I LOOKED AT him with a blank expression.
Humor touched his lips. "You didn't think you were staying here."
I kind of had.
His chuckle was warm and had more of an effect on me than I wanted to admit. "You heard me talking to Brax. Until your little friend is found, you and I are going to be living out of each other’s pockets." He looked around with an amused expression. "And I don't sleep on couches."
Nathan smothered a smile.
My mouth dropped open. I wanted to argue, but didn't know where to go from there.
"You have nine minutes now. I suggest you grab your stuff, because one way or another we're leaving. Makes no difference to me whether you have clean clothes or not."
I held Liam's gaze for a long moment. What I found there convinced me he wasn't bluffing. He really would force me to leave with no clothes, even if he had to drag me out kicking and screaming. I huffed at him and stood, stepping around the other two enforcers and heading down the hall.
I entered my bedroom and headed straight to my closet to grab my gym bag. Bright orange and black, it was one of the few pieces of luggage I owned. I never traveled anymore so there wasn't a pressing need for real luggage.
"Have to say, this isn't how I pictured your room," Nathan said from where he slouched against my door jam.
I paused from where I'd been digging for a few shirts and took a moment to look around. My bedroom was my favorite room in the apartment. The floors were a warm golden brown, the kind of wood you couldn't get anymore. Though they were cracked and scratched in places, every one of those marks just added to their charm. I'd painted my walls a light bluish gray except for one. The wall behind my rustic wooden headboard was a deep gray blue that showed my bed off nicely. A quilted bedspread, also a grayish blue contrasted with the white with blue embroidery of the coverlet folded at the foot of the bed.
Caroline had taken the time to make the bed before she'd left. It was a comforting sight because it meant wherever she’d gone, she went willingly and not in a panic.
"What'd you expect?" I asked, busying myself with throwing three pairs of jeans in my bag.
"Nothing quite so feminine."
I paused and gave him a look complete with arched eyebrow. He shrugged, his expression sheepish. His view was one I'd heard before. I've found that once people learn you were a soldier, they assume certain things. A female soldier can't possibly be in touch with her softer side. No, we're hard core killers that prefer beef jerky and dressing in baggy clothes. It was complete bullshit, of course.
I resumed packing. "That's the great thing about being a woman in the modern era. I'm not defined by just one thing. I can be complicated. It's best you just assume I'm an onion."
Nathan wandered over to the canvas prints of photos I'd taken before being forced to assume a more nocturnal lifestyle. The one he examined was of a moss-covered staircase in castle ruins I'd taken when visiting Ireland. I missed photography. The night had its beauty, but nothing beat a sun-drenched landscape or a sunrise over the mountains.
"Where'd you get these?" Nathan asked.
I took advantage of his distraction to pull the Judge out of its lock box. A .45 caliber long Colt, the Judge was a revolver that I'd already used once to kill a vampire. If I was going into enemy territory, I'd do it armed. The gun was filled with a 410 round of my own making—silver nitrate that worked like a charm against vampires. They could heal a normal, lead round just fine, but the silver put them down and kept them down.
I stuffed the revolver under my clothes and looked at Nathan, who'd drifted over to another canvas, this one a photograph of a castle overlooking a meadow in bloom during early spring.
"I took them."
He looked over at me, impressed. "You've got a good eye."
I shrugged. I did. Before.
"I mean it," he said, his expression completely serious for once.
"Doesn't matter anymore. Photography is one of those hobbies where light is a crucial element."
He looked contemplative as he looked back at the canvas of the castle. "You could always try night photography."
Yeah, because I had so much spare time on my hands. I worked almost every night. On the few nights I didn't, I was too tired to pick up the camera.
I didn't feel like arguing with him, so I lifted a shoulder and said, "Perhaps."
"You ready?" Nathan asked, turning from my photographs. "Liam wasn't kidding about that deadline."
"I got that. I just need to grab a few things from the bathroom, and we can go."
I preceded Nathan out of my room. He shadowed me down the hall but didn't try to crowd into the bathroom with me. That might have been because it was the size of a postage stamp. It had enough room for me, and that was about it.
