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Kierse opened the drawers to find soft, comfortable clothes in multiple sizes.

All of it cozy, soft, and warm. Gray sweats, white or black T-shirts, and the green robe Maya had been wearing with the little tree logo on it, which looked loose enough to fit over the tee.

Kierse discarded her dirty and damaged dress for the more pragmatic clothing.

She also found a pair of slippers, not unlike those at a spa.

While Maya was gone, she quickly searched the rest of the room for anything out of the ordinary.

But to her practiced eyes, this was nothing but a small bedroom.

There were toiletries and washcloths in a basin by the sink.

Notebook paper and a pencil on the table.

Nothing under the bed. No trap doors. No secret compartments.

Not even any hidden cameras. It was just… a room.

Whatever this place was, it felt nice.

How many times had Kierse wanted something like this when she’d been abandoned?

When the war had been raging? Brooklyn was the closest thing to a refuge like this.

Lorcan and the Druids had done their best to keep the worst of the war out of their part of the city, but that didn’t mean shit for the rest of them.

Kierse hadn’t even gone through the brunt of it, because she’d had Jason, as disgusting as the thought made her feel.

She wasn’t sure if she even would have lived without him and his thieving guild.

If this place had wanted her, she would have joined. In a heartbeat.

Maya knocked twice and only entered when Kierse said she was ready. She had a wooden tray in her hands with a jug of water, two metal cups, a half loaf of some kind of cake, and a host of disinfectants and bandages.

“Oh, Shannon! You found your size,” she said cheerfully.

“Looked like there was every size,” Kierse said.

“We do try to be size inclusive.” Maya set the tray down and poured out two glasses of water. She passed one to Kierse and then took a long drink of her own before heading to the sink.

“This is a regular occurrence?” Kierse asked as she took a small sip. It tasted like a hint of lemon. Lemon all over this place.

“People find us when they need us,” Maya said. “Sit here.”

Kierse took the seat Maya indicated, staring at the cake with longing. She was a sucker for cake, but she wasn’t sure that she was hungry enough to brave food in this place. It was still the goblin market, after all.

Maya pulled the other chair around the table and tended her arm like she’d done it a hundred times, wiping it clean with antiseptic and then applying a bandage to the wound.

She tutted as she worked. “It might need a few stitches, but that’s beyond me.

I might have to bring Alex in, if that’s all right. He’s our resident doctor.”

Kierse tensed. She wasn’t sure about meeting someone else here yet. Every new person was a risk.

“Oh, he’s a gentleman. There’s nothing to fear from him. I know so many who have problems with those in medical professions, but he’s the best,” Maya said quickly. “And he’s dealt with all sorts with abilities.”

“Abilities,” Kierse said cautiously.

Maya grinned widely. “Just the term we prefer to all of that monster business,” she said with a laugh as she gathered her supplies and stood.

“You prefer ‘abilities’ to the word ‘monster’?” Kierse asked in confusion.

“Well, there’s no normal anymore, and we shouldn’t treat each other like we’re other.” Maya shrugged. “Or at least, that’s what I believe.”

“So there are monsters…sorry, those with ‘abilities’ here, too?”

“Oh, yes. We have all sorts.”

“Uh huh,” Kierse said.

She was sure they were well-intentioned but changing the terms didn’t exactly change reality or fix any of the problems.

“You’re free to stay a while and meet them.”

Kierse hedged, “I don’t know.”

“I get it. We’re happy to help.” Maya headed toward the door. “Eat some of the cake. It’s cinnamon streusel and probably my favorite. You’ll feel better with some food in you while I go find Alex.”

It was tempting. A world where monsters and humans lived together harmoniously—not how it was happening in reality where monsters wanted to secretly kill everyone and only the treaty was holding together a tenuous truce. All because they wanted this life. It was a utopia.

And utopias were a fallacy.

Maya reappeared a moment later with Alex, a tall phoenix with flaming red hair. Kierse stood quickly. Phoenixes were unusually volatile and known to burst into flames at the slightest provocation. They weren’t particularly common compared to other monster types.

“I get that a lot,” Alex said with a grin.

He had a boy-next-door look about him, aside from the red hair and wings, of course.

His feathers were the same color as his hair, and the wings tucked tight against his back.

Which must have made him very young, because most phoenixes could shed their wings and regrow them at will.

Few kept them out like this all the time. It was beyond disconcerting.

“The wings don’t get in the way, I assure you.” He chuckled and set down his equipment. “I’m Alex.”

“Shannon,” she said softly, warily.

“I won’t burst into flames, Shannon. This place unblocks all of that rage,” he said with that same boyish smile.

“Now, let me look at that arm.” Kierse swallowed and then held it out.

He removed the bandage and said, “Good thing you got me, Maya. A few stitches should shape this right up. As long as you’re okay with that. ”

“Sure,” Kierse said, surprised at his calm mannerisms. “If you think it needs it.”

“It’ll be quick,” he told her. “Why don’t you ask your questions while I do this?”

“Uh, what questions?”

Maya laughed. “Everyone has questions when they come to Sansara.”

Kierse jumped at the word as the needle pierced her skin. “Sansara?” she gasped, hoping they would assume her shock was a reaction to the stitches.

“It’s the name of our organization,” Maya told her, shooting a look at Alex. He was too busy putting another stitch through her arm to return it. Kierse winced.

Sansara was the tree that Cillian Ryan had sucked dry of magic and left for ash before fleeing the druids. That tree was dead. Lorcan had claimed to have seen the ruin for himself. He’d tried to kill Cillian for years because of it. And yet here was a group of people calling themselves Sansara?

So many questions swirled in her mind, and she had a feeling Maya and Alex weren’t going to answer them.

“Who runs this place?” she asked.

“We do,” Maya said. “We take in travelers who are in trouble, not unlike yourself. Those who are weary of the world, cut to the bone, and jaded. Our mission is to help those most in need.”

“But who is funding it? No one does this for no reason.”

“Maybe not out there,” Maya said. “But in here we all help each other.”

Kierse could see how easily they twisted the questions around. They never directly answered what she really wanted to know, only gave her the comforting platitudes they thought she wanted to hear.

“I know it sounds unfathomable right now, Shannon,” Alex said as he finished up the stitches. “But we really do want to help people.”

“We’re glad you’re here,” Maya added. “Even if just for long enough to fix you up and send you back out, if that’s what you want.”

“That’s charitable,” Kierse said. “What’s the catch?”

Maya laughed. “No catch.”

There was always a catch. Kierse hadn’t survived on the streets without knowing the rules. This wasn’t free, even if it would be amazing if something like Maya had described did exist.

Maya patted her forearm. “You look bone weary. I’d suggest you rest for the night, but I’ll walk you back out myself if you want to go.”

“If you want to stay,” Alex added, “we’d welcome you.”

“Thank you,” Kierse said hesitantly. She looked between their two glittering, hopeful eyes and nodded. “I’ll stay the night.”

Maya stood up and clapped her hands together. “Excellent. We’re so happy about that. We’ll be back in a few hours to see how you’re feeling.”

“It was great meeting you, Shannon,” Alex said.

“You, too,” she said.

Maya gave her a thumbs-up, and then they were both gone, and she was alone in a room inside a…charity, named after a dead tree. Everything felt perfect. Except for everything that felt glaringly wrong.

The name. The location. The cauldron.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she planned her next move.

She couldn’t stay overnight. That much she knew.

Even if she wanted to see how deep she could make it into this place, Graves was somewhere out in the market by now.

She very much doubted that he would wait out the night before finding a way inside.

He was powerful enough to break through the magic on the door. She didn’t doubt him.

The clock was ticking.