I opened my mouth, then shut it. My cheeks were warm.
“If we touch sunlight, we burst into flames,” Adriel continued.
“Erm… Okay.” I averted my eyes, feeling embarrassed. “Sorry.”
“Hm.” Adriel turned around and strode down the hall with his long legs. “Come, Caleb. I’ll show you around.”
Not knowing what else to do, I followed him. I felt like a child obeying a teacher’s orders at school.
Adriel gestured to the living area, which was the only place I’d been already. A game console and controllers were scattered on the hardwood floor. Theo and I played earlier, but now that he was gone, I would probably have to play alone. I didn’t think present company had any interest in video games.
“Living room,” Adriel said. “Not quite as big as the one in the mansion, but decent enough for a cottage, I suppose.” He walked on. “The kitchen is on the right, here. Since I don’t consume human food, everything in the fridge and pantry is for you.”
“Oh,” I said. I threw the fridge door open and marvelled at how well stocked it was with fresh produce and meat. “You can’t even eat a little bit?”
“No.”
Testing my luck a little, I asked, “Well, what would happen if you did eat some?”
Adriel raised a thin black brow. “Are you going to attempt to poison me, or are you genuinely curious?”
“What? No, why would I do that?” I cried. “Hell, you’re protecting me, I don’t wanna poison you! Plus you’re my favorite author ever!”
With his arms crossed, Adriel tapped his finger a few times. “Hm. You’re simply curious, then.”
“Well, yeah.” I laughed nervously again. “I mean, I only know vampire stuff from your books, and pop culture in general, so I don’t know how much of it is true. But I guess you gave away the answer. You said it was poison.”
I thought I saw a tiny quirk at the edge of Adriel’s lips. “Smart human.” He beckoned me again. “Let me show you upstairs.”
I followed him quickly, feeling strangely pleased at hearing him call mesmart.When we ascended the wood staircase, rooms stretched on either side of the hall.
“This is a pretty big cottage, isn’t it?” I said.
“By your standards, I’m sure it is,” Adriel said.
Is he… insulting me?“What’s that mean? By my standards?”
Adriel paused. “Pierce informed me of the state of your apartment.”
I felt a rush of embarrassment. Sure, my building wasn’t so nice, but…
“My apologies,” Adriel said. “I didn’t mean to insinuate anything rude. In any case, this is your home now.”
For the time being,I thought.Pierce told me I could stay here, but he probably didn’t mean forever. Who knows when he could change his mind?
“Caleb.”
Adriel was already halfway down the hall, and I rushed to catch up with him. I felt like an idiot for zoning out. I didn’t want to make Adriel think I was stupid.
“Sorry,” I said. Beside us was a closed door, which Adriel pushed open to reveal a spacious room with a large bed.
“This is one of the bedrooms,” Adriel told me.
“How many are there?” I asked.
“Three in total. One for each of Margaret’s children,” Adriel added the second part in a lower voice, and I felt sympathy for him. He was tasked with guarding me from his own mother. It couldn’t have been easy.
“She doesn’t have a room?” I dared to ask.