The linoleum floor was cracked and peeling in places, and the rest of the bathroom showed its age. The only thing it had going for it was the fact that it was clean.
Given Nathan had turned into my shadow, I figured Liam had ordered him to keep an eye on me. Such a lack of trust.
I opened the medicine cabinet and jerked back. Lowen sat on one of the shelves, his wings rubbing together, as he held one finger against his lips.
Seconds later, I heard a curse from Nathan and then the tinkle of bell-like laughter.
"We don't have long," Lowen said in his squeaky voice. "Your friend wanted us to give you this."
He held out a note that had been folded until it was roughly the size of a finger and nearly as tall as him. I took it and stuffed it in my pocket. Just in time too, as Nathan stuck his head in the bathroom, his expression annoyed.
"You about ready?" he asked.
I grabbed the toothpaste from next to Lowen. "Yup. Think this should do it."
Lowen grinned at me and gave me a thumbs-up. I gave him a small smile in return, shutting the medicine cabinet door, but leaving it ajar so he could escape. He probably had his own way in and out, but in case he didn't, I didn't want to leave him trapped in there until I returned.
"I don't know how you deal with having those pests around," Nathan said as I followed him back to my living room. His neck sported a welt the length of my forefinger—courtesy of the small sword Inara carried. I suspected her sword was covered in something poisonous, as a wound from it would smart and sting for days.
"They don't bother me," I said with an inner smirk.
We entered the living room to find Inara standing on my coffee table, engaged in a staring contest with Liam. He was still in the same position he'd been in when I left to pack, slouched back with one arm laying across the couch back and his legs slightly spread. He regarded the diminutive pixie with an expression of slight amusement.
I slung the strap of my bag over my head and adjusted it, so it was laying crosswise over my chest. Liam's gaze lifted to mine. His electric blue eyes held a fierce light of victory. I frowned at him. He might have me where he wanted for now, but as I'd proven in the past, I rarely stayed where I was put.
Inara made a sound of victory, in her mind, no doubt having won the contest.
Liam stood and stepped toward the door.
"Don't forget, vampire. She's ours. Make sure she comes back to us in one piece," Inara warned, sounding fierce and deadly despite her small size.
"I understand, pixie. I will make sure she comes to no harm," Liam said, his voice and eyes oddly formal. He gave her a small bow, the movement graceful and straight from an older time.
Inara snorted, sounding just a smidge impressed despite herself. "See that you do."
Liam smiled, radiating charm and turning his already handsome face into a work of art. He held his hand out to me. "Shall we?"
I grunted and moved towards him, snagging my keys off the kitchen table. "Not like I have a choice right now."
"We always have choices. It's just a matter of whether they are good or not." His voice was a rumble against my ear as we walked outside.
*
Eric drove us to a hulking mansion close to downtown Columbus. You'd think these vampires would want to be somewhere secluded, somewhere they could let their fangs out without worrying a nosy neighbor would see them. Not these vampires—the gothic mansion they called home looked like it was straight out of the turn of the century, complete with pointed buttresses and a dramatic roof overlooking a topiary garden that was open to the public during the day. The place even had a wrought iron gate surrounding its manicured lawn that Eric had to use a remote to open.
The building itself fit my idea of a vampire stronghold, the location less so. If you walked a few streets over, you'd be on Broad Street—the main artery of downtown Columbus. Not just Broad Street, but on one of the busiest sections of the business district. At least during the day. At this time of night, this part of the city was deserted.
"Welcome to the Gargoyle," Nathan said in a cheery voice. "Your home away from home for the foreseeable future."
The neighborhood surrounding the mansion was not the nicest; there was a derelict home with boarded-up windows right across the street. Next to it was another, with an overgrown yard and paint that was peeling.
I looked back at the mansion, noting how many windows were lit up. Looked like they had a full house tonight.
"How many live here?" I asked. I'd been here once before, during the selection. The guys had told me the mansion acted as their home base, but I’d never gotten around to asking who all lived there.
I looked over to find Liam watching me with an enigmatic expression. I lifted an eyebrow. "What? Is that confidential?"
