“No, Stella. I didn’t change my mind. I was stopped.” He inhales shakily. “My brother stopped me from murdering Max Blanck.”
Things quiet. Pax collects himself, and a blush of pink blooms under his high cheekbones. I cup my palms around his face and lift his eyes to mine. “We will be okay,” I whisper, echoing his words from after our kiss. I try to smile. “You promised.”
Do I meanwe, all of us, orwe, him and me?
He grins, tearstained. “I do always keep my promises.”
“So you say.” I stand.
“But let’s keep weaponry out of our future promises, yes?” William says, and I startle. I’d totally forgotten he and Nirav were here. Pax hangs his head between his knees and snort-laughs. He stands, dusts his trousers.
He crosses to me and cups my face in his hands. They are warm, and when our eyes meet,snick!
“There it is,” he whispers. His lips lift. “I’m sorry, Stella.” And he lays the lightest, sweetest kiss on my lips. I sizzle to my core.
I straighten. “Where do we go now?” We are tired and ragged and hungry. Pax, Nirav, and I have all packed up and left our respective boardinghouses.
William shifts in his chair. “Why don’t you stay at my home for a while? I believe I was the least visible of this lot in our plan. I can’t imagine anyone would trace you to me. Not quickly. It makes sense.”
I look to Nirav, whose senses are as keen as a spider’s. He nods.
“Very well. Follow me.” William gives his wheels a strong push. The day has turned muggy, heavy with humidity, and a sense of dread weighs on me—I know William has been hiding something. I hope we’re not being lured into something we’ll regret. I’ve had enough lingering dread these last few hours, thank you.
Spirit is silent. I suppose no warnings is a good thing.
We approach 854 Fifth Avenue. It is a handsome building, four stories, with a copper roof and two chimneys flanking either side. The top windows are round, like portholes, giving the building the feel of a ship.
We have not even reached the arched front door when it swings wide. “William, old chap! There you are. Another late night? Huh!”
Pax’s silver-green eyes lock with mine. He arches an eyebrow.
The man rushes out and offers William a cashmere sweater, draped over his arm like a serving towel. William shimmies out of his jacket and into the cardigan.
“Robert, meet my friends. Stella, Nirav, and Pax. They’ll beour guests for a while. Can you ready their bedsuites?”
“Right away, sir.”
“I’ve told you, please. No ‘sirs’ allowed. It makes me feel ancient.”
Robert laughs like that’s the funniest joke he’s ever heard, and scoots away back into the home. A woman in a prim black dress emerges and grabs the handles of William’s chair. She glares at us. “Follow along, then.”
I slide my eyes at Pax and step inside the foyer. He is suppressing a grin, and his irresistible dimple winks at me.
Spirit whistles, long and low.
Stellar, if you thought Blanck’s place was fancy, this place is… is…
Fancier.
The front hall is frosted in lush, red carpet, and a marble staircase winds up in a showy display of stone and intricate wrought iron railings. A massive, dark tapestry stretches down from the second story, and the roof is glass and iron, a conservatory. A large, lantern-like chandelier drops to the center of the room.
The woman guides William into a sitting room, where the walls are papered in… is that leather? The gilded molding is a foot wide; the parlor glistens like buttered toast. The marble fireplace sputters withexactlythe right amount of heat for a May afternoon, and there is a mural of clouds painted on the tray ceiling.
I spin. I’m speechless.
“Elizabeth,” William says to the woman in the dress. “Will you please get each of us a brandy? Except my friend Nirav here.” He smiles. “Maybe hot chocolate for you?”
Nirav grins and nods eagerly.
