“When did you have time to do this?” I asked, still processing the shiny object spinning around from a thin red ribbon.

Jared shrugged. “I had it made a few days ago. I’ve been meaning to give it to you, but you haven’t needed it until now.”

“You’re giving me a key?” My eyebrows lifted in disbelief.

Jared nodded and then his brows pulled together. “I promised you I would never leave you. I meant it. If something like this happens again, come here. Wait for me.” He touched his hand gently to my cheek. “I’ll earn your trust back.”

“I trust you,” I said, mimicking his expression.

Jared leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. “And I trust you. Nice work in your room today.”

I cringed. “You heard that, did you?”

Jared chuckled. “All of it. I think it’s going to take me by surprise every time I hear you say my name in perfunctory conversation. It’s a good thing Ryan….”

“It’s a good thing Ryan what?” I asked, leaning over to bring his eyes to mine.

“It’s a good thing I have patience,” Jared said, looking everywhere but my eyes.

“You have a lot of patience, but that’s not what you were going to say.”

Jared’s eyes bounced from me to the floor to other things in the room, uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed. “It has to do with what I told you we would discuss later.”

“Claire’s training has to do with Ryan?”

Jared sighed. “You’re not going to wait now, are you?”

I shook my head slowly, not sure what to expect. The two names seemed to be on different sides of the universe.

Jared leaned his head down, looking at me from under his eyebrows. “The night at the pub, when you first met Claire, Ryan put his hands on me.” I nodded and Jared continued, “When she grabbed his hand, she felt something. She felt his pain.” Jared patiently waited for me to comprehend.

“Ryan is Claire’s Taleh?” I whispered, knowing she could hear me, anyway. I couldn’t believe it, and at the same time I felt excited, like I’d just heard a juicy bit of gossip. “But, when we were mugged...,” Claire was talented, even among her kind. She wouldn’t have let Ryan be hurt in that way.

“That’s why the situation went farther than I normally allow. Claire had them targeted. It would have just taken a second to take them out, but when Ryan jumped in, Claire couldn’t get a clear shot. She couldn’t risk it. That’s when I decided to intercede.” Jared’s eyes began to cloud over. The worst was coming.

“Why didn’t you want to tell me?”