One corner of his lips lifted. "Not at all. Since you'll be living here, it would be pointless to keep such information a secret considering you'll find out for yourself soon enough."
I gave a nod of acknowledgment.
"All of the enforcers under my command, plus any human companions they have live here. Rarely are all of them in the house at once. Our territory covers a large area."
I didn't touch the idea of human companions. He already knew my thoughts on live blood. As long as he didn't assign me a companion, and the others showed no sign of abuse, we were good.
"They don't have their own homes?" I asked.
It's not like I wasn't used to the concept of keeping your people under one roof. The military kept its junior ranking soldiers in a barracks after all—but that was meant to be temporary. Vampires lived for centuries. Who wanted to live in a barracks environment for all that time? I shuddered just thinking of it. People all around you with little time to just relax. I couldn't think of a worse fate, and I had lived in barracks for a good long while. I’d been more than happy to get out of there when the time came.
He inclined his head. "Some keep a separate residence, but most elect to stay here when they can. Despite popular opinion, we’re not meant to live isolated lives. We're as social as the wolves; we just show it differently."
The gaze he cast me held a hint of disapproval. For my own isolated living situation, no doubt. I shrugged it off. The solitude suited me.
Eric parked the car and we got out. Nathan grabbed my bag before I could.
"I'll show her to her room," he said.
Liam waved him on. "See that you do. Give her a tour as well then report back to me."
Nathan clapped me on the back and headed up the stairs to the tall wooden double doors. They looked like solid oak, stained a dark brown. It gave a certain majesty to the building, made you feel like it was out of a different era.
Nathan showed me to a corner room on the third floor. Bigger than possibly my entire apartment, it was more of a suite in a very swanky hotel than the bare bones barracks room I’d envisioned. The floor was made of a dark wood, with white and silver rugs dotting it. To the side was a sparse kitchen done with white cabinets, a dark blue tiled backsplash and stainless-steel appliances. A living room sat to the other side, the couch luxurious and inviting. On one wall was a large-screen TV complete with a surround sound stereo system.
I looked at Nathan in surprise. "This is my room?"
He nodded, looking happy about my reaction. "Yup, just for you."
I made a 'hm' sound as I stepped into the kitchen and ran my hand over the counter. Marble. Outfitting this place had cost a pretty penny.
"Are all the rooms like this?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No, each one is a little different. They've been designed with their occupants in mind."
"So, this is the guest suite," I stated, looking around impressed. If this was how they treated their guests, it'd be interesting to see how they treated their people.
A wide smile crossed Nathan's face before he moved to the coffee table and set my bag down. "Do you like it?"
I nodded as I opened the fridge. There were several bottles in there filled with thick, red liquid. "I thought you guys disapproved of the bottled stuff."
Nathan shrugged. "We do, but it's good to have on hand in case of emergency. Not as good as the live stuff, but it'll do in a pinch."
I shut the fridge door, not tempted by the blood. Liam's little perk-me-up would tide me over for a day or two, judging on my last experience with it. I didn't know if that would be the case with any blood taken from a live source, or if that was a special blend given his level of power and centuries of life. I suspected it was the latter.
I wandered into the bedroom and let out a low whistle. This room alone made my kidnapping worth it. The same dark wooden floor continued in here, light-colored rugs contrasting with it. The ceilings were vaulted with windows overlooking the gardens. On the opposite side of the room was a closet with one of those sliding barn doors that were suddenly so trendy. A full-length mirror gave the room the impression of airiness and light despite the fact it was night.
That's not what held my attention, though. No, the ginormous bed in the middle of the room did that all by itself. Elegant and simple, it looked like a cloud. My bed was nice, but this one was about three levels above it. If you fell asleep in that thing, you wouldn't want to get out of it come morning. One thing I enjoyed above all else was a good mattress. After spending several years sleeping on whatever cheap thing the military provided when I was lucky (I slept on the cold, hard ground when I wasn't) I'd embraced the decadence that came with having my own place and bought a nice mattress. This trumped mine.
"Like it?" Nathan asked, following me into the room.
