It seemed all the lower windows were for the communal areas, which made it difficult but not impossible to find a way in. Wren moved along the back of the house where a pergola was attached to the space above the back door, seats and a firepit built underneath.
He glanced upward and inhaled sharply.
There. A single bird feeder was attached to a window.
Wren’s heart stopped.
He didn’t second-guess the instinct, simply followed it. It took him up the pergola so he could reach the window, making quick work of breaking it open before hopping up and sliding inside past the closed curtain.
When he looked up, he froze again.
The room was empty of people, but so full.
Unlike the outside, this room spoke in thousand-page novels.
The warm honey and wood colors created a soft and cozy space that felt like a hug upon entering. There were bookcases and books scattered everywhere, clearly read, clearly loved, and a huge desk that was overflowing with thoughts.
A wooden bed with carved posts sat in the middle of the room, with hickory-colored sheets and a beige waffle-weave blanket draped over one corner. It was disturbed from the morning, a body print left in wrinkled impressions on the sheets and pillows.
Wren heard Sable and Blu slip in after him but could hardly concentrate as he got carefully to his feet, afraid to touch anything lest it disappear in a cloud of smoke between his fingers.
He kicked off his dirty shoes, feet sinking into the soft carpet underneath them, and took a lap around the room, drinking in every detail.
He memorized titles of books, feeling a stab of hurt at every new one and a dull ache at every familiar spine. He wondered over knickknacks, wondering if they’d been gifts or if Teddy had picked them himself and why.
Inevitably he ended up by the bed, drawn as if by a magnetic force.
The weight of his years of exhaustion crashed down on him at once. The insomnia that had replaced Teddy as his companion cowed by Teddy’s presence in the room.
Wren found himself crawling onto the bed, the pull too much to resist. Tears gathered in his eyes when he laid his head down on the pillow, and the scent he had been missing enveloped him as he curled his arms and legs up.
Just a moment. I’ll just lie here for a moment.
His whole body relaxed, the tension released after being wound so tightly and painfully for so many years. It left him completely exhausted, unable to move from his curled position.He felt Sable and Blu join him on the bed, but he could barely keep his eyes open.
For the first time in years he felt the tug of sleep, his body not fighting it, his brain shutting off.
Safe. We’re safe now. We can sleep.
Chapter 8
Teddy
“Ifeel a little embarrassed that a sparkly children’s doll knew more about what was going on in our city than us.”
The words were a muffled buzz as Teddy continued to stare blankly.
“And the fact that I exploded into confetti after being shot out of that cannon was wild.”
“Hmm.” Teddy blinked. “Wait what?”
“Oh, you heardthat.” Saint rolled his eyes.
Teddy grimaced behind his mask. “Sorry.”
“Distracted, are we?” Saint asked, narrowing his eyes behind the plastic protecting them.
“By the body on the table with its eyes eaten out of its skull? Sure,” Teddy replied smoothly, looking back down.
