“You must be so lonely. I already feel lonely and I’ve only been dealing with all of this for a few days,” I admitted softly, picking at a loose strand on his bed covers.
Winston shrugged and resumed cleaning his room. And by cleaning, I mean shoving clothes and other random items into his closet. “The loneliness eventually goes away.” He paused, puzzling over something and blurted, “What do you mean, a few days?”
“I didn’t know about all this.” I motioned around me. “I was raised by my dad in the human world. It’s all I’ve known.”
“What changed?” he asked. “Why didn’t you stay there?”
“The Iniquitous found me and apparently in a week I’m going to come into my magic.” I did a version of spirit fingers like magic was about to come sparking out of them.
“I see.” He stuffed a handful of clothes into a drawer. He tried to close the drawer, but it refused to budge. “Stupid piece of junk.” He slammed his shoulder against it. Winston succeeded in closing the drawer but knocked everything off the top of the dresser in the process. “That didn’t turn out well.” He looked down at the mess.
“Here, I’ll help.” I jumped up and began to gather the various items. A picture frame, a clock, an iPhone speaker. I placed the items back on the dresser.
“Thanks for the help, love. I’m going to take a shower.” He sniffed his shirt. “I smell like the airplane.”
“I’ll get out of your room,” I mumbled.
“Nonsense.” He waved his hand for me to sit down again. “Stay, for as long as you like.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime you need to escape my room is yours.”
“If I can ever find it. I keep getting turned around.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.” He pulled his shirt off and tossed it into a hamper. His stomach was smooth and lightly muscled. He grabbed up clean clothes. “Don’t run off without saying goodbye. Sit tight, ‘kay?”
“I’ll be here.”
He grinned and disappeared into the bathroom. The door clicked closed behind him.
I flopped back onto Winston’s bed and stared at the ceiling. It was a plain, ordinary, ceiling. Nothing at all like Victor’s magical one.
I heard the shower come on in the bathroom.
I knew Theo must be freaking out and I should find him but selfishly I wanted this moment of peace. After this, he’d probably insist on sleeping on my bedroom floor.
But he shouldn’t have shown me that. As my protector he should have protected me from that reality instead of thrusting it upon me. I didn’t want to know my real father. He was a monster. I wanted to remember Steven Pryce as my father even if he was nothing more than a ghost.
Thaddeus Lucero was evil. In fact, he was the leader of the evil beings that wanted me dead. He killed my mother, and I knew he’d kill me, his daughter, without hesitation if he was ever presented with the chance. I knew all this with a chilling certainty and I’d never met the man. Not even once.
“Mara,” someone spoke softly. “Wake up, Mara.”
“Huh?” I jerked awake, my eyes bleary.
“Mornin’, love.” Winston beamed where he leaned above me.
“What time is it?” I asked rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“Uh—” he stuttered, looking at his watch. “Two in the morning. I was going to lie down beside you so as not to wake you but you kinda—”
“Took over the whole bed? I tend to do that.” I sat up. I used my fingers to brush my hair out of my face. It was a wild tangled mess. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take over your bed or to fall asleep.” His black quilt was hanging half off his bed.
“All that running from your protector must have gotten to you,” he joked.
“Yeah, and now he’s going to kill me.”
I’m sure in all the time I’d been gone Theo had thought up some pretty creative ways to get rid of me.
Winston laughed. “I think it’s his job to make sure you don’t get killed.”
“Well, he’s going to be pissed to say the least.” I climbed off his bed. I noticed he had cleared the floor of clothes but there was still a mess since they hung precariously out of drawers and burst from the closet.
“Do you want me to walk you to your room?” he offered.
I smiled. “Thanks for the offer but I don’t need Theo to attack you. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, looking skeptical.
“No,” I admitted. “But the walk will help clear my head.”
He grinned. “Just stick to your left when you leave here. That’ll lead you back to the main set of stairs.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll see you for breakfast?” he questioned.
I smiled. “I’m sure you will. After all, it’s the most important meal of the day.”
He laughed. “Night, Mara.”
“Night, Winston, or I guess I should say morning?”
He shook his head at me as I opened the door. I closed it softly behind me so as not to disturb anyone else who might be sleeping. There were so many rooms I doubted many of them were filled, but you never knew.
I let my hand skim the side of the wall; sticking to the left like Winston had said. I soon reached the main staircase and continued past it to where my room lay. I pulled the key out of my pocket and began to toy with it. I worried I wouldn’t be able to find it. When I left this morning, I didn’t pay much attention to where I came from and the doors weren’t labeled with numbers.
I definitely wouldn’t have found it, like I suspected, if it hadn’t been for the sleeping figure in front of a door.
“Theo,” I breathed. I crouched down and shook him by the shoulder. He jolted awake and jumped to his feet landing lightly like a cat.
“Mara. You’re okay.” His sigh of relief was loud. He hugged me to him and his muscles were firm against me. “I’ve been so worried.” He pulled away and suddenly his happiness at me being safe was gone. “Don’t you ever do that again,” he scolded, his voice thick with irritation. “I’ve torn this place apart looking for you. I’ve probably gone gray,” he exclaimed and pulled at his hair. “I’m supposed to keep you safe and you ran away from me.”
“I’m sorry.” I knew the words did little to appease him, but I was sorry, for worrying him at least. “I-I needed to get away.”
“Mara.” He gripped my arms tight enough to bruise. “You can’t run off like that. You’re too important.” Finally realizing we were in the middle of the hallway early in the morning, he snatched the key from my hand and opened the door. He closed the door behind us and continued as if nothing had changed. “I don’t know who to trust here, therefore, I trust no one. Someone could’ve hurt you—”
“But no one did.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You. Are. A. Chosen. One,” he enunciated every word. “There are people, people in this very place, that want you dead. You’ve barely met any of them. Are you so na?ve that you’d think someone might not be waiting to catch you alone? You’re an idiot. An absolute idiot.” He dug his fingers into his dark hair. When he pulled away, his black hair stuck up wildly around his head.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not a child.”
He glowered and looked me up and down, his brows drawn. “Then stop acting like it. Go to bed, Mara,” he sighed, sounding no longer angry but resigned.