Page 89 of Mysteries, Menace, and Mates

“You know it. And you still haven’t told me what your room is like.”

Seth glanced at his surroundings. “It’s okay.” Except La Residenza Dell’Angelo waswaymore than okay. He’d been blown away from the moment Jake led them into the hotel lobby. There was marble everywhere, andoh my God, that bed looked comfortable. They were staying across the river from the archive. Seth could see it from their window. Night had fallen, and the Castel Sant’Angelo was lit by golden lights, brilliant against the dark sky.

The hotel was a blend of the old and the new. Their room’s furnishings were modern, but there was the cutest little old-fashioned elevator, rising in a wire cage up the middle of the winding staircase, and it had required two separate trips to get the three of them to their floor: Brick had to make the journey solo.

Speaking of Brick, he seemed to be taking his time in the shower.

“You’re very quiet,” Aric observed.

“Yeah.”

“Would that have something to do with whatever you guys found in those caskets?”

“It would. Only… don’t ask me to talk about it now, okay?” He was wiped out.

And if I’m tired, Dad has to beexhausted.

“But you will tell me?”

Seth managed a smile. “Tomorrow. When we’ve had some sleep and a bit more time to process it all.” He heard the water shut off. “Wanna say good night to our bear?”

Aric snorted. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Seth held out his phone to Brick as he emerged from the steam-filled bathroom in nothing but a towel. “There’s a kitty waiting to talk to you.”

“Hey, baby. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Anything you want from Rome?” Brick laughed. “I think I can manage to find some chocolate. Now get some sleep. … Yes, I know what time it is. We’re only an hour ahead of you, remember? And you’re up early in the morning.” Brick sighed. “Love you.” He handed the phone back to Seth.

“And I love you too.” Seth blew him a kiss. “See you tomorrow.” He hung up.

Brick sat on the edge of the king-size bed. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Seth didn’t have to ask what “it” was. “I know. It’s all so much to take in.” He pulled back the sheets and climbed into bed. “I’m hoping a good night’s sleep will help me get my head around it.”

That was if hecouldsleep.

He watched Brick towel off the remaining drops of water. “Does it make you view them differently?” He’d thought of little else ever since he’d seen that painting, and read the lines beneath it.

Could it really be talking about Horvan, Dellan, and Rael?

Brick got into bed. “Part of me thinks we’ve gotten it all wrong and it’s talking about three other shifters.”

“And the other part?”

Brick shivered. “Is asking me what the hell is going on.”

JAKE STOODat the open window, listening to the noise of the traffic below. The hotel had to have triple glazing, because the room had been quiet until that point. He stared at the castle.

I wonder if Orsini feels like sleeping?

He wasn’t sure he could turn off his brain.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, and he went to investigate. He smiled when he saw Nicholas’s name. “Hey, you.”

“You okay to talk?”

“Sure, as long as we stick to the weather, what I had for dinner, how noisy Rome is…. Anything more than that and I might blow a fuse in my head.”

There was silence for a moment.

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