Bay of Sighs (40 page)

“I suppose you want me to haul your bloody things up the bloody stairs now?”

The wolf held Doyle's gaze, unblinking.

“Now I'm a porter,” he muttered, and picked up her duffle. “You can get the rest tomorrow.” He started up, and the wolf kept pace.
“Bran and Sasha are down at the end there, in the round tower. Sawyer and Annika, first door there, facing the sea.”

He gestured the other way on the landing. “I'm down here, again the sea.”

The wolf went down, in the direction of Doyle's room, stood in a doorway, moved on, another, and another, then doubled back and walked into a room facing the forest with an open-canopy bed, a long desk, a fireplace framed in malachite.

Doyle dumped her duffle, prepared to step out again and leave her to it.

But she walked to the fire, looked at him, looked back.

“What? I'm supposed to light a fire for you now? Christ.”

Muttering all the way, he took bricks of peat from a copper bucket, arranged them on the grate as he had as a boy.

It was simple enough, took only moments, and if the scent squeezed his heart, he ignored it.

“Now, if there'll be nothing else—”

She walked to the door, one leading to a little balcony.

“You want out again? For Christ's sake. It doesn't have stairs.” He walked over, wrenched it open. “So if you want down, you'll have to jump.”

But she only scented the air, walked back in, sat by the fire.

“Doors open then.” Since he'd done the same in his own room, he could hardly fault her. “Anything else, you'll need to wait till morning and deal with it yourself.”

He started out, paused. “Annika made enough of a meal for you, if you want it in the morning.”

Unsure, he left her door open, started toward his own room. He heard the sound of her door closing as he reached his own.

So for what it was worth, he thought, Sasha had all her chicks in the roost.

1. Although the Guardians trilogy is set in the modern world, there is a heavy emphasis on mythology throughout. In the ancient world, gods and goddesses provided explanations for how the world worked. How do you think mythology and legend affect our world today, and why have these stories remained so prominent in our culture?
   
2. Annika, the heroine of
   Bay of Sighs
   , is a mermaid in a group that also includes a time traveler, a lycan, a magician, and a seer. What qualities do you think made her a valuable addition to the group? What shortcomings did she need the group's help to overcome?
   
3. The first book in the trilogy was set in Cofu, Greece, but with
   Bay of Sighs
   the group moves to Capri, Italy. How do you think the new setting reflects the particular challenges, failures, and victories that the group experiences in this novel? If you could set the conclusion to the trilogy anywhere, where would it be?
   
4. Because Annika grew up around mermaids, with limited contact with humans, she often has trouble understanding or relating to the rest of the group. Have you had similar experiences in your life? How did you overcome or embrace the difference, and how did you learn from it? How do you think Annika's different perspective is a challenge, and how is it an advantage?
   
5. Sawyer has the ability to travel through space and time at will. How do you think this has affected his personality and the choices he has made? Do you think it played a part in his acceptance of and attraction to Annika?
   
6. Nerezza is a truly evil villain. Did she remind you of any other villains in literature, movies, mythology, or popular culture? In what ways is she drawn from history and culture, and in what ways is she unique?
   
7. Annika and Sawyer eventually fall in love and commit to each other, despite the fact that she will eventually lose her legs and return to mermaid form. If you were Annika and Sawyer, would you sacrifice normality for love? Would you start a relationship knowing you could never have a normal life?
   
8. By the end of the book, the group has made progress on their quest, but still has a long way to go. What events did you expect from
   Bay of Sighs
   before you read it, and what was surprising to you? What do you predict will take place in the final book in the trilogy?
   

Nora Roberts
is the #1
New York Times
bestselling author of more than two hundred novels. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print. Visit her website at noraroberts.com, and visit her on Facebook at facebook.com/noraroberts.

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