Just when Nyx was starting to get cryptic, the doors creaked open again, and Aurora stepped in, holding a glass bottle etched on the outside with roses and filled with a soft amber oil. She moved silently, eyes flicking first to me, then to Nyx.
"Here," Aurora said as she extended it toward Nyx in a polite but clipped tone. "As requested."
"Thank you, dear Aurora," Nyx replied, smiling sweetly as if they hadn't just had a quiet war of dominance moments ago.
Nyx turned to me, holding out the bottle. "A small gift. Rose-scented, of course. A rose-scented gift for a Rose."
I accepted it carefully, fingers brushing the cool glass. It was beautiful, expensive, and smelled like secrets wrapped in florals. "Thank you," I murmured, surprised.
I hadn't thought anyone in this strange and godforsaken place would go out of their way to give me a gift. "That's… very kind of you."
"You're very welcome," Nyx replied, pleased. Then, with the casual grace of someone who drops bombs between sips of tea, she added, "And I'd like to invite you to a mating ceremony."
My head tilted. "A what ceremony?"
Nyx blinked in affirmation and Aurora sighed.
The pause that followed stretched on.
"She doesn't know yet," Aurora said flatly, directing her words to Nyx but clearly meant for me. "It was Caligo's order."
Caligo's orders? What didn't he want me to know 'yet'?
I turned to Aurora slowly. "Know what?"
Nyx's smile disappeared for just a heartbeat. "All will be clear in due time," she said in a voice so smooth I almost missed the dodge entirely.
Right. Because cryptic half-truths were the house language here. This place already sucked so much and I had only spent a few hours here. Goodness gracious.
Still, Nyx's demeanor changed again, this time growing lighter. She literally twirled with excitement as she asked, "So will you come? It'll be marvelous. The gowns, the networking, the bonding—it's quite the event."
How on earth was I supposed to agree to go to something I didn't even know?
"I…"
"She'd be delighted," Aurora interrupted swiftly, stepping forward with a smile so polite it could deceive the devil. "Wouldn't you, Rose?"
"I would be delighted to go?" I asked, jaw dropped incredulously.
Auror nodded sweetly. "Yes, you would."
"Um… delighted sounds strong for someone who still doesn't know what a mating ceremony is." I pointed out.
Nyx laughed airily and with amusement. "Oh, you'll have fun. I promise. I'll have something arranged for you to wear. Something… stunning."
Which was somehow both a gift and a threat.
"Oh, she's got a mountain of new outfits here, all handpicked by Caligo himself. I'm sure you know how he is. He wouldn't want her wearing something other than his choices." Aurora hastily countered, turning a side of her face to Nyx as though she was supposed to understand better.
Nyx rolled her eyes. "Chill Aurora, I'm sure after hearing it's from me, Caligo wouldn't mind."
"I know everyone in this house the most, Nyx. I raised you all. Caligo WOULD mind." Aurora stubbornly insisted.
I had no idea what was going on here. I mean, I had minimal experience when it came to affairs concerning people. However, from the little I might have gathered, I think it was safe to say that one hell of a power play was ensuing here.
Why would a servant want to assert dominance where a lady of the house was concerned? Or was it a mother complex? Perhaps, Aurora perceived herself as a mother of the house.
"Fine." Nyx raised her hands in surrender. "Whatever you say, Aurora."
With one last twinkle in her eye, she swept toward the door, her voice floating back like perfume. "We're going to make such lovely memories."
And then she was gone.
I stood there, still holding the rose-scented bottle like it was the last stable thing in the room.
"Aurora," I said slowly, turning toward her, "what the hell is going on in this mansion?"
She looked at me like she wanted to answer. Then she just sighed and walked over to ring one of the bells. The one that probably didn't summon demons.
"Come," she said briskly. "Let's get you out of those shoes before they break your ankles. You are excused from the family dinner tonight, as this is your first night here. However, from tomorrow, you need to know that meals are shared as a family in the dining hall."
"Oh, joy," I muttered, wobbling as I followed. "Can't wait to bond with people I don't know, for reasons no one will explain."
Aurora seemed to only want to clear my doubts ONLY when she pleases. "Caligo will be out late tonight, so don't wait for him. Eat your dinner and retire to bed. Don't open the door for anyone else unless it's his little brother, Ciro."
That shocked and halted me in my tracks. "I… I thought he didn't like me. He—fought with Caligo for bringing me in earlier."
He said I was a dump too, I added internally.
He didn't seem to want me here. And yet, my body hadn't gotten the memo. I could still feel the imprint of his grip on my arm—steady, rough, too familiar for a stranger… as if it was tethering into some forgotten memory.
Argh! What in the hell was my problem? Why was I reacting as such to all the devilish males in this house?
Aurora's scolds cut through my thoughts. "How many times do I want to tell you, Rose, that Caligo is just usually difficult for nothing? What happened back there was just a mistake, and our dear Devil took it too far. Ciro doesn't hate you. He's just trying to protect you from the devil who bought you."
I swallowed… Ciro doesn't hate me. He didn't hate me. He was trying to protect me. Why, oh why, did that send a fit of tingling sensations sprawling through me? I felt so… glad. So much that the butterflies in my tummy danced to an inaudible happy tune.
Dammit Rose, you're so fucked.
Aurora's lips twitched as she read the confusion on my face. "Welcome to the Luminar Pack."