City of Thorns by C.N. Crawford

Chapter 25

It was nearly dawn by the time we reached my new home in the Asmodean Ward. Orion and I jumped in a cab, not saying a single word about our very public kiss. I only told him we had party plans for the next night, and he seemed pleased at my progress.

When we arrived at my house, a man in a black suit and hat opened the cab door for me. A second doorman opened the building’s front doors into a hall with pale blue and gold tiled floors. High above, arches of a pale buttery stone swept over us. Sweeping staircases led up to a mezzanine floor.

In the center of the lobby, the ceiling was painted with an image of a nude woman, a snake wrapped around her legs and body. Lilith, I thought. While most of the hall was gleaming, restored through magic, the ceiling had faded and chipped over time.

To my surprise, Orion stared at the fresco for a long time, his body completely still. He normally seemed so bored with things, but either the naked woman or the snake had caught his attention. In fact, I sensed him shifting a little, the shadows bleeding into the air around him.

While he studied Lilith, I crossed to the far side of the hall, where arches opened onto a courtyard with an enormous pool. Beyond the pool, I could see the river through a set of columns, the dark water glinting with just a hint of morning light. And just on the other side of the river was the forbidding Elysian Wilderness. I shivered, not wanting to remember the hour I’d spent there, fighting for my life.

Orion said the Puritans thought the natural world was dangerous. Right now, I felt their fear. I understood why the devil scared the shit out of them. The primal power of these demons, their bestial side—it was terrifying.

“You need sleep.” Orion’s deep voice pulled me from my worries.

“No arguments here.” My body was exhausted at this point, and I desperately wanted rest. I followed Orion up a flight of stairs, and we stopped at a door that had once been painted a deep maroon, the color now faded with time. He slid a skeleton key into the lock, then opened the door, handed me the key, and flicked on a light. I found myself staring at the key in my palm, then tracing its shape.

I owned a key like this. It was one of the few things that I’d always kept close to me until the night Orion had abducted me. My heart raced as I stared at it, and then I slid it into my pocket and followed him into the apartment.

The walls within were stone, like a medieval castle, except they were smooth and gleaming. Enormous windows overlooked the pool, the water of which had started to glitter a little with peach light as the first blush of sun began to tinge the sky with gold. Stairs led to a loft floor, which must be where the bed was. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, a circle of wood that looked as if it had once held candles, but now boasted electric lights.

“The king must have had this place wired today,” said Orion. “He’s desperately trying to impress you, I think.”

“He told me that he used to lust after Mortana when she was with his dad.” My lip curled. “He really has a lot of Oedipal stuff going on.”

“Of course he wanted his father’s lover.” Orion crossed to an open archway and peered in. “He’s made everything modern. Ridiculously so. He’s put a cappuccino machine in the kitchen, and even I don’t have one of those. I’m wondering if I need to seduce the king now.”

I crossed to the stairs, then turned to look at him. “Will you stay? I mean, you said I might be in danger.”

Amusement shone in his pale eyes, and he dropped down on one of the leather sofas. He stretched out his arms across its back, and I had a feeling that he was well aware of how hot he looked as his shirt clung to his magnificent body. “I’ll be here.”

Somehow, he’d made that one sentence sound like an indecent invitation.

“That kiss in the bar was just a job, of course.” Why did I say that? I sounded desperately defensive.

“Of course. I’m glad we’re in agreement.” A smile played over his lips. “Go to sleep, Rowan. I’ll be here.”

* * *

Even as thesun poured into the room though the arched windows, I continued to sleep on the softest bed I’d ever touched. By the time I woke, the afternoon sun was already high in the sky. I’d slept in my underwear, and the sheets felt silky against my bare skin.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, taking in the sun-drenched space around me. The loft above the suite included a large bedroom with a railing on one side and a marble bathroom and bathtub on the other. I rose from the bed and crossed to the bathroom to splash water on my face. Mentally, I tried to reorient myself. Night and day seemed mixed up here.

I pulled off my underwear and turned on the shower. Steam started to billow around the tiles, and I grabbed the soap and washed.

My pulse raced whenever I thought about Orion’s lips brushing over mine. When I thought of what he’d look like without his shirt on…

Insanely, I wanted him in there with me.

Everything about him distracted me. I turned down the temperature of the shower until a blast of cold water started to clear my head and sharpen my senses.

Tonight, I was supposed to go to a party in the king’s penthouse. I was pretty pleased with how well I’d been able to get the king’s attention. But what if I learned his weakness before I solved my mom’s murder? I hadn’t seen a single star, and I’d need to be here a while to hunt the killer down.

Could I just…lie to Orion until I got what I needed?

Shit. No. Not when he’d threatened Shai’s life.

Goosebumps covered every inch of my body in the freezing shower, and my nipples were hard as rocks. With teeth chattering, I turned the shower off.

I grabbed a towel and began to dry off, only to recall that I had no clean clothes upstairs.

Chilly, I crossed to the balcony. When I peered over the edge, I saw that someone had delivered all my new clothes from Orion’s apartment.

Gripping the towel around myself, I headed downstairs. A knocking sound echoed into the room, and I watched as Orion moved to open the door, his silver hair ruffled.

What I didn’t expect to see—what I really didn’t want to see—was Nama sauntering into the room with a basket of fresh-baked goods.

She’d come to prove herself to him with croissants.