I took a running start, leaping through the air to land belly down on the mattress, arms widespread.
"I'll take that as a yes," he said with an amused smile.
I took back what I was thinking earlier. Maybe living in a place like this wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a person. It was about as close to barracks living as a chicken was to a dinosaur. I could see why Liam's people didn't mind staying close to hand.
"You know, if you joined us, a room like this could be your very own."
I turned my head so my eyes met his and gave him a quelling look. "Nice try, but it'll take a little more than a nice room to tempt me to the dark side."
His lips quirked. "You haven't seen the bathroom yet."
I propped myself up on my elbows. That was true. A bathroom in this place would be worth checking out. Before I could move, a voice called out from the other room. "Hello?"
"In here," Nathan said back. He didn't raise his voice, so I assumed the newcomer was a vampire with the same exceptional hearing.
A man with red hair and pale skin stuck his head into the room. His plump cheeks and bright eyes didn't say vampire. They said normal guy with a desk job. He looked around. Spying Nathan, he bounced inside with all the energy of a puppy as he gave us a wide smile. On his heels came a tall, gangly man wearing glasses with thick black frames.
I sat up, wanting a look at these newcomers. The redhead had a disarming smile and didn't look like a cold-blooded drinker of the red stuff. His pale skin was the only thing that might have suggested vampire, but even that wasn't much paler than other redheads I had known. His companion didn't look nearly as friendly, but that was understandable given the fact the other man was probably friendlier than the rest of the people in this house put together.
"Ah, you're here," Red said, finished greeting Nathan. He bounced over to me and stuck out his hand. "I'm Richard. You can call me Rick, but never call me Dick."
I clasped his hand in mine. "Good to know. I'll make sure to remember that."
His eyes went slightly unfocused as his gaze turned inward for a moment. To my magic-seeing eye, it looked like light gathered around his head before dispersing almost as quickly as it came. His awareness returned, and his smile got wider. "I'm glad you're here, Aileen. I think we'll be good friends."
"Ah, ha. I guess my reputation precedes me." I looked over at Nathan in confusion, noting he looked fascinated by the interaction.
Did everyone in the mansion know about the stubborn yearling who refused to be absorbed into a clan? If so, how many resented the fact that I was going against the establishment? Humans liked to think they respected people who fought for their beliefs, but when someone tried to swim upstream, they collectively lost their minds and were incapable of appreciating the forward thinker until years, sometimes decades later.
"Not at all. I just have a bit of insight into the situation." Richard smiled as if he was amused by some inside joke of his. He didn't explain that ambiguous statement, turning and gesturing to the other man. "This is Theo. He's a companion."
"Companion?" My voice rose in question as I gave Theo a chin nod. The other man's nod was respectful, and he gave me a small, shy smile. He was cute with his curly mop of hair and the nerdy glasses.
Rick took a seat on my bed, leaning back on one hand and looking around the room in curiosity. "Yeah, companion. It's pretty much like it sounds. They provide company and blood to the vampires, usually it's an exclusive relationship but not always. There are a couple of free agents in the mansion for our brethren who have chosen to forgo keeping a companion for one reason or another. Theo's one, so if you get hungry just look him up."
The other man gave me an embarrassed smile before shooting a small glare in Rick's direction. It was a wasted effort, going unnoticed as Rick craned his head to look out the windows.
"And what do the companions get out of this relationship?" I asked, looking between the two men. I was careful to keep all trace of judgment out of my tone, not wanting to create waves this early in my stay. I know, a shocking thing for me to say, but one of the ways I'd survived in the military—heck even thrived—was by getting the lay of the land in any unit I entered. The people in this place were sure to be a tight-knit group. I had no intention of making things harder on myself than necessary.
Rick frowned thoughtfully. "Every person's reasons are different, but for the most part, I'd say they enjoy the longer lifespan and the fact that they're put on the short list for the kiss."
"The kiss?" I remember hearing about that before. I think it was how Kat referred to the act of changing a human into a vampire. "I thought it was difficult to turn people into vampires."
