“Looks like someone is excited,” Caroline drawled.
“That makes one of us,” I murmured, withdrawing my phone and raising it to my ear as I moved toward the armchair sitting in front of the windows on the opposite side of the room.
I stared out over my property while the line rang through.
For a moment, there was a pang of yearning for the sunlit world. It wasn’t the same looking through darkened windows. There was something missing. It made me a little sad. I used to love summer and sunshine. Now it was the thing that made me feel like a prisoner in my own home.
It wasn’t all bad though. Night and its endless shadows carried its own form of beauty. One that I would sorely miss if I never got to see it again.
A second later, Liam’s phone picked up before immediately rolling over to voice mail.
I kept the message brief. “Liam, it’s Aileen. Call when you get this.”
It wasn’t strange for Liam to be out of reach. It wasn’t usual either. Though lately, he’d been more difficult to contact. His trips taking him to places where the communication was spotty.
It made me wonder what Thomas or Ahrun had him up to.
I scrolled through my contacts until I reached the one titled Sire then hit dial before I could talk myself out of it.
The phone rang.
A second later, Thomas’s warm voice flooded the line. “What a rare occurrence—my youngest calling me voluntarily. To what do I owe this pleasure? I assume you want something.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I know you, my dear. There’s no way you’d contact me if you didn’t.”
He always was a quick one.
“I could hang up if you’d prefer.”
“Nonsense. Make your request. It’ll give me a chance to act like your sire for once. An opportunity you so rarely afford me.”
“I do have something I was hoping you’d help me with,” I said cautiously.
I was going to have to word this very carefully.
“I’m all ears,” Thomas purred.
“A couple of friends and I were thinking of taking a girl’s trip,” I said, grateful we were doing this over the phone rather than in person where it would be easier for him to catch me in a lie.
“Sounds delightful. Would my son also be attending this trip?”
“You’re free to try and stop him,” I muttered.
His laugh was like a favorite blanket you just wanted to wrap yourself in when you needed comfort.
“Where would the destination of this trip be?” he asked when his laughter faded.
“Vegas.”
I winced at the silence that echoed down the line. Yeah, I’d been afraid that would be his reaction.
There was a careful control in Thomas’s voice when he spoke again. “That is quite unexpected. Why there?”
My mind raced as I tried to come up with a halfway believable explanation. “Who doesn’t want to spend a weekend in Vegas? There is everything you need. Drinks. Entertainment. Gambling.”
And a Fae barrow to infiltrate. Though I kept that last part to myself.
