“Most of the Order members from that time have retired and moved out of the city or didn’t make it to retirement age,” I said. “But there is one who is still kicking and is accessible. Jerome.”

Ren’s brows flew up.

“But there’s something else.” I pushed off the bed and stood. “Before Merle left, she told Brighton to contact you. That you would know what to do.”

“What?” His response was immediate.

“That’s what she was told.” I folded my arms. “To contact you.”

He shook his head as he looked down at the book. “I have no idea what to say.”

“So you didn’t know about this? That there could be fae that were . . . good?”

“I have honestly never heard of this, and as a member of the Elite, we know everything. That’s why this is impossible.”

“You know nothing is impossible,” I said, repeating what Brighton had said earlier. “If it’s true, the Order and the Elite hide it well, practically erasing all evidence, and those who are still alive obviously don’t speak of it.”

He turned back to the journal. “This . . . I honestly don’t know what to think or believe, but I’m telling you for real, I have no idea why Merle would tell her daughter to come to me. No idea whatsoever, because I’ve never heard of this before.”

Staring at him, I knew, just knew, that he was telling me the truth. Unlike me, who was lying.

“If this is true . . .” His gaze flicked up to mine again. “Then we need to find one of these good-natured, non-human-eating fae, and we need to do it quickly.”

“Yeah.” I watched him skim the pages. “You make that sound like it’s something easy.”

“Hell.” He laughed dryly. “I think we’ve learned nothing is easy.”

“So true,” I murmured.

I tugged my socks off and stretched out, dipping my feet under the covers while Ren was nose-deep in the journals. I kept quiet, knowing his head had to be spinning much like mine had been when I first read them. Hell, my head was still whirling around.

Surprisingly, I fell asleep while he read, stirring awake sometime after he’d climbed under the covers. Something about his warm, hard body must’ve reached deep into the recesses of slumber, because I was wide awake. I had no idea how much time had passed, but I was curled against his side and he was on his back. He’d left the nightstand lamp on, and as my gaze traveled over the surface, I saw one of the journals lying on the edge of the bed. He’d fallen asleep reading, and for some reason I found that incredibly adorable.

And sexy.

There was a lot of skin pressed against mine. Ren had undressed, and as I drew my leg up over his bare one, I quickly discovered that he’d stripped down to his briefs. The hair on his legs tickled mine as I slid my calf over his.

Ren shifted, and his hand, once lax against my waist, tensed. He fisted my shirt, and my heart stuttered. I placed my hand on his chest, tracing the chiseled definition of his pecs. His body was amazing.

And as I lay there, pressed against his side, I wasn’t thinking about everything that had happened. I wasn’t thinking at all, and it was blissfully perfect. It felt like it had been forever since my thoughts weren’t occupied and my body wasn’t aching.

Well, parts of my body were aching but for a whole different reason.

Biting my lower lip, I slid my hand down his flat stomach, over the taut ab muscles there. He tensed as I went lower. Ren was awake.

“Ivy,” he said, voice guttural and deep. “What are you doing?”

Instead of answering, I pushing the covers down our legs, then I shucked off my bottoms. I reached for the band on his boxer briefs, and when he didn’t stop me, I carefully tugged at them. He lifted his hips and I slid them off.

“Ivy.” He groaned my name again as his hand trailed down my back. I flushed.

I lifted myself up and straddled him. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared down. One side of his mouth curled up as his hands landed on my bare thighs. I leaned my head down, pressing my lips to his. I followed the path of his mouth and then my tongue, working the seam of his mouth until he parted. His hands moved, sliding up my thighs and under the loose shirt I was wearing, to my hips. I slid my body down, gasping at the friction and the deep, achy pulse between my thighs.

I knew he wanted this as badly as me. His erection pressed against my center, and I could feel it in his heady gaze and the way he clutched my hips. I pushed down with my hips again, reveling when he let out a sexy as hell groan. Moving slowly, I rubbed against him until my breaths were coming out in shallow pants. His hips lifted, and it was like we were dancing.

“Ren,” I murmured against his mouth, only able to force out one more word. “Please.”

“You don’t have to beg, sweetness. His hands slid over my hips, gripping my butt. “Grab my wallet out of my pants. There’s a condom in there.”

Throat dry, I nodded and then scampered off of him, quickly finding his pants on the floor. I pulled out his wallet and fished out the condom. “So cliché,” I murmured.

“I wanted to be prepared. I planned on using it as soon as I got here, but I ended up distracted.” He sat up and took the condom from me. I placed a knee on the bed and watched him roll it onto an impressive erection. When he was done, those green eyes burned. “Get back here,” he said.

Hot all over, I did just that, and I was back where I began, my knees on either side of his hips.

“Damn.” One hand lifted and curled around my neck. He dragged my head back down. His mouth was on mine again, and this kiss went deeper and longer than the last. Our tongues tangled, and when I pulled away again, he nipped at my lip, causing me to gasp.