases from my body. I’m still a twisted ball of frustration that desperately needs to relax, though.

I scrub myself until I’m sure my skin is pink from the abuse, and then I climb out of the water to pace some more. The only thing that does is dry me off. I’m getting nowhere quick, other than working myself into a frustrated panic.

Counting is the next technique I try to use to settle myself. It’s mildly helpful, and before I lose track of what number I’m on, I make it to fifty-two-oh-two. Or something like that. I messed up when I switched to saying the word thousand.

I slip into my earthly t-shirt and stretch across the bed as I wait for Connak to come back with an explanation. The familiar feeling of home tugs at me as the cotton rubs against my skin, but it doesn’t offer me any comfort.

“Fuck waiting,” I growl.

I launch off the bed, searching for my shoes, but they’re missing. I can’t find the Chocos I had when I arrived, and I don’t want to lace up the bondage sandals.

I’m leaving barefoot.

The layout of this room reminds me of a master suite in the model homes of those cookie-cutter neighborhoods. They’re popping up all over the United States. It’s no bigger than my apartment, though, and it’s virtually empty. So how the hell have I lost my freaking shoes?

I know it’s the least of my worries right now, but the topic distracts me enough to think clearly as I pad into the sitting room. I pull the curtain back to peek out the window, blowing out a relieved sigh when I don’t see anyone lurking in the treeline.

I step out of the door and collide with someone. A startled yelp escapes my mouth before I realize it’s Rinya standing in front of me.

“You scared me.” She clutches at her chest. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I glance around us. “What are you doing out here?”

“Walking home. My shift is over. Where are you going?”

“I’m… looking for Connak.” He could still be with Isolde, but Rinya would have just left the queen.

She gives me a beaming smile. “Connak, huh? I guess I can see the appeal there.”

I hold my hand up to stop her. “It’s not like that.”

“Sure.” Rinya winks mischievously. “He’s a heartbreaker, Ada. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Do you know where he lives?” I ask in a rush. “I need to talk to him.”