And maybe those horrors would have become a distant memory—if a certain human hadn’t come into his life to remind him of what he craved.
Oliver’s skin prickled with self-loathing, sharp and gut wrenching. He strode out of the dining room and went from one room to the next, ripping off the dust sheets throughout the whole house.
Tomorrow his driver/caretaker, Brian, who he’d kept on a retainer, would return.
But tonight, he was alone, and the very air of this place was bearing down heavily on him.
Damn it. He would take the fine malt whiskey bottle out of its case, call up Grayson Lightfoot and go drink with him on his rooftop.
And tomorrow he would go into work and try not to imagine Clare Doyle everywhere he looked.
Half an hour later, he stood outside Grayson’s mansion and gave three hard raps of the gargoyle head knocker. Grayson had a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that Oliver enjoyed.
Footsteps could be heard, light and swift, and then Maisie opened the door. Her big blue eyes widened at the sight of him.
“Oliver, what are you doing here?”
His lips quirked. “Nice to see you too, Maisie.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just a surprise.” She shook her head of golden curls, laughing. He noticed her fully rounded pregnancy belly, and the look of flushed happiness in her cheeks.
“I believe congratulations are in order.”
She stroked a hand over her stomach. “Save your congratulations for when I’ve squeezed junior out into the world.”
“All going well so far?”
She nodded. “My diminutive size seems to be keeping bub at a manageable weight, which means I may not need a caesarean. But there’s still a few months to go.”
“Pregnancy suits you, Maisie.”
“Thank you, Oliver. Do come in, he’s up on the roof.”
“Still on duty?”
“No, not officially, but since this missing humans case, he’s been extra vigilant.”
“I understand his concern.”
“Yes, it’s a worry. Nothing like this has ever happened before, has it? Will you take the stairs, or fly up?”
He frowned. “Maybe you don’t recall, but I choose not to shift, Maisie.”
“Oh, yes, I remember now, it’s just, you know, been a while since I’ve seen you. How long now? Must be three years?”
“About that.”
As she accompanied him through the cozy interior, his nostrils quivered to the smell of a roast cooking. “You’re welcome to stay for dinner,” she said.
“No, no, just here to give Grayson this.” He held up the bottle of whiskey.
“Nice. So are you here in Motham for long?”
He hesitated. “I’m back with the Motham PD, I’ve taken leave for three months from Selig, maybe longer, to help solve this case.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic.” She beamed at him. “Saul must be over the moon to have you back.”
“Hmmm, well, I’m glad to be back, even if the circumstances are grave.”
