Mate Of A Dragon Villain (Skeleton Key) by Skeleton Key, Mandy Rosko Read Free Book Online Page B

pressed her hands against the walls and into the cracks of the stone brickwork, looking for a hidden button or a loose brick, and there had been nothing there either.
    She'd contemplated checking the toilets.
    She came close, but held back.
    A magical skeleton key that could transport her between worlds was probably not going to be in a toilet. She wasn't entirely sure if the key had thoughts, or a mind at all, but somehow, the magical aspect of it suggested it would have more pride than to be found where people peed and pooped.
    So, after several days and finding nothing, this left Amanda with only one other choice.
    She had to search the rest of the castle.
    Jane, who was no longer making an effort to pretend to be anything other than a guard forced to dress as a handmaiden, lifted a brow at Amanda's request.
    "A tour?"
    Amanda nodded. "Yeah. I've never been in a castle this size before," she said. She'd never been in a castle at all. It had always been one of the things she meant to do for research, but her only knowledge came from photos and articles.
    If there was any sincerity and eagerness in her voice at the thought of a tour, she would gladly use it to her advantage.
    "I think a tour sounds wonderful," said the younger woman, Olga, the girl who had been with Amanda since Eldric brought her here.
    Since she was the only actual handmaiden, being stuck caring for Amanda's hair and clothes was probably a lot more boring than she imagined. She might've found things a little more exciting if she'd been here to watch Amanda rip the room apart before putting it back together.
    Jane ignored the girl. She continued to stare at Amanda with those hard eyes. Like she was trying to see through her. This was not the woman Amanda had envisioned when she'd been writing her romances.
    "Uh, I mean, I would ask Eldric for permission if that was all right?"
    Say yes. Please, say yes.
    It wasn't just Amanda giving Jane begging eyes. Olga had joined in as well.
    Jane rolled her eyes, grumbling something Amanda couldn't make out before she walked to the door. "We will ask for permission."
    "Yay!" Olga said, clapping her hands together. Olga must have been dying to get away from these rooms.
    Jane glared at Olga for the outburst. Olga quieted down, though she was still smiling.
    Amanda was too, but not for the same reasons. She was just grateful for the chance to look around. It wasn't like Eldric had ordered her to remain in her room like she was on house arrest. Amanda was allowed to walk around, but she couldn't go far, she couldn't leave the castle, and she couldn't enter any rooms that weren't open for the public.
    She especially couldn't do any of these things without Olga or Jane around to watch over her.
    Jane brought Amanda to a room in Eldric's personal wing of the castle.
    Amanda's heart jumped at being here. These were the rooms Amanda had imagined over and over again, and her imagination wasn't so far off from what it actually looked like.
    Blue carpeting with blue and white tapestries on the walls. Amanda's room was nice, but inside, it was still obvious she was in a drafty castle, despite how it was about a thousand times better than being in the dungeon.
    Here, the carpets were clean, and there was a warmth in the air. More electric lights brightened the halls from hanging lights and wall lamps.
    Amanda had thought she'd gone from no class to first class when Eldric gave her the room to sleep in and the dress. This was most definitely first class. Now she suddenly felt like she'd been sleeping in coach all that time and hadn't realized it.
    All the same, she didn't find Eldric lounging around eating grapes. He was in a small library, a number of other men, Alger included, standing around, their wings out and swords at their hips, as though readying for a battle.
    Amanda had written it to be kind of like the oval office. The place where Eldric and his men would meet for making plans and figuring out ways to fight off the