MAEVE
Iwoke up with a start. The remnants of that same horrific dream about being lost in the briar and seeing the stakes burrowed into my head. I threw my hand over the blankets, craving the warmth of Rowan’s body, needing the steadiness of his breath to calm me.
Instead, all I grabbed was thin air.
Huh?
My heart hammered against my chest. Rowan wouldn’t just leave. Not in the state he was in. When Corbin, Flynn and I had returned from the art gallery, Rowan was the only one home with Connor. He said the others wanted to go out, but he couldn’t stomach it. He looked so sad and scared.
So where was he now? Had the fae somehow got into the apartment and taken him?
Calm down,my rational self scolded.You’re scaring yourself. He’s probably just gone to the bathroom.
I sat up, eyes wide open, body tensed. After a few moments, my eyes adjusted to the gloom inside the apartment and I noticed the bathroom door was still open, and the light was off. I couldn’t hear any water trickling. From the bed under the window, Corbin breathed with a regular rhythm. A shaft of light from the street outside revealed his serene face. In the other bed, Arthur snored loudly, his beard sticking out at odd angles.
Where’s Rowan?
Knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I knew the answer, I threw off the bedclothes and padded out into the living room. On the foldout couch, Kelly slept like a starfish, her blonde hair splayed across the pillow like the halos on the Renaissance paintings I’d seen at the National Gallery.
As silently as I could, I clambered up the ladder and peeked onto the mezzanine. Flynn and Blake slept side by side. Blake’s arm draped over Flynn’s naked torso in a way that was so utterly adorable it nearly brought tears to my eyes. I wished I’d thought to bring my phone with me.
Where was Rowan?
My feet hit the floor again, and I turned to look at Jane’s closed door. My breath caught as I noticed a dark silhouette standing by the high windows, face bent down toward the street below.
“Rowan?”
He didn’t react, didn’t even stir. Now that I was closer I could see the sadness tearing up his features. His lips moved as he watched the street below, counting every car and black cab and double-decker bus that careened down the narrow road.
“Rowan?” I tried again, reaching out and closing my hand over his shoulder. Rowan shuddered at the touch, his whole body convulsing. His head whipped up.
“Please,” he whispered, covering his face with his arm. “I don’t want you to see.”
“See what? Rowan, what’s wrong?”
Rowan bent his head up toward the ceiling.
I wrapped my arms around him. His whole body trembled.
“Something’s upsetting you. You don’t have to tell me, but I can’t help you if you don’t talk about it.”
“You can’t help me. No one can.”
“You don’t know that. I’m your High Priestess, and I’m giving you an order.”
Rowan’s eyes rolled back in his head. His body sagged. It was as if my ordering him had taken away the agony of holding back his pain. When he spoke, his voice was steadier, although it still trembled over the words. “Get Corbin and a coat. It’s cold out.”
“We’re going out?”
“I can’t tell you. I have to show you.”
I went into the bedroom and slid onto Corbin’s bed. My weight on the mattress woke him. He smiled groggily up at me, sliding his arm around my waist. “Mmmm, you’re a nice surprise.”
“Rowan’s upset,” I said. “He wants us to go somewhere with him. Can you get dressed?”
Corbin nodded, the desire in his eyes turning to concern. He threw off the blankets and hunted around on the floor for clothes. A few moments later, he stood in front of me wearing nearly the same outfit he’d worn when we saw Blood Lust. I found a pair of jeans and a sweater, and I swiped Blake’s leather jacket from the back of the sofa and shrugged it over my shoulders.
We followed Rowan out the door, down the stairs, and out into the street. Traffic noise blared in my ears and I pulled the collar of the jacket tight around me to ward off the chill.
