Steam had evaporated from the mirror, and I caught sight of my reflection. I stopped right in my tracks. It was the first time I’d seen myself in days. I barely recognized the girl staring back at me.
There was a streak of red still in my left eye, which reminded me of someone infected with the zombie virus. My face was paler than normal, and a bluish bruise stretched along the side of my jaw. I looked . . .
Haunted.
Definitely not beautiful. That was kind of Ren to say, but there was a bone-deep exhaustion in the unforgiving shadows under my eyes, and a wariness in my blue eyes that hadn’t been there before, not even after what had happened to Shaun, Holly, and Adrian. It mirrored the coldness inside me that had dug its claws in.
Now was not the time to think about the cause of all that. I grabbed the bag and pried it open, realizing Tink hadn’t brought any of my makeup. There was no camouflaging this hot-mess express. Maybe I could sneak a trip back to my apartment. I had to. There were not enough clothes to get me through a week.
Ren was waiting out in the room, sitting in the chair, flipping through a magazine when I stepped out. Something occurred to me then. “Did you stay here the entire time I slept?”
“Mostly.” He closed the magazine and tossed it onto the coffee table. “Tink stayed while I left to get a change of clothing, but I showered here. Didn’t want you to wake up alone.”
Oh.
Oh man, that was sweet.
“Hell, I almost forgot.” He stood up and reached inside his pocket as he walked over to me. “I think you’ll want this back.”
My breath caught. Ren held out my necklace, the four-leaf clover dangling from his fingertips.
“The chain was broken, so I got you a new one.” He unhooked the clasp and draped it around my neck, securing the clasp.
The moment the tiger’s eye hit my chest, I had to press my lips together to stop from crying like a baby all over him again. I placed my palm over the stone, feeling a relief that couldn’t be described. Four leaf-clovers were not easy to find, and the process the Order took to preserve them was unbeknownst to me. Having this necklace back was a godsend.
“Thank you,” I told Ren.
He said nothing as he curled his hand around the nape of my neck and drew me to his chest. We stood there for several moments and then he kissed my forehead before drawing back.
“You ready?” Ren extended his hand, and I took it without hesitation.
I was as ready as I would ever be.
~
“This is so weird,” I whispered to Ren as we walked down a long hall on the first floor. We’d just gotten done eating breakfast in the cafeteria, eating with fae who apparently didn’t feed off humans.
“Tell me about it.” Ren’s hand squeezed mine. “It’s only been me these last couple of weeks. It takes a lot to get used to.” He paused as we passed a fae woman and a young child who was staring up at us with wide eyes. The woman, I assumed the child’s mother, smiled faintly in our direction. “Going from hunting them down to eating dinner with them and sleeping in the same building with them is a trip.”
It most definitely was, especially when I’d been with the kind of fae that were more likely to punch you in the face than smile timidly at you.
Ren stopped in front of a pair of double doors and knocked. A second later, the right side swung open, and there was Brighton.
“Ivy!” She folded her arms around me, squeezing tightly. I was a little stunned. I don’t think we’d ever hugged before. “I’m so glad to see that you’re okay,” she said.
I patted her back awkwardly, swearing I heard Ren chuckle. “It’s good to see you.”
She drew back, her blonde hair swept away from her face. “Come in. Everyone is here.”
Glancing back at Ren, he winked at me. Alrighty then. I walked into what reminded me of a corporate boardroom. There was a conference table at one end of the room, next to a credenza stocked with liquor. A huge desk sat at the other end, in front of a window overlooking the street.
I saw Merle and Faye, happy to see that the former was alive and well, but my attention was snagged by the male fae rising from the desk. Everything about him was a shock to the system.
He was older, his dark hair salt and peppered. Fine lines creased the silvery skin around his ears and mouth. In human years, I would’ve pegged him to be in his sixties, and I had never seen a fae that old before. Never.
Holy crap, he was aging just like a human.
Ren placed his hand on my lower back. “Ivy, this is Tanner. He runs this place.”
The male fae smiled as he walked around the desk and extended his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ivy, and that the mission to retrieve you was a success.”
In a daze, I reached out and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“My real name is a bit unpronounceable, but Tanner is a good abbreviation of it.” He laughed as he squeezed my hand. “You look a little shocked.”
I checked out his ears just to make sure they were pointy. “I . . . I’m sorry. I’m a little out of it.”
“Understandable,” he replied smoothly. “And I also understand that it must be a shock to be here, around my people.”
I nodded slowly.
“You’ll find that a lot of things about us will come as a shock,” he added, dropping my hand.
I nodded again.
“As Faye explained to you, this is a safe haven for fae who have the same principles and moral compass as we do,” he explained. “We do not believe in feeding on humans, and as such accept our much shortened lifespan. Once upon a time, we used to work side by side with the Order. Unfortunately, our joining did not last very long.”