‘And keep things running smoothly around here,’ added Paizi.
‘That too,’ Hugo agreed. He gestured to me. ‘This is Josephine Romany, of the Romany clan, and her friend Katie, a diddikoi.’
‘Please accept our thanks for allowing us to stay with you,’ I said, shifting into a more formal interaction, one I was used to using as daughter of a bandoleer. ‘God’s blessings on this place.’
‘Hugo told us about your guardian and the trial when he called,’ said Paizi solemnly.
Ferka nodded. ‘You know how Gypsy news usually travels, but this was the first we’ve heard of it. I had no idea there were any guardians left in our kumpania. Present company excepted, of course.’ She smiled at Ezzie, who nodded in return. ‘Surely, he is innocent.’
‘He is,’ I replied, without hesitation.
‘We’ll hear more later,’ said Paizi gently, picking up my bag. ‘First, you must rest. We’ll show you to your rooms. Breakfast is served at seven. That should give you time to settle in.’
‘Thank you,’ I replied, grateful not to have to relive the kris yet again.
The sisters ushered us up the stairs and down a long hallway. The hardwood floors creaked underneath the rugs as we walked. We were quickly assigned rooms; Katie and I were given the one near the communal bathroom. Just as I was closing the door, I heard Hugo’s voice from the top of the stairs.
‘This is my business, Ezzie.’
‘No more than it is mine,’ she answered. ‘I will return before dawn.’
Hugo’s heavy sigh echoed down the hall. ‘Alright. It’s not like I can stop you, anyway. But you need to watch yourself. I’ve had a really bad feeling since we got here, and you’re not exactly inconspicuous. Not here.’
‘I appreciate your concern,’ Ezzie answered.
‘Just be careful, okay?’
‘It is not I who must be careful, Gypsy.’
I shut the door to our room before Hugo reached the top of the stairs. I turned and nearly tripped over Katie’s suitcase. She’d unpacked – or rather, she’d dumped most of her things onto the floor.
I reached the bed and fell back into the mound of pillows as Katie explored the room. She touched every piece of furniture and peered out of the windows multiple times.
Katie bounced on the bed next to me. ‘Oh my gosh! We totally need to come here for a real girls’ trip. After we spring Sebastian from Gypsy jail, or whatever, I mean. This place is amazing. I mean, do you see that dresser in the corner? It’s got to be a hundred years old.’
‘Probably,’ I replied, kicking off my shoes.
‘And this chandelier is to die for. I need one for my room, like right now.’ Katie pulled her phone out and snapped a few pictures as she continued to prattle away about the room décor.
She was still a little unnerved, and I couldn’t blame her, but at least Katie was talking more like herself again. It was nice to have something else to focus on besides my own worry. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and unzipped my bag, only half-listening to Katie’s chatter as I unpacked. I took off my jewelry, hesitating as I held the dandelion pendant in my hand.
I became suddenly aware that it had gotten quiet. I turned around. Katie had taken my place on the bed, propped up against the pillows. She looked from me to my necklace, and her brows rose expectantly.
‘Sorry. What were you saying?’
She motioned me over. ‘I asked how you felt about Sebastian.’
‘What?’
Katie took the pendant out of my hands. She turned it over in her palm and held it up to the soft light of the chandelier. ‘You’ve told me a bunch of crazy stuff that doesn’t make sense, but one thing’s pretty obvious, and it’s the one thing you’ve totally left out.’
‘He’s my guardian.’ I watched the way the light refracted off the glass, illuminating the yellow dandelion petals inside the pendant. ‘He’s my friend.’
‘And?’
I kept my eyes on the necklace. ‘And … I don’t know.’
‘Come on, Josie. After everything you’ve done to get down here – sneaking around your dad, missing your performances, not to mention dealing with those freaking nightmares from hell at the gas station. I mean, you’re taking a pretty big risk here, aren’t you?’
I nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘So, why is it so hard to tell me how you feel about Sebastian?’
I took the pendant and set it on the nightstand. The flower darkened and seemed to lose its life. I touched it with my finger. Even the glass had grown cold. A deep, aching loss curled through me.
‘I grew up hearing tales of guardians and their charges from our legends,’ I said. ‘But they were just stories before I met him. I didn’t know it was going to be like this.’
Katie leaned forward. ‘What do you mean?’
I pulled my legs up to my chest and rested my chin on my knee. ‘In a way, it feels like I’ve known Sebastian forever. I guess that scared me at first. It was like he could see past the image I’d created of myself, in a way no one had before. Maybe that’s why I avoided him in the beginning. And then, afterwards, I didn’t know what to do with everything that had happened.’
‘You mean the … gargoyle thing?’
I closed my eyes, so I wouldn’t have to look at Katie’s half-believing, questioning expression. Immediately, my mind conjured up an image of Sebastian – the firelight glinting off his fierce teeth as he spoke, his silver eyes gleaming. ‘Yes and no.’
‘So it’s really that bad.’ I heard the doubt in Katie’s voice.
‘No, that’s not what I meant. It wasn’t his change I couldn’t deal with. It was my guilt. Maybe it wasn’t directly my fault, but I was convinced I’d ruined his life by somehow making it happen.’ I pressed the heel of my hand against my chest, trying to ease the hurt. ‘I still feel like that, sometimes. But I’m learning to deal with it.’
‘Go on,’ Katie pressed. Not demanding, but insistent.
‘The bond we have doesn’t scare me anymore. That stopped the moment he came to live at the Circe. It’s the only thing that feels right, honestly. I can sense his emotions. I understand the way he thinks. I know when he’s near.’ My gaze drifted back to the pendant. ‘He’s become closer to me than anyone else in the world. We’re connected in a way I can’t really put into words.’
‘Well, whatever you want to call it, it’s obvious Sebastian loves you,’ said Katie. A slow smile spread over Katie’s features, lighting up her eyes. ‘And now you feel the same way about him, don’t you?’
I stood up quickly. The action made my head pound. I crossed the room and opened the closet door. Inside were several stacks of plush bath towels. I grabbed a pastel yellow one from the top of the pile.
‘Look Katie, I can’t think about that, okay? You know the seriousness of my relationship with Quentin. This guardian and charge thing has put a giant strain on us, and I can’t mess that up.’
‘Yeah, why not?’ she asked.
My eyes widened. ‘Excuse me?’
Katie held her hands up defensively. ‘Hey, you know I’ve been totally supportive of you and Quentin, and yeah, pretty much jealous, too. I mean, hello … the guy’s basically perfection on a platter.’
‘Aren’t you dating Mitchell?’