As Zac promised, they stopped by a big box store on the way to wherever the hell they were going. Astrid would have thought that a surprise weekend getaway was romantic, except A, she didn’t even have enough money on her to buy her own clothes—which meant he paid for everything—and B, he seemed to revel in the idea that she was completely in the dark about the whole thing.

“Are you still mad at me?” he asked as they got back into the car.

“I’m still deciding.” She reached over to the radio and flipped on the dial.

“And in world news,” the female newscaster’s voice burst through the speakers, “it is with deepest sadness we announce that His Majesty, King Nassir Assam Salamuddin of Zhobgahdi has passed away at the age of eighty. We are awaiting an official statement from the Royal Palace—” The volume made her cringe, so she reached over and turned the dial down. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“I don’t know, you look too cute when you’re mad,” he teased.

“Too cute—Oh you shithead!” She slapped him lightly on the arm and laughed. “Just drive.” She supposed that she would find out soon enough anyway.

About two hours later, they arrived in Upstate New York. The road they drove on followed the Hudson River, and on this perfect winter morning, the Hudson Valley looked absolutely stunning. She looked at Zac, but he seemed to be concentrated on driving. After a few more miles, he pulled into a smaller road, then turned off into a driveway before stopping in front of a large gate. He pressed a button on his car’s dash and the gates swung open.

The driveway was long and sprawling, but it didn’t take long until they reached the house. Well, to call it a house would have been an insult. It was more like a mansion, huge and imposing, but somehow, welcoming at the same time. There were four large columns with a triangular top in front that gave it a stately facade. Arched windows, cornices, and a large tower-like structure on the south side. It was like one of those stately manors from those old movies and she half-expected some 1920s, monocle-wearing, cigar-chomping robber baron to walk out.

He stopped the car in front of the driveway, exited, and walked over to open the door for her.

“Zac … what is this place?” She looked up in wonder as she took his hand as he helped her out.

“This is my home,” he said.

“You … own this?” Her mind was reeling.

“Yes,” he said. “Well, it originally belonged to my great-grandfather, Vasili Vrost.”

“Oh. I think I remember him.” She recalled seeing an older man who looked similar to Nick at a couple of Lycan events when she was growing up. Then it struck her. He said it belonged to his great-grandfather. Past tense. “Wait, is he …”

“Five years ago,” he finished.

There was a sadness that passed across his face briefly and her heart ached for him. She squeezed his hand. “So, he left you this entire mansion?”

“Not quite. Technically, all his properties, business, and other assets went to my father, which would have been divided between my siblings and I,” he explained. He took a key from his pocket and opened the front door. The interior was even more stunning, opening up to a spacious, airy foyer that led up to a grand staircase. Various paintings covered the wall and the decor and furniture looked original. The carpet on the floor looked Persian and very expensive.

“But, with Vasili gone, he knew that none of us would have had time to come here anyway. He thought about selling the place, but he just couldn’t. So, a year ago, I offered to buy out my sibling’s shares. They were only too happy to let me have it, if only to keep it in the family. I’ve mostly left it the way it was, the way my great-grandmother had it decorated when Vasili bought it for her.”

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I’m glad you were able to keep it the way it was.”

“It would have been his wish.”

She wanted to know more about his great-grandfather, but she could sense the mood changing. She only had one grandparent who was still alive—her grandmother Signe, who lived with the New York Coven. Though she wasn’t particularly close to Signe, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose her.

“Zac.” She wove her fingers through his. “Why don’t you give me a tour later and for now … just show me the bedroom?”

His expression changed. There was that flash of desire in his eyes that she knew so well. “Happily,” he said, as he led her up the stairs.

After a lazy morning spent in bed, they drove out to the town to have lunch and then pick up some supplies for dinner at the general store. “Ooh, I’m going to need some snacks, too!” Astrid declared as they passed a bakery. “Oh my God, that smells amazing.”

When she left the bakery armed with two paper bags, he gave her a curious look.

“You owe me for kidnapping me in my sweats,” she said. To which he replied with a laugh and a kiss on the nose.

Although Zac had kept the mansion as it had been when he was growing up, he explained to Astrid that he did add a few modern conveniences, including the hot tub that he had installed on the balcony of the master bedroom. As soon as they came back, they took a dip.

