CHAPTER 66

ELLA'S POV

Stepping into Xavier's mansion was like stepping into a world too big, too overwhelming for my life. The sheer scale of it all made my heart pound in my chest. As the door closed behind me, the silence inside pressed in against my ears, a contrast to the noisy thoughts racing in my head. Ivy tugged on my hand, her innocent eyes wide with wonder at all the grandeur surrounding us.

It was cool, the air crisp-each breath a thoroughly conditioned perfect simulation-but it did little to quash the bubbling unease in my stomach. The taut smiles of the staff greeted us, no more than courteous and rehearsed, their words soft and formal. A woman clearly used to such introductions stepped forward, offering to take me to my room. She strode ahead down the hall, Ivy and I trailing until the luxury of the mansion seemed to swallow us whole.

When we finally reached my room-no, my suite-I was literally out of breath for a second. Large was an understatement: a room fit for royalty, with a