Broken Forest: Book One of the Daath Chronicles by Eliza Tilton Page A

moments.” She opened the door and looked back at me before leaving. “The name is Lucy.”
    The door slammed shut, confirming no escape.

I sat at the head of the table waiting for Jeslyn. Bowls of fresh cabbage dressed in a lemon-garlic sauce and honey breads surrounded the duck in the middle of the table. She entered the room, escorted by Willis. He pulled out the chair for her.
    From here, I could see the golden hue of her aura. Romulus had been correct in his choosing. Not only was she a pure vessel, but the purest human I had come across.
    “Thank you,” she said, and sat at the opposite end of the table.
    I raised my goblet. “Good evening. How do you find your room?”
    “Very well, thank you,” she replied.
    Watching her, I sipped the deep bodied wine.
    She is ravishing.
Her chestnut hair hung around her shoulders, her skin like a warm peach. I stared at her, examining each freckle lightly sprinkled around her petite nose and the loose tendrils of hair caressing her high cheekbones. I had spent decades in this world collecting women of exceptional beauty, and she was unique. Delicate features, almost perfect. Other men might not notice her left eyebrow was slightly higher than her right, but I considered the female anatomy the humans’ greatest form of art and studied it intently.
    Jeslyn shifted in her seat, picking at her meal. Perhaps the kidnapping still bothered her—a minor detail.
    “Does the duck not meet your satisfaction?” I asked, knowing very well it was not the taste that disturbed her but me. I relished in this and enjoyed her silence. Very few women disliked me.
    “It does,” she replied. “It’s very good.” She continued in her silence.
    Her lack of conversation did not bother me. I found human females tended to talk often and without good cause.
    I put the goblet down and clapped my hands. Four minstrels, strumming violins, entered the dining room. I walked to Jeslyn and bowed. “May I have this dance?”
    She slipped her hand into mine, and I placed a hand around her thin waist. In one swift movement, I twirled her up and around. The momentum swept her off her feet and the tiniest gasp slipped out of her. I glided around the room. Each step matched the slow melody flowing from the strings.
    She gazed at me, intrigued.
    “You will be happy here. There is no other place like Daath,” I whispered. “You will be loved by everyone.” I let the words sink into her mind, watching her face light with wonder.
    I danced her outside and into the gardens. We stopped and sat down on a bench underneath a rose-covered archway in front of my favorite fountain. A marble statue of a serpent encircled the stone woman standing in the center, water spurting from her mouth. This symbol represented conquest of the humans.
    Jeslyn stared at the beds of sunny yellow and cadmium roses. No one could deny the beauty and magic of this land.
    I grabbed her hand and she flinched. “Have you made your decision about my proposal?” I wanted her to think she had an option.
    She sat in silence.
    “Do you find me attractive?”
    She looked away, her cheeks tinted pink.
    “There is nothing to be embarrassed about,” I said.
    “It’s not proper for a lady to reveal those types of things,” she said softly.
    I chuckled. “By the color of those perfect cheeks, I will take that as a yes.”
    She continued in her silence, not once looking at me.
    “Any woman in your position would not hesitate at such an offer.”
    “Am I free to go?”
    “Go?”
    She pulled her hand away. “You said you knew nothing about the kidnappings. My family will be looking for me. I cannot stay here.”
    “I understand. I have a proposition for you.”
    She stared at me with cautious eyes.
    “The ball is in a few weeks’ time. You can write a letter to your family, explaining the misunderstanding and I’ll have it sent immediately. We can invite them here.”
    “Mother wouldn’t believe me if I told her where I was,”