I pat the other side of the bed next to me. ‘Come here.’
Shade comes over and lies down next to me, and the three of us stare up at it.
‘Do you like it?’ I ask Mav.
‘I do,’ he says. ‘It’s not something I’d choose for myself, but it does look pretty good up there.’
‘Bought that before you found out you’re a pauper, huh?’ Blake drawls from the door.
I sit up, my eyes scanning him for injuries.
He hasn’t been gone long, but whatever he’s been up to has left a rust-colored mark on the side of his face.
‘There’s blood on you,’ I say.
He grimaces. ‘Not mine.’
He goes into the bathroom, and I hear the shower start.
I glance between Mav and Shade who haven’t said a word and see they’re communicating with their expressions again.
I give them both a narrow-eyed look.
‘What is it?’ I ask.
‘We…have something to show you,’ Shade says cryptically.
He gets up and pads across the room. There’s a beep and a panel the size of a doorway slides away to reveal another room. I can’t see inside properly. It’s too dark.
‘You didn’t show me this before,’ I accuse.
‘We were waiting for your birthday,’ Shade says, giving me a sly wink.
‘But that’s not for another two days. And,’ I look away, ‘I sort of don’t celebrate it, or at least I haven’t since…Larson. It didn’t feel right celebrating the day that he died and at The Heath they didn’t really do birthdays anyway, so...’
‘But you didn’t kill him, Tulip,’ Mav says, frowning.
‘Well, I know that now, but I’ve gone a decade without birthdays. I’m just saying that if it’s too much trouble, we don’t have to celebrate?—’
Mav grabs me, whirling me to face him and turning my face up to his. ‘Tulip, we are celebrating your damn birthday!’
Taken aback, I can only nod my head, my eyes wide as I stare up into his semi-angry face.
But inside, I’m excited. I’m going to have a birthday this year!
I hear the shower turn off, and a moment later Blake steps out in just a towel. My eyes move over him, following the lines of his tattoo. He sees the door to the secret room is open, and his expression changes, turning slightly predatory.
‘I know that look,’ Mav says in my ear, his hands sliding up my body. ‘Go turn on the light, Tulip, and see for yourself.’
‘Unless you’d like to wait two days,’ Shade teases. ‘Should I close the door?’
He puts his finger to the button.
‘No!’
I break away from Mav and walk quickly over to the entrance, wondering what I’m going to find. Shade points to a different button on the wall, and I push it. A few spotlights turn on slowly, filling the room with dim light.
I gasp at what I see.