“Oohhhh,” she sighed as she eased down into the hot water. “This feels so good.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you too sore,” he said.

She splashed some water at his face. “The look on your face says you’re not sorry at all.” He laughed and then pulled her to his lap.

She relaxed against him and looked out to the spectacular view of the Hudson river and the valley. The trees, except for the evergreen ones, were bare and the hills covered in snow. There was that hush quiet atmosphere that could only happen in the winter time. “It’s beautiful out here,” she said. “I can see why you wanted to keep this place.”

“I spent a lot of time here as a child.” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “All Christmases, of course, and a couple summers.”

“You … you were close with Vasili?”

“Yes.”

He seemed to only answer in single syllables when she asked about his great-grandfather, so she decided to move away from the subject for now. “Are there people who look out for the place while you’re away?”

“Yeah, I have a management company come in and do the cleaning and maintenance. This is actually only the second time I’ve come here since I bought it.”

“It must have taken an army of servants to run this place during your great-grandfather’s time,” she said.

“Not really. There were some maids and a cook, plus we had Garret.”

“What’s a Garret?”

His lips turned up into a fond smile. “Vasili’s most trusted servant,” he said. “He was an old-school butler who served my great-grandfather for decades. He was stern and ran this house like a captain on a navy boat. But he was also very kind and great at a lot things like sewing and baking.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” There was that sad expression on his face again. “He died not long after my grandfather.”

“I’m so sorry, Zac.” She turned to face him, straddling his lap. “About Vasili and Garret.”

“He lived to a hundred years old,” he said. “He was a stubborn old man. Both of them were. But it was just their time.”

She reached up to cup his face. “That doesn’t make it hurt any less. It’s okay to still be sad, you know, after all this time. Just because you’re a guy, doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to mourn and be sad when you think of him.”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “I know.”

“Besides,” she said. “You must have had a lot of great memories with him and Garret.”

“Definitely.” His face lit up. “There was this one Christmas, I was probably five or six. I was definitely old enough to remember for sure. Anyway, Vasili had hired someone to play Santa on Christmas morning for me and my siblings, but he didn’t show up. Not wanting to disappoint any of us, Garret volunteered to play Santa.”

“And then what happened?”

“I didn’t witness this, of course, but my mother told me the story. Santa actors provide their own suits, right? They didn’t know how to get one on Christmas Eve. So, he and Garret stayed up all night trying to put together a last-minute Santa outfit. They borrowed one of my mother’s robes and then sewed cotton balls all around it for the fur and for the fake beard. They found some old belts in the attic that belonged to my great-grandmother.”

“That must have been a sight,” she laughed.

“Yeah. But it was the best Santa I’d ever seen.” There was a flash of joy in his eyes, which then quickly turned dark, and his body suddenly went rigid.

A sadness wrapped around her, and it was like she could feel the pain in his heart. “He must have loved you.” She stroked her fingers through his hair as she looked straight into his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m making you sad.”

“No, don’t be sorry.” His breath hitched and he cast his eyes downward. “It’s nice … remembering the good times. I just haven’t had time to think of them lately. Not when all I can think about is how he’s gone.”

“But he’s not truly gone.” Sliding her hand down, she placed her palm over his heart. “He’s right here. He’s here in all of you. Your siblings, your parents, and everyone that remembers him. He’ll also live on because of you and what you did to keep the house in your family.”

He paused, then lifted his head up. “Thank you,” he said. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“I did? What about?”

“I’m not sure yet. But when I do, I’ll let you know. Now.” The intensity in his ice blue eyes made heat shoot through her body. “I think it’s time we get down to the real reason I kidnapped you.”

“Kidnapped me? You mean, to your gorgeous mansion and your hot tub?” She let out a laugh. “You’re free to kidnap me any time. In fact, if you have an apartment in Paris, you can kidnap me—”

He silenced her with his lips, pressing his mouth to hers and sending a shockwave through her body. She moaned aloud when his fingers slipped between her thighs underneath the roiling hot water, caressing her and making her body shudder. “Yes,” she sighed when his mouth moved lower, tracing a scorching path down to the valley between her breasts. I could get used to this, she thought as his head dipped below the water.