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"Cheery bloke, isn't he?" Maia joked, but her face fell when Az unlocked room four and then held out the final set of keys to her. "What? No." She laughed, shaking her head and not taking them from his hand. "We're not splitting up. I thought that was all for show in the bar."
"It'll be better if we don't draw attention to ourselves," he explained, his blue eyes gentle as he watched her. "It's only for one night, Mai."
Maia shook her head, sudden panic gripping her chest so tight it closed off all her air. "No. It's not happening. You can't—I won't—"
Her head spun, dizziness hitting swiftly. The tight corridor tilted as she struggled for breath, so she didn't see exactly who pulled her into their arms, or whose fingers stroked through her hair, or whose hand ran up and down her back, or who kissed the top of her head. Comfort hit her through every one of her bonds, and her bottom lip wobbled.
"We won't be far," Azrail promised. "And you'll have Kheir with you. You're not alone."
"But you'll be gone."
Her stomach felt like poison was spreading through it, but it was just anxiety. She shook her head, her throat tight when she said, "I need you all close. What if Ismene tries to kill you again? What if she sends more Foxes after us, and they actually kill you this time?"
"That's not going to happen," Ark swore, as serious as she'd ever heard him.
"If you wake up panicking," Jaro said softly, "we'll come to you. I promise."
"It's one night," Az repeated, his sapphire eyes aching with sadness and apology when Maia blinked her eyes clear. "Promise."
Maia growled a sigh, letting her head thump against his chest.
"We don't need rumours getting out to the people who live here, or they'll never trust us enough to tell us if they've seen Vawn or heard of any beasts nearby."
"I know," Maia groaned against his wet shirt. "You're right, and it's annoying. Also, I'm keeping the jacket."
Az's laugh ruffled her wet hair. "Fine by me, sweetheart. If we feel your panic, we'll come for you," he echoed Jaro's words and put distance between them, glancing down the hallway to check they hadn't been seen.
Ughhh, this sucked. Maia hated every second of it. Why couldn't Eosantha been a city full of streakers, orgies, and scoundrels? At least they wouldn't have had to hide from judging eyes.
Maia hoped no one in this city had multiple mates, and had to endure the judging eyes that burned her and her mates earlier. Sure, people with more than one mate were rare, but they weren't unicorns. They existed; they were real.
Azrail held out the keys to her again, and Maia huffed and took them this time, opening the door to her and her 'husband's' room.
"Be careful," she said, unable to hide her reluctance to split when she looked at Ark, then Jaro, then Azrail.
"We're only two doors down," Ark said gently. "We'll be alright, Maia."
"We'll be careful," Jaro added, and a knot loosened from her chest.
"Go, before I change my mind," she sighed, forcing herself to enter room two. She didn't let herself look back, only walked into the cramped room, dripping rain on the bare floorboards, and stared at the bed. They'd be lucky to fit her and Kheir in there, let alone the rest of her mates.
She sighed again, unable to keep it inside, and only felt a fraction better when Kheir wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"I'm glad you're here," she said, settling her hands on his arms around her. "I can't—I can't be alone."
"You're not," he promised, resting his chin on her shoulder when she tucked her wings in. "Never, my star."
All her arousal from the pub downstairs had fled, leaving a brittle, raw cold in its place. "Can you hold me for a while? In the bed?"
"It would be my honour," he replied, heartfelt and gentle. "We should probably get out of these clothes, though, or we'll be sick tomorrow."
"Trying to get me undressed, prince?" Maia teased, turning to face him when he let go.
Kheir's smirk was deep with smugness. "I don't need to trick you into getting naked, my star. You're all mine," he purred.
A flutter moved through Maia's belly, but her stomach was still burning with the acid of having the rest of her mates out of sight. "Yours," she agreed.
She peeled off Azrail's jacket, arranging it over the back of a chair by the tiny window, and pulled the curtains shut before she removed the rest of her clothes. She might not have been ashamed of her body, but she wasn't about to give the locals a free show.
