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SIX

“My sister wasn’t even trying to kill me this time.”

My concussion derailed my plans to go to the courthouse. While I managed to keep my dinner down with the help of Dr. Stanton’s drugs, the relentless throb in my head did a good job of containing me to bed the next day. Amisha and Endah kept me company, and at the peak of the pain, I attempted to hide underneath them.

My behavior resulted in losing a tiger for a while, although she returned with Dr. Stanton.

“I’m pretty sure he’s convinced he’s dying and is trying to bury himself under Amisha,” Madelyn said, and in a show of sympathy, she kept her voice a tolerable volume. “He’s sound sensitive, light sensitive, and generally just sensitive. I tried to convince him to have breakfast and lunch, but I wasn’t successful. I didn’t have the heart to wake him, as he’d managed to actually fall asleep in the middle of our conversation. I was going to come for you, but I guess Endah has a lower tolerance for this than I do.”

I felt weight on the bed, and a moment later, a gentle hand patted my shoulder. “Come out, Ian. I’ll have a look at you, figure out what’s causing your pain, and decide if we’re going on another field trip to the hospital. I called Melody in last night, so she’s here to help put your brain back together.”

Rather than get out of bed, I freed a hand enough to wave, assuming Maine’s heir was somewhere nearby.

Before I could retreat back into the covers, a slender hand caught mine. “There’s no need to make him sit up if he’s in that much pain. Concussions can cause migraines, and Ian has a history when it comes to getting the worst symptoms. He’s a bad luck magnet.”

No kidding. “My sister wasn’t even trying to kill me this time,” I complained.

Melody laughed and gave my hand a squeeze. “It’s just bad luck, Ian. There’s no bleeding, but you have swelling. Your choice. We can drug it into submission, or I can knock your ass out and use my talent, but in either case, you’re staying in your suite for the rest of the day. You can go to the courthouse tomorrow.”

“I’m not scheduled to work tomorrow,” Madelyn murmured.

Dr. Stanton sighed. “He can go to the courthouse the next day you’re working, and he can put together some puzzles with the tigers and read them some books until then. Ian, you can do your personal work when Melody clears you. The Californians don’t want you flying and getting sick on them, so you can’t leave until we clear you for air travel anyway. I brought Melody in solely to keep your sister from having a breakdown. She’s already on the edge because she hurt you in the first place.”

“Am I going to want to go anywhere after Melody gets her hands on me?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

“I’d like you to try to use your talent some tomorrow and make sure there are no changes. Your work is ideal for the test. I’m sure you’ll be fine with a couple of RPS agents keeping an eye on you.” Melody patted my hand. “I’ll give you a checklist for what to watch out for, that way we don’t breathe down your neck. The courthouse can wait.”

“Will I need to cart him to the hospital for monitoring?” Dr. Stanton asked.

“No. The swelling is just in a bad spot for pain. The pressure is causing a severe migraine, but it’s not going to do any lasting harm. The medications will likely leave him woozy and ill for the next two or three days. My talent isn’t much better.”

“Why not do both?” asked the evil doctor responsible for my care.

Wicked woman. I groaned at the thought of the doctors teaming up against me.

“Doing both is an option, and then Madelyn won’t be worried about her days off being interrupted. He will not be going anywhere without an intervention. Leave the palace while you can, Madelyn,” Melody suggested. “I’ll take your place for the day, and you can get a head start on your rest and relaxation time, especially since you were playing guard last night. If you need a ride anywhere, ask an RPS agent. They’ll make the arrangements. And don’t fret about imposing. The fact you were able to contain Ian is remarkable enough to have earned the perks. The last time he had a migraine and I had to come down here, he actually escaped the palace and was trying to find a way to put himself out of his misery.”

“It’s true. I ran away, and Melody had to get me out of a storm drain. It was also raining.” In addition to the migraine, I’d been halfway to incoherent, fevered, and not in my right mind. “It wasn’t just a migraine. It was some form of influenza from hell that hitched a lift with a migraine.”

Melody giggled. “This time, we have tigers, and if he does lose his mind and escape the palace, I’m sure one of the tigers will go get help and the other will accompany him.”

