Arthur smiled like he’d knownexactlywhat reaction Rory was going to have. “Fun for another day,” he said lightly. He kissed the skin just under Rory’s ear as he pressed the kit into his hand, the leather butter soft against his palm. “I’ll see you later. Be safe.”
“Hngh,” Rory said, and hopefully Arthur knew that meantyou too.
He cleaned up best he could before heading down the hall to Gwen and Ellis’s room. With trepidation curling in his stomach, he knocked on the door.
Only Ellis was in the room. Before Rory could back away, he found himself pulled into a space almost identical to the one he had with Arthur but with a light blue dresser instead of a writing desk.
“Finally I get you alone,” said Ellis. “We haven’t had The Talk.”
“What talk?” Rory said churlishly.
“The talk about Arthur.” Ellis crouched so they were face to face as Rory furrowed his eyebrows. “Just want to make sure you don’t have bad intentions.”
“I’m not the one who chained him to the Wonder Wheel,” Rory said darkly. “You got a lot of nerve asking me aboutmyintentions when you could’ve killed him.”
“Think what you like about me.” Ellis gestured to the dagger on his belt. “Maybe magic loosened the screws in my head, I can admit it. But Ace was my commanding officer and he was a good one. And now he likes you more than I’ve ever seen him like anyone else, and you could hurt him.”
Rory scoffed. “I would never.”
“He doesn’t have magic,” Ellis snapped. “Except for yours, because you thought you had the right to sink your psychometry into his aura without so much as asking him first. You could hurt him. A lot more than you know.”
Rory clenched his jaw. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just be careful with him,” Ellis said, which didn’t answer the question. “He’s got lots of family, but none of them know he likes men, so if you’re not good to him, you’re gonna answer to me and Gwen.”
Rory frowned, but how mad could he get about Ellis wanting Arthur safe? Rory wanted the same thing. “Yeah, I’m gonna be good to him. I’m crazy about him, all right?”
“You gonna stay crazy for him? Or you gonna bail for the next pretty face with deep pockets, run away and take your magic with you?”
Rory narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. “It’s none of your business either way,” he said tightly. “But Arthur’s it for me.”
“Hope you mean that,” Ellis said enigmatically, as the door opened itself to reveal Jade, her arms full of clothes and her eyes concerned.
“Your voices were raised.” Jade looked his way. “Are you all right, Rory?”
Rory snorted. “I should be asking you that,” he said. “I still don’t trust these two.”
Ellis just gave him a dark look, flopping down to sit on the edge of the bed.
Jade jerked her head. “Come on,” she said to Rory. “We’ve got your costume.”
Gwen was out in the hall. Rory found himself herded back in the bathroom, sitting awkwardly on the edge of the clawfoot bathtub. He watched her warily as she dug in a large makeup case. She was an enigma he didn’t know what to do with.
She had spared Jack Mercier’s life in London.
Just like she’d once spared his.
Gwen held up a black pencil. “Stage makeup from Carmen. Are you ready?”
“I bet you’re only doing this to mock me,” Rory asked darkly.
But Gwen only scoffed. “Why on earth would I?” she asked. “I know you don’t believe this, but I don’t actually want anything bad to happen to any of you.”
He pursed his lips. Did she mean that? She’d tortured Arthur’s aura to get Rory to scry a relic for her.
But he could still remember the Delaware River rising to meet him before he hit so hard he snapped his neck. Could remember the panic of plunging beneath pitch-black, ice-cold water, and the current that had rushed him up to the surface, holding his head above the waves until Arthur could save him.
“Are you ready?” she asked patiently. “I’ll need you to lose the specs.”