Rick lifted one shoulder. "That's true. You're the first on this continent to survive the change in a few years. Part of that is because we are extremely particular in who we turn. Our past is a cautionary tale about what happens when our species becomes overpopulated. The Black Death of the 1300s was evidence of that."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"A plague wasn't the reason so many people died in that time," Nathan said from where he leaned against the wall, my bag sitting at his side. "We grew to be too many and couldn't control our population. What resulted, was one of the deadliest events in human history."
"That's why the application process is so rigorous. To prevent any megalomaniacs intent on establishing domination of the human race from being changed. Plus, we have to ensure compatibility and assess an applicant's chances of surviving the kiss. Even with all these measures, only about thirty percent rise that first night."
I listened, even as anger coiled deep inside. How had I gotten so lucky as to skip that process? By the sound of it, I would never have been on the list to begin with. That meant Thomas really had been acting outside their society’s directives when he disrupted my life. And here I'd put him on the metaphorical throne for much of the Midwest. Go me.
"Companions are moved to the top of the line," Theo said, his voice quiet and surprisingly soothing.
I nodded but didn't comment. If he wanted to be a walking meal for a chance to join the undead ranks, bully for him. Not a trade I would have made, but to each their own.
Rick popped to his feet. "I'm glad I got to meet you. Everyone's been curious about who the new occupant would be since they started construction. Glad I was the first to welcome you to our humble ranks."
He swept out the room as quickly as he came, taking his whirlwind energy with him. Theo gave me a chin nod before slinking after Rick.
"What did he mean by 'since they started construction'?" I asked, staring after the two.
"You caught that, did you?"
I shot Nathan a quelling glance. He ran one hand through his hair looking abashed.
His answering grin was quick. "I guess there's no point keeping it from you. You're bound to find out sooner or later with this lot. They're all a bunch of gossips in this place." He stepped toward me, picking up my bag and setting it down next to me. He turned and sprawled out on my bed, making himself comfortable in the place Rick had just vacated. He folded his arms behind his head, his biceps bulging and his well-built chest on display. The oak tree that marked his allegiance to Liam was showcased nicely on his forearm. "This isn't a guest room per se."
I narrowed my eyes at him but didn't respond. Silence sometimes had a better effect on people than bombarding them with a ton of questions.
He sighed. "This room was always earmarked for you. After the selection, we had it renovated so it would be ready when you decided to come in from the cold."
"If," I corrected him.
He rolled his eyes but didn't fight me on that. "If you came in from the cold."
I looked around with new eyes. "Who commissioned the construction?"
"Does it really matter? It's yours now. Enjoy it. The companion you just met would have murdered his own mother for the opportunities you've been given."
I leaned close, careful to keep my body off his and set one hand on his chest. His body tightened under mine and a male awareness entered his gaze. I moved closer, as if to kiss him, before pausing. "And did he have a choice in being here?" My nails dug into his shirt, pricking the skin beneath as I met his gaze with dead seriousness.
He stiffened, any hint of desire vanishing.
My smile was grim. "Because I didn't. My entire life, the one I fought for, bled for—gone after a single night. Excuse me if I'm not as appreciative of the perks as you'd like."
His face softened, and he looked at me with an understanding I found uncomfortable. "You need to get over this. You're not the only one who has faced hardships and trials. Yours may be different than the rest of ours, but each of us have horrors in our past. Holding onto this anger will do nothing but poison you against any good that might come of your situation."
I sat up and looked away. His words had merit, and the concept was something I was working on. It was still hard. I didn't always deal with change as gracefully as I should. For the first two years after my turn, I'd buried my head in the sand hoping this vampire thing would just go away. That hadn't happened, and I'd spent the last few months trying to educate myself about this world, so I could be the commander of my own destiny.
Nathan popped off my bed, the seriousness of before forgotten. "I'll give you a moment to get unpacked while I familiarize myself with your TV. When you're done, I'll show you around."
"Don't you have anything better to do than play tour guide for me?" I shouted after him as he disappeared into the next room.
"Nope. Liam said I'm all yours for the night. So, resign yourself to my awesome company for the next few hours."