I shook my head. The relief washed over me, and tears flooded my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. I collapsed against Titus again and Ivan wrapped his arms around us both, pressing his chest into my back until I was cocooned in their warmth.
“How did you—hic—know to find me?”
“Elena heard Heather and Aroha sneak off to the kitchen,” Ivan said. “She barged into our practice to tell us, and we ran straight here.”
“Dorien’s waiting in the hall for them,” Titus added. “He’ll make sure they don’t run to Madame Usher.”
From the doorway, a worried face peeked in.Elena.I gave her a weak smile as I drew back from Titus. “Thank you.”
Her eyes widened, and she darted off.
I collapsed against Titus’ chest again, relishing the warmth of both their arms around me. “The two of you popped up like guardian ghosts.” A panicked giggle bubbled up from my throat.
Like ghosts.
I never thought I’d be so grateful for the Muses haunting me.
“They will never touch you again,” Titus whispered, holding my head against his chest. “We’ll make sure of it.”
I sagged into him, and I thought about the Titus I’d seen hiding his true self in a tiny, damp shack on the edge of the wilderness. If he couldn’t protect his own heart, how would he protect me?
So many secrets crowded the halls of Manderley, stacked one atop the other like a house of cards. One wrong move, one anxious breath, and the entire house would fall. I’d seen the hated flare in Heather’s eyes – what lengths would she go to get what she wanted? She was ready to burn this bitch down, and me with it.
Chapter Fifty
Faye
I clung to Titus and Ivan as long as I dared. Dorien appeared at the doorway, his eyes raging. “Madame Usher wants to see both of you. She won’t wait.”
“We’re busy,” Titus glared at his friend. “What’s it about?”
Dorien shook his head. “We all have to keep our secrets, remember?”
Titus pulled away, staring down at me with those dark eyes. “You will be okay on your own?”
I nodded. As if I had a choice.
Reluctantly, Titus drew away from me. He raised one of his huge hands to ruffle Ivan’s hair. “Let’s go see what the witch wants now.”
* * *
After a tense dinner where no one said a word and all three Muses deliberately avoided meeting my eyes, I retreated to the kitchen to stack the dishwasher. As I made up a batch of pancake batter to sit in the fridge for the morning, my neck prickled with the sensation of being watched.
I grabbed the knife I kept on the counter beside me and whirled to face the door. Ivan leaned against the frame, his icy eyes flicking to the weapon. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Then you probably shouldn’t lurk in doorways and sneak up on people,” I shot back.
“That is fair.” Mmmm, that Romanian accent did things to my insides. Ivan stepped forward and held out his hand. “It’s a lovely night. Madame Usher has retired for the evening, and the others are in the Blue Room playing cards and drinking. Will you walk with me?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say no, but his crystal eyes begged. I couldn’t resolve Ivan’s cool facade with his possessive adoration of his sister, or the cocaine-addicted junkie the evidence of his room suggested. Curiosity got the better of me. I nodded.
I followed Ivan out into the kitchen garden. He held the gate open for me. I sucked in a breath as the frigid air pummeled my skin. I should have thought to bring a coat.
Ivan was already shrugging off his leather jacket and holding it out to me. “You want it?”
“Let me guess, it’s filled with bugs?” I cocked my head to the side. “No, wait, I put it on and some sensor inside electrocutes me?”
“Suit yourself.” Ivan started to tug the sleeve back on, but I snatched it from his hands and pulled it over my shoulders. If I had to be out here with a Muse, I wasn’t going to freeze my tits off.
