I had only been here a few times since returning home, preferring to stick closer to the heart of Columbus. When you’re reliant on getting places through your own pedal power, it meant your travel radius was smaller than if you had a car.
Nathan turned down a small, easily overlooked road, one that didn’t see a lot of traffic. The street sign was barely visible, the overgrowth from trees mostly shielding it from view.
The tires of the Escalade crunched as he turned onto a gravel driveway lined with tall trees on either side. These weren’t the overgrown bushes we’d seen on the drive up. They were mature, standing tall as their limbs arched overhead, forming a canopy over the driveway.
“Woah,” I said, getting my first look at the house.
It looked like a turn of the century farmhouse, only about three times the size of most thatI’d seen. It boasted a large wraparound porch and loomed over the surrounding grounds. Three stories tall, it had a dramatic roof and the large windows characteristic of that period.
I got out, stilling when I noticed a family of deer across a long stretch of grass from me. Their heads came up, ears alert, as we watched each other.
A rustle of branches distracted me, and I glanced over, my heart thumping as a large form stepped out of the shadows. His coat was silver in the moonlight, while antlers jutted from his head in a proud rack.
There was a crash as the other deer took off, dashing back into the woods surrounding the house.
I looked back at the stag, to find him gone as well. The place he’d stood empty as if he’d never been.
Nathan came around the car, his face questioning as he looked from me to the place I was staring.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I finally shut the doorI’d been holding open for the last few seconds.“There were deer staring at me.”
He rolled his eyes, some of tension in his body leaching away.“There are always deer around here.”
He could afford to be unworried about such things.I’d fended off twenty assassination attempts in the last three months—most of which came from unexpected quarters. It had made me a bit more paranoid than usual.
Deer might not seem suspicious, butI’d never seen a stag with a rack that impressive anywhere near humans. Maybe in some remote wilderness, but here? In Columbus? Not likely.
“Maybe,” I said, turning toward the house and following Nathan as he mounted the stairs.
There was a porch swing in one corner and a few rocking chairs. Pots of flowers were everywhere, their pretty colors obvious even in this dim light.
“What is this place?” I finally asked, curiosity getting the best of me.
“Liam’s house. He just bought it,” Nathan said over his shoulder.
Liam did? Why?
Nathan held the door for me, letting me precede him inside.
The interior matched the outside, charming and stately while still managing to seem warm and inviting. Once upon a time, this was the type of placeI’d seen myself settling in long-term. Not a farmhouse exactly, but what this place represented. A home. Somewhere to come back to after a long day, where you could feel safe and warm because of the people who lived inside. A sanctuary against all the dark things in the world.
Eric stood to my right in the living room, his face impassive as he waited, his back straight and rigid.
I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him. He’d disappeared at the same time as Liam, and probably accompanied him on whatever super-secret mission the two had undertaken. It made sense now that Liam was back, Eric was too.
“Eric,I’m glad you’re back.” I meant it too.
The normally reserved enforcer had grown on me. A force in his own right, he tended to hang back in any situation, taking on the role of silent observer. It meant he saw more than most.
His dark eyes lightened with surprise and he inclined his head.
“I never did thank you for that tip.”
“I hope it helped,” he murmured.
“It did. Working at the Book Haven keeps Caroline occupied. I think she might like it better than working at the university, but she’ll never admit it,” I told him with a small smile.
