By the time we climbed the peak of the hill, the breath had fled my lungs. I didn’t want to look weak in front of Pierce, who exuded his same calm energy. I hadn’t heard him pant the entire time. Maybe he was used to the walk.
“Sorry,” I mumbled as I took a moment to catch my breath.
“Don’t be. It’s quite steep. Anyone not acclimated would have a hard time,” he said. He examined my face as I finally righted myself and wiped the sweat off my brow. “You look very good like that.”
I nearly choked. “Huh?”
“With the bit of color in your cheeks,” he remarked, pointing with a slender finger to my face. “Nice and pink.”
I was already blushing from exertion, but that made me blush harder. “Um…”
Pierce chuckled. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to embarrass you.” He turned and gestured for me to follow. “Come.”
Wanting to change the subject ASAP, I said, “So, don’t you guys like, have a car? I don’t see it on the driveway.”
“Oh, there’s a garage, of course,” he replied. He pointed to a low, detached building on the opposite side of the driveway.
“Weird. You don’t see many of those around,” I commented.
“They were more common before city sprawl forced building layouts to change,” Pierce said. “Now they simply take up room the city cannot afford.”
He spoke as if he wasthereto watch the change slowly occur, which baffled me. I remembered I’d seen his year of birth on his ID card, and he was only two years my senior. Still, Pierce had a strange timeless aura about him. Maybe living in an old mansion did that to a person.
Six small steps led up to the huge, extravagant front doors. On either side of the steps stood two gargoyles carved from stone. Their jaws were frozen in a snarl and they glared ahead, unblinking. It sent a chill up my spine.
“As you can imagine, we don’t get many visitors,” Pierce said playfully.
“I bet your place is popular on Halloween,” I offered.
But Pierce frowned. “I wish it was. Unfortunately, mother isn’t fond of it. Absolutely hates it. She calls it a mockery.” He rolled his eyes. “She’s very silly about certain things.”
So, his mom is definitely religious,I thought.
“It’s probably for the best,” Pierce continued, the humor returning to his eyes. “I bet most children would give up on the walk up the hill far earlier than you did.”
I let out a laugh. “I’ll say.”
As he unlocked the front door, he asked, “Are you fond of children, Benji?”
To be honest, I was surprised he even asked. Most people assumed omegas liked children by default, considering so many thought that was our sole purpose in life.
“I do, yeah,” I replied. “I don’t have any of my own, or anything.”
“I see.”
“What about you?” I asked.
But as Pierce pushed the door open, something small and black flew out so fast that I yelped and fell backwards on my ass.
“What the hell?”
Pierce quickly leaned over to help me up. “Oh, dear. I’m sorry. That happens sometimes.”
“What was that?” I cried, getting to my feet. I dusted the back of my jeans, feeling embarrassed again that Pierce had seen me make a fool out of myself. “It was like… a bat or something!”
“A bat, yes,” Pierce said like it was the most boring thing in the world. “Probably got lost. Usually they take the attic exits.”
“Youknowthere’s bats in your house?”
