Page 54 of Acedia

I nodded, a little surprised at how descriptive she was being.

“We’re standing in front of the main portal,” Meera continued. “It’s right outside the palace. Sebastian uses it to get to the in-between, then he uses the open portal on the human realm side to get home.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. It wasn’t that what Meera was saying wasn’t interesting, I supposed, but it was odd forherto be the one saying it. She usually barely spoke at all, and today she was rambling. Did she feel bad about bringing up the new ex-Hunters in Elverston House? I wasn’t upset with her or anything, just nervous about meeting them for the first time. “Is everything okay, Meera?”

She exhaled shakily. “No, not really.”

I reached out clumsily, bumping her elbow before resting my hand on her forearm. “What’s going on? Is this about your trip to the human realm? Did something else happen?”

“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I need to tell you about it, but I was trying to make sure you had a pleasant morning first.”

“I think I’d rather just know,” I said gently, taking my hand away and wrapping my arms around my waist.

“Okay. Okay.” I listened as Meera paced a few steps in front of me. “Yourparentswerearrested.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

She made a slightly pained sound. “Your parents were arrested. They were mixed up in all the shady financial stuff that the rest of the Council were involved in. I don’t know what will happen exactly—I guess the charges will be different for everyone depending on what they did. But the Council has been taken over by Hunters who are working with the Shades. Whatever happens, your parents’ careers are over. They’ve been effectively ousted.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Meera repeated dubiously.

“I’m not quite sure how to feel yet,” I admitted, hugging myself a little tighter. Moriah was the only mother I had, but she’d resented my existence my entire life, and locked me away where she didn’t have to look at me.

She’d given me Nana and kept me from being sent somewhere worse, and Iwantedto be grateful but I still struggled with my gratitude where Moriah was concerned. I knew how privileged my brothers’ lives were, and it was difficult not to feel the tiniest hint of bitterness that my life had played out so differently.

The idea of Moriah in jail didn’t bring me any joy, but a small part of me wondered if she’d appreciate what my life was like, confined to the small, cold attic. That wasn’t a kind thought, though. Nana would be horrified.

“I’m sorry,” Meera said awkwardly.

“You don’t need to apologize,” I assured her. “Presumably, it was their own actions that landed them in this mess. I’ve certainly overheard enough through the vents to know that whatever they were doing, they were very secretive about it.”

Regular Hunters business was always discussed around the dining table—usually with drinks and food and boisterous laughter. Anything related to finances was conducted in hushed whispers in the library, and I never caught the details of those conversations.

“Iris,” Damen said suddenly, making me jump. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I replied automatically, not wanting to burden him with my problems.

“I can smell that something is wrong,” he pointed out gently. “Talk to me.”

I don’t know why I did it. I had no idea if anyone else was around—he could have been walking next to someone and inthe middle of a conversation. But I walked forward anyway, reaching for Damen in total confidence that he’d meet me halfway.

“Hey,” he murmured quietly as I walked headfirst into his chest, his arms immediately wrapping around my shoulders. The moment his chin came to rest on the top of my head, I exhaled, some of the stress melting out of my body.

Since the moment I’d arrived in the shadow realm, I’d associated Damen with comfort and support. In spite of the recent awkwardness between us, he still felt safe to me.

He felt like home.

Was that a normal way to feel about someone you didn’t know very well? Maybe I should have married him.

“Talk to me. Is everything okay?”

I gave the question some thought. “No. But I feel much better now.”

He squeezed me a little tighter. “What do you need?”

One stray tear escaped at the question. He’d asked it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

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