Not him. Just you,Ahrun purred.
My abrupt stop drew a questioning look from Connor.
“You should remain here to keep an eye on Inara and our guests,” I said carefully, knowing that if Connor knew it was Ahrun who’d suggested he remain behind, he’d immediately object.
Uncertainty creased Connor’s features as he eyed me carefully. “Are you certain you want to deal with him alone?”
How ridiculous. What does he think I’ll do to you?
Maybe betray me to my enemy. For my own good, of course.
I kept that thought under lock and key as I gave Connor a shaky smile. “I’ll be fine. I doubt he’d hurt me.”
Physically at least. Emotionally? Mentally? That was still up for some debate.
Connor didn’t seem convinced as I sent him another reassuring look. He let me go though, not trying to intervene as I walked toward the house, feeling like a prisoner on their way to the gallows.
I paused at my front door, taking a deep breath to steel myself before reaching for the knob. Unsurprisingly, it twisted under my touch. Unlocked. Of course.
It seemed Connor wasn’t the only one who needed a lesson in modern living.
Okay, Aileen. You’re going to walk in there like you own the place,I told myself. Because I did. This was my house. Thomas had given it to me. That meant a home-ground advantage. Who cared that he was older than dirt and could destroy me with his pinky finger? I’m the one who’d stopped his devolution. He owed me.
I just hoped he remembered that.
The door swung open silently as I gave it a tiny push, revealing the entryway to my home. Warm wooden floors were covered by cozy area rugs. To my left stairs led up to our bedrooms. The wall to my right obstructed my view of the living room where I sensed Ahrun’s presence.
Voices murmured from that direction. I stopped to listen, my forehead furrowing slightly. Was he watching TV?
It was the only thing I could think of given the context of the conversation taking place. Some reality show from the sound of it.
The absurdity of an ancient vampire watching a show about housewives in the city was enough to reduce the stress of the coming confrontation.
Curious, I drifted toward the living room, rounding the corner to find Ahrun lounging on my couch, one arm extended alongthe back, a leg crossed over the other and his gaze trained on the TV.
“Two hundred years isn’t much when you consider the entirety of human history,” he mused. “Yet in that short time, they’ve managed to change so entirely. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
“I suppose you could look at it that way.”
It had never occurred to me how disconcerting it must be. To go to sleep for what felt like a short time and then wake up to find a much different world than the one you’d left. Ahrun predated civilization by a wide margin. He’d lived through every stage of human development. Witnessed those things only written about in books. From the time our species survived by hunting and gathering, to our first steps into agriculture when we could finally sustain ourselves and settle in one place. He’d experienced the rise and fall of countless civilizations.
It was something I’d never considered in regards to my own self before. The changes I might one day witness as a result of my long life.
Personally, I hoped for space travel. The idea of leaving this planet and exploring a new one had always fascinated me. I might actually live to see that now. That was if humanity didn’t tear itself apart beforehand.
In the periphery of my vision, I was aware of Deborah scrunched into the corner of the sectional. As far away as she could get from Ahrun without climbing over the arm. Suddenly, the fact that this place was lit up like a Christmas tree made more sense now. It was a warning to Connor and me regarding our unwelcome guest.
Brave human. That was why I’d chosen her as my companion though. She wasn’t the type to just roll over and take things. In her own quiet way, she was a fighter.
Ahrun patted the couch next to him. “How about you come rot and chill with me for a few minutes?”
Reluctantly, I moved further into the room, stopping in front of the coffee table instead of taking the seat he’d indicated. “That’s not quite how those terms are supposed to be used.”
He was close though.
“You’re adapting quickly,” I observed.
Looking at him, you’d never realize he was from another era. It wasn’t just how comfortable he was using the TV or his new love of reality shows. It was in the way he dressed. A pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Clothes that were both casual and comfortable. The type of thing you’d wear to visit a friend.