Both tigers rumbled, and a moment later, one of the giant fuzzballs nuzzled me, pawed at the blanket, and removed the cover from over my head. Before I could protest, Amisha dragged her tongue over my face. While her rough tongue hurt, I did the only thing a sensible man did when presented with an affectionate tiger. I freed my hand from Melody’s grip, snuggled close to the animal, and used her fur to block out the light.

“All right. Everyone out. I’ll get his medication administered, make use of my talent, and get him settled. I’ll take care of his dinner in a few hours, as my talent is the only thing that’s going to wake him long enough for the basics. I’ll send for Ethan if he’s up for a soak. Have Terry pick his favorite two RPS agents to play babysitter. Until the medications wear off, I want someone in the room with him. Let’s not tempt fate.”

Everyone did as Melody asked, and once I was alone with the princess, she laughed. “Goodness. Is that the little princess you’re fawning over? That was Madelyn, right?”

“She’s not a princess,” I mumbled into Amisha’s fur.

“She will be once you’re done with her, I’m sure. Before I torture you with medications and knock your lanky ass out so you can sleep the migraine off, I come bearing a gift of information.”

If Melody wanted a talk, she’d get her way eventually. I braced for the misery and lurched upright, grimacing as the entirety of my head informed me nothing was all right. “What sort of information?”

“It’s about your princess.”

If Melody was talking to me about Madelyn, something was wrong, something I needed to know about but from someone who could handle me at my worst.

Melody could protect herself, and no matter what she told me, I’d hold my temper with her.

We’d been friends for too long for me to be at all willing to push her, not even when bearing bad news. “Spill it, Melody.”

“Terry did some digging, and she’s in an abusive relationship with someone who is soon to be her ex. The palace opening a suite for her is giving her an out, an out she’s using tomorrow and the next day to implement. She wasn’t earning enough to get out before her unexpected promotion to the palace. Terry, upon finding out the circumstances, decided to handle the matter personally. He informed Rachel about the situation. He knows you’re invested, and it’s for her sake as much as yours. I found out because Dr. Stanton is worried you’ll pick up on Madelyn’s stress, and the woman is a bomb about to blow. She’s bad enough off your sister picked up on it, cornered her, and questioned her until she broke. And yes, Rachel found out before Terry had gone to her about it.”

What had been going on while I’d been trying to burrow under my sister’s tigers? I was aware Madelyn had left during the night and for part of the morning, being replaced by some RPS agents until her return.

“Some fuckwit is abusing Madelyn?” Anger, the kind I hadn’t allowed myself to experience in years, stirred.

Melody reached into her pocket, pulled out a set of suppressors, and offered them to me. “I am not doubting your control, but when I’m thinking about hitting something, it’s best that the cranky flameweaver puts his suppressor on. These ones are generic but have a good empathy leak in them. Not even the North Dakotans mind wearing them.”

If Adam and Veronica could handle the suppressors, so could I, so I took them and snapped them on around my wrist. “What’s the rating for these?”

“That’s going to shut down most of your talents completely, but I suspect you could bust them with your flameweaving if you really wanted. I’d rather if you didn’t break them. I want to get a new set made tuned specifically for your talent, but our evals for you are wrong.”

“Tell me more about Madelyn’s situation, please.”

“Let me give you the first round of painkillers first. They’ll kick in quickly, and they won’t impair you much. Dr. Stanton told me she has you booked in for a long talk, but she wanted me to do the first wave. She figures if I tenderize you first, you won’t put up as much of a fight.” Without missing a beat, she pulled out a small bottle of water from her purse along with a pill bottle. She fished out two tiny pills and handed them over. “These are anti-inflammatories, the kind that make ibuprofen look like child’s play. That’ll knock out most of the swelling in ten minutes flat; it’s part magic and part medicine. After those are working, I’ll go in with my talent and resolve the source issue. After I have the kitchen bring you a meal and you take a shower, you’ll be given a sedative to sleep it off.”

I knocked the pills back and followed up with the entire bottle of water. “I appreciate you coming all this way.”

“It’s no problem. I needed to check on Olivia, too. As word will surely spread faster than any fire you might conjure, there are two, and thus far, both are healthy. I’m nominating you to keep an eye on Olivia when Terry is working and she’s underfoot. I’m sure she’s going to be underfoot keeping an eye on you, so it works well.”

