The shoes he handed me were soft, doe-colored ballet slippers but they were leather all around, no real soles. I accepted the clothes and was grateful to head into the bathroom and shut the door.
Both of these men were freaking gorgeous, but neither of them was attached. Problem number one—why didn’t they already have women in their lives?
Both had maneuvered themselves close to me from the beginning. Problem number two—what did they hope to gain by being close to me and to this investigation?
Both of them had stuck around after I’d been wounded. Problem number three—who were they trying to protect me from and why hadn’t they owned up to the truth about it?
And finally, neither had answered the biggest question I wanted to know but was afraid to ask. Problem number four—had either of them been the man at the stone circle four nights ago who had watched me drive away?
I turned on the shower and adjusted the water temperature to hot and just this side of scalding. I felt grungy from not having bathed since that first night at the hotel. The shower was divine, and I scrubbed until my skin was pink and glowing. I stepped out of the shower and toweled off, running the problems through my head over and over, then tried combining the problems I had with the men with the limited facts I had from the case. No clear picture emerged on either front. I left it alone for the moment. Compartmentalization at its best.
I dressed, did the best I could with my hair, then stepped out into the bedroom. Both men stared at me like I had something on my face. I ran my hands down the front of the dress and their gazes followed my hands. I stopped. So did their collective gazes. The back of my neck felt hot, and I wondered what the hell they were staring at.
“You, Maddy, we’re staring at you,” Bahlin said.
“How did you know what I was thinking?” I shifted from foot to foot, suddenly uncomfortable.
“I didn’t. Your discomfort is all over your face. It isn’t hard to put the pieces together.” He stood up and backed away from me, side-stepping down the wall toward the door in the face of my unfolding temper. He apparently remembered my right hook.
Tarrek had walked up behind me. He laid a hand on my shoulder and I jumped, turning to face him. “Why have you dressed me like a doll? I need work clothes, not a party dress,” I whispered in a hard voice. I was tugging at my hair again, agitated.
He dropped his hand and eyed me coolly. “You’ll meet both my parents, who are king and queen, as well as the High Council tonight. The Council has been summoned to the sithen as a whole for the first time in recorded history in an effort to make your life a little easier. You need to dress the part of the Niteclif for formal events, which this is. You can’t meet the Council in jeans and a T-shirt.” His voice rose slightly as if he were having a hard time not yelling.
“I have already met some of you in jeans and a T-shirt,” I snarled. Then I thought about what he said. This was a formal event. I needed to look the part.
I took a deep breath, and they apparently thought I was going to argue because Bahlin sighed and said, “For the love, Maddy, shut your trap before you dig a deeper hole for yourself.”
I stood there gaping at him, then burst out laughing. No one had ever said that to me before. In fact, no one had ever spoken to me as harshly as he just had. Of course, I didn’t think I’d ever behaved so ungratefully before so it hadn’t ever been necessary. I walked up to Bahlin and tugged his hand downward. He bent slightly, not sure whether to trust me or prepare to defend himself. And he was a dragon. Ha. I kissed his cheek. Then I turned and did the same to Tarrek. Apologies were hard when you were on the delivery side of things, but I was ashamed of my behavior.
“I’m sorry, honestly.” How could I explain my fear and insecurities to two supernatural creatures without appearing weak? They looked at me expectantly and I caved, sticking to the apology and holding my worries hostage in my mind. “I’ve been a little nutso since all this started after I left