Either way, it seemed like Riley was definitely less stable than the other vampires of Sascha’s acquaintance, who were all happily living in a small town without murdering any of its local small-business owners.
So Seth should probably stay away, was what Sascha had warned him. Far, far away from Riley and his very sharp teeth.
Seth wasn’t going to do that, of course.
Because now that Seth had realigned his worldview to include paranormal creatures, he had to face facts. And the fact was, if Seth wanted to stay true to his own moral compass, then it didn’t matterwhatRiley was. It matteredwhoRiley was.
And the person Seth had gotten to know over these past weeks was intense and a little sad and surprisingly funny. And achingly, desperately in need of a friend.
And friends didn’t abandon friends because of a few struggles with uncontrolled bloodlust.
Besides, Riley had been in Seth’s home. He’d been on top of Seth, kissing him like he was dying for it, and he hadn’t hurt Seth at all. He hadn’t sliced him with a fang, hadn’t ignored Seth’s request to stop.
Riley didn’twantto hurt him; Seth knew that much.
Which meant he was probably beating himself up for his lapse in control this morning. Riley was probably hurting out there in the woods, lonely and full of regret. It hurt Seth’s heart to think about it, to a degree he was almost reluctant to admit to.
So Seth was going to ignore good advice and sound warnings.
He was going in.
But he wasn’t going empty-handed.
Seth’s breathcaught as the winding dirt road he’d been driving on finally led to a break in the trees, revealing the woodland mansion that had been hidden up to this point.
He’d made it just moments before nightfall, the sun already well on its way to setting. Not that it mattered, right? Seth already knew these three weren’t hampered by pesky little things like sunlight. The daytime wouldn’t have afforded him any sort of protection, even if he’d thought he needed it.
Sethhadthought—what with the talk of serial killers and Riley’s tendency to dress like he’d just rolled out of bed—that he’d be looking for a simple log cabin. But then again, he’d seen Sybil and Daphne’s flair for style, so maybe he should have known to expect a secret mansion in the woods.
It looked to be at least three stories, with a beautiful front porch with steps leading to a path that wound around to the back of the house. It had a steepled roof and didn’t show any of the wear Seth might expect of a property in such a wet, coastal climate.
Seth sidled in next to the two other cars already parked on the gravel drive. The vehicles weren’t flashy, but theywereexpensive; Seth didn’t know enough to name the make and models off the top of his head, but he knew that much from a quick glance.
He put his car in park and grabbed his tote bag from the passenger seat before getting out. No doubt they’d already heard him coming, so there was no use delaying. He steeled his spine and squared his shoulders as he trotted up the short set of stairs to the porch.
Seth knocked three times on the door and waited.
Hardly a moment later, Daphne opened the door, Sybil looming right behind her. Sybil’s smile was almost mocking—or maybe that was just her resting snob face—but Daphne’s was pure warmth. “Seth!” she greeted brightly. “How brave you are!”
Seth couldn’t help smiling back at her, biting back a nervous giggle while he was at it. He slid one handle of the tote down his arm and began rummaging inside. “I brought something.”
“Holy water?” Sybil drawled, arching a brow. “A hastily carved wooden stake, perhaps?”
Seth presented his Tupperware. “Cookies, actually.” He lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper, even as he ignored the rampant pounding of his own heart. “I have it on good authority stakes and holy water wouldn’t be much help.”
“Do you now?” Sybil’s mocking smile turned wryly amused, and Seth had a hard time not considering that a win.
Without a word between them, Daphne and Sybil stepped back from the door, and Daphne ushered Seth inside with a friendly but firm hand on his arm. Neither of them took his offering, although Seth knew they could eat human food if they wanted.
The inside of the house was just as impressive as the outside, as Seth had known it would be. They were in an open foyer, with a living room off to their left and a stairway directly in front of them. Behind the stairs was a hallway that no doubt led to a kitchen, and who knew what else beyond. The ceilings were high, the floors were real hardwood, and the walls Seth could see from here were painted in deep, vibrant colors, rendering the space rich and sumptuous.
It had less the appearance of a vampire’s lair and more the home of timelessly stylish women who appreciated old-fashioned elegance.
Seth stopped his gawking and faced Riley’s moms again. “Your home is lovely, but I came to check on Riley.” The words sounded stilted to his own ears. “I should have said. Is he…awake?”
Seth didn’t know what he’d do if Riley wasn’t. Probably turn right back around and drive home. He was trying to be brave, but he didn’t think he could bear looking at Riley’s bent neck and limp form again. That horrifying vision was already going to haunt Seth for the rest of his days.
Plus, he’d most likely burst into tears in front of the goddesses, and wouldn’t that be mortifying?
