My arms were crossed, my shoulders hunched, as if I could shield myself from the memory of Naevys’s last moments. I stared at Collith’s young, smiling face for another moment or two, then backed away, wincing from a tight sensation in my chest. Pain. It was pain. Like it or not, I had fallen in love with Collith Sylvyre. Seeing his face was another reminder of all I had lost. Of everything I’d never really had to begin with.
Laurie left the question dangling between us. He moved out of sight, going deeper into the bathroom. I peeled away from the pictures and followed, wondering if this night would ever end.
“Towels are there. Nightgowns are in the bottom drawer.” The faerie prince’s demeanor had become brisk. He stopped beside a thick glass wall and gestured to a screen nestled in the stone wall opposite us. “The shower is fairly self-explanatory. The panel has buttons to turn it on and off. You also adjust the temperature and the pressure with it. Would you like me to show you?” There was a thinly-veiled suggestion in his offer.
I was so excited at the prospect of showering that I didn’t react. “I think I’ll be okay. Thank you.”
Winking, Laurie pushed off the glass. He didn’t look back as he ambled toward the door, and a moment later, it closed with a firm sound.
I didn’t waste any time getting the scrubs off. I left them in an abandoned pile, resolving to throw those stained clothes in the garbage the first chance I got. My bare feet made a slapping sound against the tiles as I went to stand in front of the screen. It woke up at the slightest touch, and just as Laurie said, the options were self-explanatory. I pressed the one that held a power symbol, and water instantly came down from above.
My lips parted, and I exhaled a long breath of exaltation.
Laurelis Dondarte might have been an arrogant, scheming, murderous faerie, but he had a damn good shower.
I closed my eyes, reveling in the sensation of hot water pounding down on me. For a while, I had no sense of time.
Eventually I opened my eyes again, albeit reluctantly, and returned my attention to the screen. Beneath the panel, there was a place to put my hand, and the press of a button released the body wash, shampoo, and conditioner I needed to feel clean again. Taking longer than necessary, I scrubbed the fear, blood, sweat, and pain off my body. Bubbles and rivers of white circled the drain beneath the rain shower.
Steam rolled past me as I stepped out of the shower minutes later. I dried myself off with the oversized white towels resting on a nearby shelf. After a brief internal battle, I reached for the drawer Laurie had indicated earlier.
His extra nightgowns were, indeed, negligee.
I stared down at them and let out a breath. I could wear something from Laurie’s dresser, but he hadn’t offered and it would’ve felt strange, anyway. But it was either this or the revolting scrubs. Relenting, I rummaged through the options and selected the least revealing one, which wasn’t saying much. I dropped the towel and pulled the nightie over my head. It was the color of a plum, with black lace that cut across my upper thighs and dipped low on my back.
If Laurie hadn’t saved my life several times over, I’d kill him.
I had just started the search for a toothbrush when I happened to glance at myself in the mirror. It felt like it had been weeks since I’d looked at my own reflection. Those age-old instincts struck first, to dislike the person gazing back. But allowing those feelings to take root was part of the reason everything had gone so wrong. Maybe I wouldn’t have asked Cyrus to make me human, if I’d tried to understand myself better before reaching that point. I studied the young woman who resembled my mother. I fought not to fear her or turn away.
Okay, I’d been in here long enough. I needed to brush my teeth and get some sleep.
I shook myself and continued the search. The third drawer that I opened held exactly what I needed—toothpaste, floss, and several toothbrushes still in unopened plastic cases. Classy, I thought, too tired to even roll my eyes. I freed one of the brushes and reached for the toothpaste. Even the act of getting ready for bed made me feel steadier, calmer. It was the first normal experience I’d had in days.
Minutes after that, my body clean and my mouth tasting like mint, I finally turned off the light in the bathroom and stepped into the foyer. I found myself in instant darkness; other than Laurie’s room, from which there came a gentle glow, everywhere else was shrouded in night.
I headed for that flickering glow. I faltered on the threshold when I saw Laurie was in the bed. He sat upright, hands folded behind his head. The ridges of his stomach gleamed and his eyes glittered as he thoroughly examined the nightgown I’d borrowed.
“Where should I sleep?” I asked, my mind already picturing the sofa I’d seen in another room.
“How much money would it take to spare us from an argument you’re too tired for and I’ll win anyway? I may not be a king anymore, but I’m no pauper.” Laurie raised his brows and waited, practically thrumming with vitality.
I heaved a sigh and climbed into the bed, my knees sinking into the plush sheets. Laurie must’ve changed them while I was in the bathroom, because I faintly remembered bleeding on the other ones before Maria sealed the gouges across my stomach shut.
Taking advantage of the silence, my mind turned to the list of questions I’d been accumulating for days. Weeks.
“Before I forget to ask again,” I said, aiming for the unoccupied side of the mattress, “why the hell was Nym there when you performed that scrying spell? And how did you get Mercy Wardwell to help?”
As I tucked my legs beneath the covers, I glanced over and saw Laurie’s eyes darken at the memory. It wasn’t my favorite one, either. An image snapped at me like the strike of a venomous snake, and I saw Laurie kneeling in front of me, mist swirling all around us. I’m coming for you, Fortuna. I give you my solemn vow.
“I’m surprised you remember that,” Laurie said now, raking his hair back. The gesture drew my attention to the defined lines of his arm. The cadence of his voice took on a briskness, as if he were giving me a report. “You and the wolf were taken from the hospital, and all Paynore could say was that it had been cherubim. Not very helpful, as far as finding you was concerned, since I hadn’t known cherubim were even in this dimension until a few weeks ago.
“Luckily, you’d left your phone in your bedroom before you asked the dragon to flay you alive. I knew the passcode, of course. That’s when I saw the messages you’d sent Mercy. I’d been searching for a witch we could trust to do a scrying spell—most of the ones in my employ cut ties with me when the tomb spell took effect—and she seemed like a viable option. She responded quickly enough when I reached out to her. As for Nym, he arrived at the house at the exact time we’d all agreed to meet, and he sat at the table as if he’d received an invitation to be there. He was one of the energy sources Mercy pulled from while she scried, so really, it was fortunate he showed up.”
I absorbed this information while I eased my body down. Maybe Mercy felt guiltier than she let on about abandoning us the night we opened Creiddylad’s tomb. But why would Nym show up? Had Collith sent him? Did that mean my ex had gotten free of Viessa?
“Why did it take you so long after the spell? Not that I’m complaining,” I added hastily. “I’m just trying to fill in the gaps. Being in that cell was like… like being in a place where time didn’t exist.”