“Oink,” I grin at her.
She snatches out of my hand, putting that distance between us as she goes to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water.
“I hear you’ve been curious, darling,” I drawl, “You’d like to know more about me, huh?”
“Just trying to work out where to hit you where it hurts the most,” She gives me the sweetest little devilish smile.
She wants to play with fire I’ll make sure to give the greatest flames.
“Follow me, kitten,” I crook a finger, “Tour begins now.”
I don’t wait for her as I walk away, my shoes clipping rhythmically against the shined wood floors. I hearher scurry after me, feet scuffing on the floor.
“We’ll skip all the rooms you already know,” My voice is monotone, flat. I skip the grand hall and garden room, the living room and drawing room as I follow the maze-like corridors through the house.
“How many rooms does this place have?” She asks behind me.
“I forget,” I wave a hand, “a lot?”
Her brows shoot up, “A lot, that’s all you got?”
“Seventeen bedrooms,” I tell her, “Four living rooms. Two kitchens.”
Her eyes widen as I go on, listing all the rooms in the house. I come to the media room, opening the door to show her the huge TV, the rows of plush couches and loveseats, a bar set up at the other end, stocked fully with every beverage and snack anyone could ever want. It’s a waste since it never gets used. Her lips are parted as she looks around, but I cut off her view as I close the door and move along, skipping a few of the downstairs bedrooms which get used sometimes by my inner circle and the council members when our monthly meetings run over.
I stop at the game room, showing her the pool tables and dartboards, another bar that never gets used.
“Can you play?” She asks.
“Pool?”
“No, the violin,” She deadpans.
I smirk, “Yes, I play.”
“Interesting,” She spins on her heel, “So where tonext?”
“This way,” I take her down towards the sunroom, an extension on the south side of the property that faces the thickest part of the wood. There’s a patio with a grill out here but then there are two paths, one that leads down to those woods and further in, taking you to the lake, and the other stretches around the property, bringing you back to the main yard where the gym room and pool are.
She sucks in her breath, spinning in her spot to stare at the walls of windows that surround her, the snow unable to settle against it thanks to the heat pushing up against it. A telescope looks out toward the sky and a grand piano dominates one corner of the room, the rest of the space taken up by couches, a rug covering the floor.
“This one,” She breathes, “This one is my favorite.”
“It’s yours whenever you want it to be,” I tell her, watching her face light up in awe. There’s nothing really special about the room, it’s the view that steals the show.
“Is this everything?” She asks.
“We have the gym and pool rooms,” I tell her, “Unless you want a tour of all of the bedrooms.”
She narrows her eyes.
“Keep your mind out the gutter, dirty girl.” I chuckle at her sigh of annoyance, “Follow me.”
She looks less than impressed by the gym room. Ican’t see why; it’s decked out with everything anyone could ever want. I’ve spent countless hours here, working out anger, building strength. The wall of mirrors opposite us shows the two of us, her tiny build next to mine, her little hands fisted at her sides as she glares at the side of my head.
Rolling my eyes, I continue, opening the door joining onto the pool room, complete with jacuzzi and sauna.
“Feel free to use it whenever you want.” I tell her, checking my watch.
