Bittersweet Magic (The Order #2)

They were heading toward the elevator when Roz stopped.

“Sister Maria—we have to go get her. She’s still in the cells.”

“We called down, and someone is taking her to the guest suite. She’s probably already there.”

“Oh, good.” Behind her, she could hear the murmur of voices and knew it was Christian, Piers, and the warlock. She really couldn’t take any more of Piers right now—she wasn’t feeling strong enough to counter his barbed comments. At the same time, some inner voice whispered that she couldn’t allow him to see her as vulnerable in any way, or he would use it. “Come on, let’s go.”

Tara glanced behind her and smiled as if she could understand exactly what was going through her mind. Maybe she could? What a horrible thought.

“They can be a little overpowering,” Tara murmured.

“They can be total assholes,” Roz countered.

Tara laughed. “Christian, not so much, but Piers….Yeah, I’d say asshole covers it. It comes from getting his own way too much.” She stopped by the elevator and pressed the button. The doors slid open and she gestured inside. “He needs someone to take him down a bit.”

“Well, don’t look at me.” She let out a sigh of relief as the doors closed and the elevator swept them upward. “So you’re a newlywed?” she asked.

Tara smiled. “Six months.”

“What’s it like being married to a vampire?”

Tara opened her mouth to answer, but the doors opened and she paused. They stepped out and directly into the guest suite. Through the tall windows opposite, Roz could see the lights of the city of London spread out. They were high up.

“We’re in the penthouse,” Tara said.

Roz gave her a sharp glance. “Can you read my mind?”

“No, but your face is very easy to read, when you stop trying to hide what you’re thinking.”

Roz rubbed a finger between her brows. “I’m too tired to hide. It’s been a busy few days.”

Tara reached out and rested her palm on Roz’s forearm. “You don’t have to hide from me. Whatever you are—it makes no difference. It’s what you’ve done that matters.”

Roz shrugged free and stepped away, moving closer to the window to stare out into the night. “Well, that’s a total bummer, because I’ve done some pretty bad things in my long life.”

“I’m betting not so bad.”

She swung around. “You know nothing.”

Tara shrugged. “Look at how you’ve taken care of Sister Maria.”

“I couldn’t get rid of her. Clung like a bloody burr.”

“Of course she did. That’s why you wanted to get her out of the cells just now.”

At that moment, one of the doors that led off the reception area swung open, and Maria stood in the doorway. Wearing a fluffy dark blue robe that covered her from head to toe, she was rubbing at her short hair with a matching towel. She looked almost like a normal human being, and Roz smiled at the thought.

“Hi,” Maria said. She even sounded human. Maybe there was life after the convent.

“You okay?” Roz asked and Maria nodded.

Tara stepped forward. “Hi, we haven’t met, though you’ve met my husband, Christian. I’m Tara.”

Maria took the outstretched hand and shook it a little tentatively.

Tara turned to Roz. “Why don’t you go shower and I’ll make some coffee. Afterward, you can ask your questions and then get some sleep.”

That sounded so good.

She stripped off the heavy habit for what she really hoped was the last time. Standing under the spray of scalding water, she let some of her tension drain away. Maybe freedom wasn’t beyond her reach, and she could come out of this with everything she’d dreamed of. And more.

She no longer had to fear that she would be killed for what she was. With that realization, a huge weight dropped away from her. She felt almost light, as though bubbles were rising up inside her.

Asmodai, the selfish bastard, had lied, and she understood why. He’d aimed to keep her under his power, and what better way than to make her believe that everyone else was out to kill her? That she had no friends anywhere in the world?

Well, what had she expected? He was a demon. He’d never pretended to be Mr. Nice-guy. But somehow, she had come to trust him, and it hurt to know that he had isolated her in such a deliberately premeditated manner.

Now, she would have to decide what to do. She still had the Key. Or Ryan did. Should she hand it over to Asmodai and gain her freedom? Or should she put her trust in these people, who she really knew very little about?