“Let’s get you cleaned up,” I told him and held his other hand.
“This way, sir.”
I discovered a staff member holding open what looked like a hidden door. I hesitated to go through, but Flurry didn’t, so I followed along.
It felt like we were using one of those secret passageways inside castles, where someone could pull on a book and a door would pop open. The floors were clean but the only light was the glowing ball in the staff person’s hand as she led the way. We went up two staircases and took a sharp right turn before she opened another door that let us out into a much bigger hallway.
We’d come out through a huge winter landscape painting and were standing in front of Flurry’s bedroom door. He had a secret passageway from his bedroom to his throne room. Despite the circumstances, that was pretty cool.
“Wait here a few minutes,” I said to the woman as Flurry went inside.
“Of course, sir.”
“I don’t know if someone would want his gown as evidence,” I told her quietly, “but I want to make sure they have the option.”
Her brown eyes widened and she nodded. “I’ll wait here, sir.”
I went into the suite and heard water running. Flurry was at the sink scrubbing his hands, red water swirling down the drain. I got a hand towel for him but ended up being the one to turn off the water when it ran clear because he was just staring at his hands.
“Why would he do that?” he whispered as I dried him off.
“Who?”
I set the towel down and pulled at his sleeves, intent on getting him out of his gown. He was quiet as we worked on that, both of us doing our best to keep the soiled part away from his skin. When I had the gown in my hands, I carefully folded it so that the stain was inside.
I was about to take it to the staff person outside when Flurry looked up at me, his expression so lost. “The guard,” he said. “Why would he do that?”
“Because he decided you’re that important and you needed to be protected, even if it cost him his life.”
Flurry shook his head and wandered out of the room. I watched him go to the breakfast nook and stand there staring out the window. This was…not good.
Before I was going to dive into what was happening in his head, though, I took the gown out to the woman waiting for it. She wasn’t alone now but had a guard with her. He held out a large bag. “You can put the gown in here, sir, and I’ll take it to the investigative team.”
Reassured that I might’ve done something right—and that they had a whole team working on things—I put the gown into the bag before going back inside.
Now to get Flurry believing he was worth saving.
He still stood staring out the window wearing only his skintight pants and ankle boots, but now his wings were present. What I knew about their appearance seemed to indicate that he was feeling vulnerable and maybe even moments away from escaping.
Since his wings weren’t fluttering, I went over and gently touched them. He looked up at me immediately, and I smiled.
“They look like they’d be brittle. Delicate. But they’re not.” I could flex them like the icicles on his head. “You’re so incredibly beautiful.”
He turned and leaned against me, his face tucked between my pecs and hands curled between us. I cupped the back of his neck and wrapped an arm under his wings to hold him.
“Is this the first time a guard has died protecting you?”
He nodded.
“Is it the first time you’ve seen someone die?”
He shook his head. “I’ve been at war with my brothers for most of my life.”
“So why would you think soldiers would fight for you but a guard wouldn’t die for you?”
Flurry shoved himself away from me. “Because I’m not worth it!”
“Baby—”
