"A vampire as old as me knows about The Covenant. Astra Harding is cold and ruthless, and will do what she needs to make sure her kind are not brought to the same place of historical bloodshed."
She thought about the ten souls.
"You warned me to stay away from her."
He nodded.
"Would she hurt us? Do you know what magic she has?"
He took a thoughtful sip of his drink before answering. "I do not know her well. But if you take away anythin' from my experience with her, know that she is ambitious. Ambition creates ambiguous morals."
The look that Astra gave her once again flashed in her mind.
"I'm getting dirt all over your beautiful house," she changed the subject.
"Finish eating and then I have a fresh towel for you to take a hot shower."
She looked up at him from where she was lightly prodding the bruise, feeling its tenderness, and her shock turned to a frown.
"Oh, no. You don't have to. I can go home to The Lost Souls," she said.
"You could," he replied. "But I doubt your friends are home yet as the fireworks will be starting soon and I don't like the idea of you being there alone."
A flare of indignation rose which he must have seen in the set of her lips and eyes as he held up a hand in a placating motion.
"You're welcome to leave, Tilly." His words stopped the ones about to come out of her and she narrowed her eyes as he continued. "But I would prefer if you ate, took a hot shower, and stayed here until we know it's safe for you."
She worried her lower lip, index, and middle finger tapping on the table as she thought.
"I wouldn't want this culinary masterpiece to go to waste. And I'm honestly curious about your shower."
That surprised him. "My shower?"
She scooped up another mouthful of the lobster pie. "Yeah. Like I said, your house is beautiful, and if I know anything about the rich it's that you like luxurious bathrooms."
He tilted his head considering her. "Speaking about a person's wealth is bold."
She leaned forward with raised eyebrows in challenge. "Taking an unconscious woman to your small castle, baking her dinner while you tuck her into your bed, is bold."
He smiled, this one still only half but beautiful and fully affecting her. He tipped his wine glass to her with a wink, before taking a sip at her argument and then shook his head with a quiet rumbling laughter that didn't make it out of his chest.
She wondered, as she finished her dinner, what it would be like to hear this man truly laugh and decided she couldn't handle it.
16. Marble and Crows
She hadn't been wrong that his bathroom would be luxurious. He led her back to his bedroom, which in itself created a tension that she wondered if only she felt. He took two steps into the room handing her a thick cream towel.
Then he was closing the door as he left with wordless privacy.
She'd felt a zing of scandal as she peeled off her dirty clothes, folding them neatly into a pile, feeling more bare than usual in the marble-encased bathroom. The shower was tall floor-to-ceiling glass that could have fit five people. The marble floors matched the shower wall and once she pulled and turned a few different things she was able to get the temperature how she wanted.
Three built-in dispensers gave her soap, shampoo, and conditioner and as she lathered her thick hair with eyes closed she was surrounded by the most gentle floral scent. She imagined sunflowers turning their heads toward the sun with a hint of honey.
She didn't take her time, washing and rinsing quickly, scrubbing until satisfied that the dirt was gone she wrapped the fluffy towel around herself, picked up her dirty outfit before walking into the bedroom. She was about to put them on, lamenting that she might cover her soap-sweet scent with sweat and dried mud when she noticed a clean pile of clothes neatly placed on the now-made bed.
The door was still closed and she frowned, wondering if he had snuck in to leave these for her. She pictured new sheets that didn't smell like her underneath the sumptuous comforter.
She put on the men's t-shirt and sweatpants that she had to roll a few times so as not to slip on the polished wood floors. Her glasses were last and one look in the mirror and she sighed.