“You told her to keep an eye on me.”

“I absolutely did.”

“All right. I’ll cooperate, and I’ll keep an eye and help her out when she gets to the stage she can’t see her feet anymore.”

Melody laughed. “Thank you. Anyway, back to Madelyn. Terry is on the job, and the RPS will make certain she gets out of her current home, which is her soon-to-be ex’s place. I can’t guarantee that she’ll be able to get all her stuff out, but the priority is to rescue her cats and get as much of her basics as possible. Once Rachel got the truth out of her, she made the arrangements. It’s worked as a good distraction from the fact you had your brain rattled in your skull.”

“What is this man’s risk level?”

“It’s unfortunately high. You will be given a robust RPS detail, and some of the agents will be assigned to watch over Madelyn. There is concern your trip to the courthouse might provide him with an opportunity to get back at her.”

“His talent?”

“He’s a low-grade waterweaver with minimal offensive capability. He couldn’t deal with your talent even if he wanted to.”

Great. “How low-grade are we talking about? And how many people has this fucker abused?”

“That is being investigated,” Melody admitted. “Terry wants your involvement to be minimal. Unless he comes near Madelyn, you’re to leave this alone. However, Terry understands if he comes near her, you will likely pick up on her fear, which will trip your trigger. If your trigger gets tripped because an abuser came within your reach, well, we have the registered accusation with confirmation of the victim speaking the truth, so you’ll get off with a slap to the wrist.”

“And Rachel confirmed that Madelyn wants out of this relationship?”

“She’s been looking for an out for at least a year. That’s part of what brought her back in range of working at the palace. She feels safe on palace grounds, and she has been working to win another assignment here.”

I stared at Melody with wide eyes. “She feels safe here?”

While I wanted to be a safe harbor for the reclusive woman, who brought peace with her wherever she went, I hadn’t thought there was any chance of that being a two-way street.

“According to Rachel, your parents were kind to her despite her station.”

Well, that would cause me problems, especially considering the discussion held in the hospital. However, that Madelyn endured abuse as well might become a bridge between us.

She likely understood far more than I wanted her to.

“They liked lower caste people,” I murmured.

“They did, more than they liked their own children.” Melody sighed, leaned over, and gave me a hug. “I’m sorry. I really am. Madelyn was shocked to find out how abusive they were. Also, because of the severity of the abuse accusations, Rachel pulled in Will to have everything confirmed. I’m sure Terry or someone in the RPS will brief you, but I was nominated to give you the starter information.”

“But where will she go today?”

“She won’t be left alone when off palace grounds, and she’ll have extra RPS agents practicing their shadowing techniques, so she’ll be protected. Try not to worry, Ian.”

“You just told me there’s been some asshole abusing her, and you want me to not worry?” I huffed, which made my head hurt worse. Rubbing at my temple did nothing to ease the discomfort. “How long does it take for these meds to actually do something?”

“It takes about ten minutes. You’ll be all right. But yes, I do want you to try not to worry. Terry is keeping her safe. You know Terry is going to pull out every stop to make sure she gets out of this situation better off than she started. Try to focus on the fact she was actively trying to get palace duty, knowing she would be safe here. Maybe not specifically with you, but it’s a good first step.”

“But she’s in a relationship with another man.”

“Not for long. That bridge has been thoroughly burned. The only reason she’s still in that situation is because she did not have the financial ability to leave, and she didn’t think anyone would believe her if she confessed about being abused.”

“How bad is her situation really?”

“It’s bad enough that Terry is leading the charge. When Madelyn wants to tell you the specifics, she will. I don’t feel breaking that confidence will do either of you any good. You need to know she has been abused so you use a gentle hand with her. You’re going to have to let her take the first steps for most everything, and I’m sure Terry is going to arrange for a therapist for you both. The therapist will help her cope with her trauma. At the same time, they will coach you on how best to support Madelyn without making her trauma worse. Fortunately, you’re good at handling people, so I’m confident you’ll be able to navigate through this. In a way, the existence of the bond with you has likely been her saving grace through this.”

I tensed. “What do you mean?”

