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"Is Jonathan going gray?" I asked as Trent closed the few steps reht be why he’s cutting it so short lately" Trent stopped beforehis features "You could have slept upstairs You did sleep, yes?"

"A few hours" I fell into step beside hiestured for us to continue down the hall past Ivy’s door "I’irl"

"It wouldn’t have been the spare rooiving"Life is too short for bad coffee," he said, takingit on a table in the hall "How’s Ivy?"

"Okay, thanks to you," I said, not wanting to talk about it My arm went around him and my head fell onto his shoulder Trent eased us to a halt and I pulled hiht scent of his aftershave was a bare hint, just enough, and an to relax I could hear the sound of his waterfall downstairs, past the great room, and my eyes closed

The relief that he came to help me in the ever-after had al reputation There hadn’t been a wisp of regret in hih he meshed with my life perfectly, I did nothis people back from the brink of extinction his entire life The path had been laid out He’d willingly sacrificed for it--and he would again The ugly truth was, I couldn’t help him accomplish what he needed to do, I could only hinder it That hy Jonathan disliked reed that this was the happiest Trent had ever been despite his dwindling fortune and the lawsuits piling up like cordwood Trent was all about duty--and I was dragging him down

"You okay?" he asked, and I tiltedinto a brief kiss

"Yes" I droppedto feel him next toher in that ugly white bed"

"It’s going to be okay" His voice ruh me

I didn’t want to move Ever "I don’t knohat I would have done if she had--"

I couldn’t even say it, and thened, and I blinked up at hi like a wi in his eyes "You did good You got her out of iave her a place to nity and peace If she had died, she would’ve done so with the person she loved most in the world with her No one can ask for s"

How could he understand so clearly? "When you put it like that" I sniffed back the tears, letting go of hih that really wasn’t one "I haven’t gotten enough sleep I don’t kno you do it, getting up at daybreak like this This is crazy"

He easeddown the hallway "Coffee helps Have you found the staff break room? There’s a mini kitchen Frozen waffles," he coaxed

I reie had made for us It had been the first ered about ain, breathing his were different Ivy was going to be okay, but that Trent had saved her life wasn’t going to help his political standing Keeping her alive was going to be even harder Cormel didn’t want htexhausted and rumpled--worse than the day after she and Ivy had co adventure in as left of a Turn-ravaged Gualed wo in strands about her creased, worried face The scratch the surface de worse than it probably was

"And waffles" Trent gestured for her to join us "Right this way"

Relief flickered across her face "Thank you," she whispered, shuffling forward in her torn nylons She hadn’t even taken the time for a shower, and was still in the same clothes she’d had on in the ever-after The faint scent of burnt ae frouilt kept her head down That was fine with me

"We keep this stocked for theas we found the comfortable, if so that you’d rather eat here than upstairs?"

I nodded as I took in the clean counters, homey tables, and fresh flowers in vases still beaded up with condensation Four , three dark and one lit with Ivy’s vitals An entire as taken up with one of those floor-to-ceiling vid screens showing a deck and a garden, and I collapsed at a table, thankful for the s doith a little lance There were dirty dishes in the sink from the doctor and nurse on call I’d put the a man cook, even if it was only toast, and I collapsed my head onto the cradle my arms made on the table, exhausted, as Trent took waffles out of the tiny freezer in the top of the fridge "If you want to come upstairs, I can make the sound "The girls are at the stables with Quen I thought it better to keep theood" I s irls, but Lucy, especially, was inquisitive to the point of exhaustion

"I never thought I’d ever eat anything out of a box froht, "but the girls want everything now, and frankly, these aren’t half bad"

My breath was co back stale froain, and curious, I pulled my head up as he set butter and cold maple syrup on the counter Nina had fallen asleep in the chair, her head lolling back and her breath even

I had said I wasn’t going to tell Ivy, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that Felix had been dipping into her Nina as if she were his personal thirty-one-flavor shop My anger was a slow, steady burn for the lie she was living Ivy was trying to help her, da

A h the walls, and Nina snorted awake For an instant, we froze Alarh me at Nina’s expression She was scared It wasn’t fear for Ivy, it was fear for herself What have you done, tricky little vampire?

My eyes went to Ivy’s hts, and I stood

"Rachel?" Nina quavered