estate purchases, and it’s a pain. I would have felt much better with one of us. Hey, you know, you should talk to Saxton, the King’s solicitor. He could really help you—and maybe get you an internship at the Audience… um, House?”
He stopped talking. The three of them were looking at him with wide eyes.
“You’ve been to the Audience House?” Gareth asked. “Holy shit.”
“Watch your language, son,” Rosen mumbled. “Ah… have you met the King?”
“I live with him—”
As all three started coughing into napkins, Trez thought, Well, crap.
Therese’s shock might have been comical. Except it was not. It was yet another reminder of how little they knew about each other.
“I guess I didn’t mention that, huh,” he said to her. “It’s not a big deal, though.”
“It’s not a big deal?” she said. “That you live with—with the First Family?”
“I’m moving out, though. Into that house I rented.”
Again, this was news to him. But hey, this was a surprise party for everyone, so to speak. So he might as well get in on the fun.
But yes, he thought. He was going to move out, and he was going to give the club over to Xhex. And then he had no idea what he was going to do with himself, other than the fact that he wanted to learn things. He wanted… textbooks to study, and tests to take, and things he had to focus on instead of what he had lost.
Surely school was like that? He’d never been to a formal one before. And he was smart. Anything he read he retained, and he liked words on paper. Hell, maybe he could take a page out of Gareth’s proverbial book.
Whatever he decided to do, however, he knew it had to be a fresh start. A new life. A new… way of operating.
And hey, at least he wasn’t suicidal. And with a niece on the way, a nice little house, and an open horizon? Things could be so much worse—
A nurse appeared in between the jambs. “Family, you’re going to want to come into Larisse’s room. Right now.”
As the four of them jumped up, Trez took Therese’s hand without thinking about it. But she was not going in there without him, that was for sure.
He was going to be by her side for what came next. God knew, he had plenty of experience with death.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Therese didn’t remember much about the race to her mahmen’s patient room. But she knew she had Trez’s hand, and was so grateful he was with her. Even though he was a new addition to her life, she needed his support. And he was there for her, their eyes meeting just as they ripped open the glass door and—
“Larisse?” her father cried.
Oh, God, she was—
Therese stopped dead such that her brother slammed into the back of her and nearly knocked her over. Except… wait, was she seeing this right? Were her mahmen’s eyes open?
“Larisse!” her father said as he threw himself down on the bedside. “My love!”
The nurse smiled. “Her vitals are stronger than they’ve been since she’s come to us. She’s back. And we’re going to give her a little time, but if things stay like this, we’ll try her breathing on her own.”
Her father was whispering, and her mahmen was looking into the eyes of her hellren, the connection, the love between them, so tangible, it was as if there were another person in the room with everybody.
And then her mahmen searched out Therese.
Tears formed and rolled out onto the pillow, the frail hand lifting its fingertips from the white bedsheet.
Therese surged forward, mirroring her father’s sprawl. “I’m right here.”
Those pale lips moved, but Therese sniffled and shook her head. “Don’t try to speak. Not yet. Just know that we’re all here, and we’re not going anywhere.” She turned and motioned to her brother. As he came over, she smiled at her mahmen. “See? Everyone’s here.”
“Mahmen,” Gareth said in a choked voice. “You’re back.”
“Wait, and there’s one more.” Therese reached out her hand. “Meet my… friend… Trez.”
There was a pause, as Trez stared at them all from just inside the room. His face was remote, his eyes opaque, his body super still. For a split second, Therese had the sense he was going to leave. But then he pinned a smile to his face and stepped forward.
“Madam,” he said, “it’s my pleasure to meet you.”
As he stood at the foot of the bed, his towering height and incredible strength seemed to dwarf the room.
Larisse lifted