“You showed her kindness, you showed her freedom, and you showed her how it’s possible for people of different castes to be friendly with each other. I suspect she felt betrayed by your rank, but she left the palace because her employment contract had come to an end, not because of anything you did. Terry reviewed her post-contract file, and there was nothing but positive feedback from her about working in the palace—and it was mentioned in her file that she had worked with you. That’s not her fault, nor is it yours. But you gave her an example of what a good man looks like. That didn’t save her from falling in with a bad one, but I suspect it did help her identify she needs to get out. And if her financial situation had been better, I doubt she would have dated him in the first place.”

“Remind me to push my sister about financial reforms,” I grumbled.

Melody smiled at me. “I’ll do that. Be honest with me. Are you upset she was dating someone else?”

I raised a brow. “I am upset he is an abuser. I am not upset that she has free will and lived her life as she saw fit. A potential bond is not a prison for her. I only decided to make it a prison for me because that was a choice I made. I fell in love with her, and it’s not her fault she isn’t in love with me back. I’m not going to even pressure her. This is a me problem and not a her problem.”

My friend heaved a sigh, raised her hand, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m telling Dr. Stanton this, and she’s going to start screaming, Ian. She’s going to start screaming because this is almost as bad as Adam dancing around Veronica initially. The only improvement is your heart, as unlike Adam or your sister, you are not at any risk of having a heart attack. Thank you for that, by the way. You’re in decent health, so that’s something.”

“You call this concussion being in decent health?”

“That concussion is why you’re not in acceptable or good health. So, what are you going to do?”

“The same shit as normal and pretend nothing has changed?” I eyed her. “This is a trick question, isn’t it?”

She glared at me. “You’re going to sleep off the concussion, eat, bathe, use the bathroom at the appropriate intervals, and resist any urges to deal with the ex-boyfriend on your own. You will not follow Madelyn around like a lovesick puppy.”

“She’s being paid to follow me around,” I reminded her. “I even let her grill me in the hospital to her heart’s content.” After a moment of hesitation, I asked, “Is breaking out of the palace out of the question?”

“If I let you get into the condition where you climb out of the window because you’re that fevered and want to cool off in a storm drain, Dr. Stanton is going to deal with me. If she has to deal with me, she’s coming after you next.”

I shuddered at the thought of the woman pulling out all the stops. “I’ll do my best to behave, but please don’t let me get that fevered again.”

“I’m going to do my best, but I know you. You’re going to have a fever. But can fevered you outsmart two tigers, two doctors, and a woman motivated to make sure her position with you isn’t compromised so she continues to have housing at the palace? That is the question.”

“I’d hire her as my wife without hesitation,” I informed Melody.

“You are not issuing her a job offer to be your wife, Ian. That didn’t work for Will, and it won’t work for you.”

“Will didn’t actually tell her he wanted to hire her as his wife. I would be upfront about the position.”

“No.”

I sighed. “I thought it was a good idea.”

“It’s really not. But you could hire her as your top aide. That worked for Thomas.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Once you knock my sorry ass out with your talent, would you talk to my sister about that?”

“As I’m not giving you a choice on that, I think I can manage that much. But if she says no, it’s not my fault.”

“That’s fair. Are you sure you can’t stop the fever this time?”

“Ian, why would I let you get fevered if I could stop it?”

“You enjoy when I make an idiot out of myself.”

She snickered, reached over, and patted my shoulder. “I don’t have to do anything for you to do that, Ian.”

“That was mean, Melody. You’ve hurt my feelings.”

“You have feelings?”

I fought the urge to join her in snickering. “They’re terribly hurt, and I think you should call Madelyn back so she can nurse me back to health.”

“If she didn’t need to rescue her cats, I would. You’ll survive for a day or two.”

“I might not if you let me get fevered.”

“We’ll muddle through somehow.”

“Are you sure you’re from Maine? That was New York mean, Melody.”

She smiled. “I’m sure. Just try to behave for once in your life. If you absolutely must get fevered on me, at least wait twenty-four hours.”

Did she really think I could control when and if I got fevered? “Sure, Melody. I’ll do my best to wait twenty-four hours before succumbing to fever and doing something we all regret.”