It was well past midnight, and I was going to need to sleep soon. It had been more than forty-eight hours. Normally I could go longer, but my body had taken a beating the last two days and needed the rest. The great room was stark and cold. Black tiles of granite covered the floors and walls. Probably because it was the easiest way to hide blood. There were no windows. Gilded chandeliers hung from the ceilings. They were lit with actual candles. And there was only one set of very large double doors—one way in, one way out. The room was completely empty except for a dark red velvet throne trimmed in gold. It sat high up on a platform. Whoever sat there would have a full view of the entire room. It was hard for me to keep from thinking that with a chair that big, Julian had to be compensating for something. Laughter floated through my head like a silky caress, and the chamber doors opened with a resounding thud. I turned to face the man whom I suspected to be the Destroyer. I didn’t bother to smooth down my skirt or check my appearance when he walked in.
