She seemed relieved, but probably not for the reason I hoped.
It figured. The first woman I'd felt a connection with in a few centuries and she didn't see me as a man. Only a vampire.
The steering wheel creaked under my hands as my grip tightened.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing." I turned onto a county road. "We'll be at the house in about ten minutes."
"Wow, this is even more secluded than I thought."
"On the upside, you won't hear the neighbors having parties or blasting music in the middle of the night."
"Good point."
I told her a little more about the area as we took two more turns and finally hit the little road that led to the house. It was barely wide enough to be considered two lanes but seeing as there were only two other houses down this way, it wasn't an issue.
"We're here," I said as I slowed to enter the driveway.
"I don't see the house."
"The driveway is nearly a half mile long, so you'll see it in a minute."
The brick ranch house wasn't much to look at but the interior was spacious. It needed some updating, which was why Ava hadn't sold it or rented it out. When Callum and I tried to pay her rent, she insisted we handle the utilities and upkeep and not worry about the rest. She acted as though we were doing her a favor by living in it.
"Wow...it's, well, bigger than I expected," Merry murmured.
I had to smile as I looked at the house. The red brick and cream siding on the eaves made it look dated. The flower beds out front were a mess of weeds and wildflowers.
"I'd love to tell you that the inside is better than the outside, but I'd be lying. It's clean and structurally sound, but the kitchen and bathrooms are definitely a nightmare from the late 80's or early 90's."
"You said it's clean, right? You two aren't going to expect me to scrub bathrooms or vacuum in exchange for room and board, are you?" she asked.
"I don't and I promise to nip that in the bud if Callum suggests it. Which he might because he hates cleaning the toilets. Basically, we clean our own areas like the bedroom and bathrooms that we use. The kitchen is usually handled by whoever didn't make dinner and we split the rest of the stuff like vacuuming, mopping, and dusting, which Callum would never do if I didn't make him."
"Well, I wouldn't mind being on the rotation, but I refuse to take over all cleaning duties. Having a uterus does not make me responsible for housework."
I nearly choked at her words and managed to say, "Will you please say that to Callum at dinner tonight? Preferably not while I'm eating or drinking."
She laughed. "I'll see what I can do."
When she reached for the door handle, I put my hand on her arm. "Let me do a quick look around the house before you get out. Keep the door locked and the truck running. It'll just take a second."
I didn't expect anyone to be there because the wards that Ava set were strong enough to repel nearly any supernatural creature. But it paid to be cautious.
Merry stared at me for a second before she swallowed hard and nodded. "I can do that."
I gave her forearm a gentle squeeze. "I'll be quick and Harrison will wait outside the vehicle in case there's trouble. If anything happens and we go down, don't try to help like you did with Marcel. Just get in the driver's seat and go, as fast as you can." The average vamp could probably keep up with the car, but if she could get away before they could get to it, she had a better shot of escaping unharmed.
"I can't leave you guys," she argued immediately.
"You can and you will. Ava gave you her number, right?"
"Yes, at the store."
"Call her if you have to run and she'll tell you what to do."
Merry opened her mouth to continue arguing, but I shook my head. "You handled things well at the house earlier, but I don't want you to put yourself in danger to help me. Focus on getting away and getting help. It'll take a lot to take Harrison and me out, but it's unlikely we'll die."
