I hung up before Caroline could finish her sentence. Now that I was awake, truly awake, in a way that meant I wasn’t going back to bed anytime soon, it meant I had to figure a few things out.
I grimaced in distaste at the sight of muddy streaks on my legs and arms. The smell of golem clung to me, offending me on a deep level.
Whatever surprises this night held for me, I would face them after I was clean.
One long, hot shower later and clad in clothesI’d found in a dresser by the door, I headed downstairs. I felt semi-normal again, except for the pounding headache, and the overall lethargy and lack of energy that usually characterized my old nights out.
My suspicion earlier turned out to be correct. This was Liam’s house. That was the same entrywayI’d lingered in and the sitting room Liam had shown me to.
The house had a warm and welcoming charm that invited you to linger. It encouraged you to curl up on one of the window seats with a good book as you watched the weather outside. It wasn’t what I expect from the head vamp enforcer.
Seeing no one around, I headed toward the back of the house, slowing at the sight of Liam. He looked pensive, sitting in an armchair gazing out the window of his study with a frown of concentration.
I didn’t know what was bothering him, but a small part of me wanted to smooth the deep furrow on his forehead.
I resisted, and instead leaned my shoulder against the doorframe and waited.
He didn’t immediately acknowledge me. Not that he didn’t know I was there. It would have been impossible to sneak up on him. No, he was just playing vamp dominance games.
I decided to indulge him. I kind of owed it to him for last night.
Together we stared out the window for several minutes, neither of us speaking.
“How are you feeling this evening?” Liam finally asked, not turning from the window. There was no indication of his thoughts.
“Like death warmed over,” I said, not bothering to hide the extent of how awful I felt.I’m sure I looked even worse.
His lips quirked and he finally looked over at me.“Fairy tears can do that to you.”
I shifted, the faintest bit uncomfortable. I cleared my throat.“Guess I owe you a pretty big apology, huh?”
He lifted one eyebrow, faintly amused, an evil glint taking up residence in his eyes.“For what? Trying to seduce me on the dance floor or slapping me on the ass?”
Blood rushed to my face and I knew without looking I was blushing. Silently, I willed my body to stop. At the very least I didn’t need to be wasting blood on such pointless things as blushing.
“Both. All of it,” I said. If I could summon some magical vortex to whisk me away by route of the fires of hell, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I’d been an idiot from start to finish last night. Embarrassing myself in so many different ways. I hadn’t often gotten drunk as a human—and never that drunk—not liking the loss of control and the way it often felt like someone else had taken over and thrown caution to the wind.
He flicked his fingers in dismissal of my apology.“Don’t be. Had it been any other time, I might have joined you.”
It was an easier absolution thanI’d expected. I thought there would be lectures and rules and ultimatums. That there were none, threw me off-balance.
“I had Nathan retrieve your bike and return it to your apartment,” Liam said when silence stretched between us.
I nodded my thanks. With everything that had gone on,I’d forgotten the bike.
“Were they after you or me?” I asked.
His face turned dour, the amusement of before draining away and leaving the hunter in its place.“I thought it was me, but given the way they followed you under the bridge, I can’t be sure.”
I let out a heavy sigh. More people trying to kill me. That was just great.
“What could have created those things?” I asked.
He shook his head.“Constructing golems of that caliber isn’t hard. It would be easier to give you a list of who couldn’t do that.”
I shoved away from the doorframe and stepped into the room, taking a seat on the couch against one of the walls.
