“I’m certainly able to manage a staircase, Mr. Rain. Gracious. You behave as if I’m feeble.”
“I behave as a man who doesn’t want to put you in a dangerous situation.”
“Everything is dangerous,” I pointed out while ascending the steps ahead of him. “Getting out of the shower, eating, walking on a slippery floor…”
I turned when I didn’t hear Atticus following. He threw a worried gaze at me. Perhaps I’d inadvertently planted a number of fears in his mind that he hadn’t considered.
“Mr. Rain, if you really want to protect me, you can swaddle me in foam and carry me around on your back. Maybe you should put all my food in a blender just in case. After all, I might choke on a grape.” I gripped the banister. “You could always lock me in the cellar like my previous captors.”
A dark look flashed in his eyes, and his fangs punched out.
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of them.
Atticus covered them with his hand and joined my side. “I’ll give you all the freedom you desire… within reason.”
“Reason?” My curiosity was piqued.
His fangs were no longer visible. “If you want to climb trees in your current condition, I might take issue with that.”
My hips swayed as I continued my ascent. “But would you forbid me?”
“If you really need to climb a tree, I’ll wrap you in foam and carry you on my back. How’s that?”
I smiled at the visual. When we reached the second floor, I admired the curvature of the walls. The fluid architecture lacked sharp corners. As elegant as it was, I couldn’t imagine living in a space this large all by myself.
“Don’t you get lonesome out here by yourself?”
Atticus turned down another wide hallway. “I deal with bullheaded customers most days. This is my respite.”
“Of course you need privacy, but I wondered if it’s necessary to have this many rooms. Isn’t the silence a constant reminder that you live alone?”
He peered at me over his shoulder in front of a door on the left. “Would I be less alone in a shack?”
“What about a pet?”
“They’re too noisy.”
“Maybe you need a goldfish.”
He barked out a laugh and opened the door. “After you.”
Upon entering the room, I was instantly enveloped by the fragrance of roses. A table near the door had a spectacular crystal vase loaded with them. Landscape paintings instilled a sense of peace, but it was the tiny details that caught my attention. Like the slippers by the bed, the pregnancy pillow, and a narrow bookshelf by the door. It was the most romantic room I’d ever laid eyes on, but I didn’t want to say that aloud.
Atticus crossed to the left and opened a giant glass door on the opposite wall. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair. He glanced at the bed on the far left wall and frowned. “Is this spot too chilly? I can switch the bed and table if you don’t want to be close to the door.”
“It’s perfect.”
“You have a private balcony.”
I drew closer to feast my eyes on the view. “Can’t Vampires shadow walk up walls? Is it safe?”
He inclined his head. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
After closing the patio door, Atticus took out his phone. He tapped the screen, and a moment later metal shutters above the doors descended from the ceiling. When they sealed shut, it drenched the room in darkness.
“Titanium,” he said, opening them up again. “They’re custom made so not even a Vampire can break through them. At night or when I’m away, the doors and windows automatically seal shut. It’ll trigger the lights to come on in the common rooms, but not the bedrooms.”
I noticed baskets of yarn by the wall. “Did you send your assistant shopping for yarn at midnight after our conversation last night?”
