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“We’ll be in my suite,” I informed everyone, nodding at Drakias to follow.
Stoking Maren’s sleek feathers comfortingly, we headed to the third floor, and almost immediately, she changed back into her fae form, even before we reached the bedroom door.
“What happened? Where were you?” she challenged, clearly upset. “You went into the fire, didn’t you?”
Without responding, I gathered her in my arms, relishing her warmth against the flimsy t-shirt the EMS workers had found me. Her body sank into mine, and we merely held onto one another at the threshold.
“I went to help,” I conceded after a moment. “And I ended up having the strangest experience.”
She pulled away and looked at me worriedly. “Are you all right? What happened?”
“I heard my father’s voice… but it wasn’t him… I mean, it sounded like him, but as if he had changed in some way.”
Maren cupped my face. “Oh, my love,” she whispered. “That sounds terrifying.”
“It must have been all the smoke inhalation,” I chuckled, taking her hand to lead her into the sitting area of my bedroom. “And where did you go?”
Maren shrugged, pulling one of the throw blankets around her naked form as I dug two bottles of water out of the mini-fridge. “I was here, on the roof, waiting for you to come back.”
Frowning, I joined her side. “Why?” I asked, dropping a hand on her bare leg. “You should have come in.”
“I… I don’t feel comfortable here without you,” she admitted. “I never have.”
My frown deepened as I thought about the revelation I’d had at the building.
“What are you lacking here? You know I can get you whatever you need, Maren. Name it, and it’s yours.”
She scooted closer to me and dropped her head on my shoulder, exhaling. “It’s not something you can buy, Nyx,” she explained. “I…”
Trailing off, she took a long sip of water, and I waited expectantly for her to finish, but she didn’t seem like she was going to.
“Maren, whatever you tell me, I will respect. I thought we understood that about one another by now.”
“I don’t want you to go around firing anyone or getting anyone in trouble,” she mumbled, darting her head away.
I stiffened and turned to her. “Is someone giving you a problem here?”
“No one wants me here, Nyx, including Odette. They’ve all made up their minds about me because I work at Maximo’s.”
A familiar bout of rage surged through me, but I stuffed it down as I remembered my promise to her.
“I want you here,” I reminded her. “And I pay all the bills here.”
She smiled wanly. “I know. And when I’m with you, it feels right, but when you’re not here…”
“What happens?” I pressed. “Do you hear gossip?”
She shrugged and nodded. “Yes.”
“Who? Who is talking about you?”
Maren laughed mirthlessly. “Everyone, my love. They all have the same opinion. Some are quieter about it, but most aren’t. Even the ones that are, I can see it in their eyes.”
I cupped her face and peered into her eyes. “Then you have to show them that they’re wrong and that you belong here. The answer isn’t running away.”
She sighed. “That’s easy for you to say.”
“Is it?” I chuckled. “Do you know how many years I had to listen to everyone compare me to my runaway father? There was a betting pool, right here in the castle, on which day the pressure would get to be too much for me, and I would run off, too.”
