Based on the rustic condition of the road leading to the location, he wasn’t holding out much hope for the safe house that was to be their hideout, even though Razor had told him the Order kept the property maintained and stocked on a monthly basis so it was always ready for use at a moment’s notice. Knox expected to find a ramshackle bunker waiting for them at the end of the long, twisting approach. Instead, they drove up to a sprawling lodge-like mansion. One that looked capable of housing a small army.
Fitting, considering Razor had also told him the place had once been the Order’s temporary headquarters.
“It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for a while,” Leni said, peering at the darkened residence at the end of the snowy driveway.
She was right that it hadn’t been occupied for any length of time recently. It had been twenty-odd years since the warriors and their mates had made use of the place. According to Raze, the Order had been forced to relocate for a while from their Boston compound to this hidden corner of Maine’s north country during the great war that led to First Dawn and the outing of the Breed to mankind. Their enemy at the time had been none other than Dragos, the Breed madman behind the Hunter program and a host of other twisted genetic experiments he’d conducted in his labs.
Leni stared at him from the passenger seat now, a look of confusion on her face. “How long do you think we’ll have to be here?”
“A couple of days at most.” Only until Lucan Thorne was able to send a team of his warriors out to collect Leni and Riley and officially move them into the Order’s protection. Knox parked in front of the lodge estate. “Stay put while I go open the house and make sure it’s secure. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, her expression anxious as he exited the idling Bronco to jog up to the timber-framed front door.
He disabled the locks with his mind as Razor told him to do, then pushed open the thick wood panel. The Darkhaven was cool and utterly quiet, obviously empty for some time. Only the fresh scent of pine from the polished floors and heavy timber ceiling beams and trim permeated the vast, vacant space.
Knox made a quick, but thorough check of the place, mentally cataloging the layout and the arrangement of the many rooms inside the expansive home. When he was satisfied the safe house was as secure as Razor had promised, he jogged outside to retrieve Leni and Riley.
“All clear,” he said, grabbing her duffel and the small bag she’d packed for the boy from behind her seat in the back of the Bronco. He slung both over his shoulder, then led Leni to the house after she’d gone around the other side of the truck to extricate the sleeping child from his car seat and carry him in her arms.
Knox didn’t miss her quiet gasp as they stepped inside the large foyer. Her wonder only multiplied when he flicked on a couple of lights and the soaring rafters and wide space of a beautiful great room illuminated before them.
“This is amazing,” she whispered, careful not to wake the boy draped over her shoulder.
Knox gestured for her to follow him. He brought her into a cozy bedroom, the first one on the main hallway that spoked off the living area. He turned on a small bureau lamp, revealing an alpine-themed child’s room with a double bed, a large cushioned chair in the corner and framed photos of woodland animals on the walls.
“I think he’ll like this room,” Knox murmured quietly.
Leni nodded, giving him a warm smile, the first she’d managed since their hurried departure from Parrish Falls tonight. “Thank you, Knox.”
He set Riley’s bag on the chair. “I’ll go put some logs in the fireplace and get things warmed up in here. There’s a bathroom two doors down on the right.”
“Okay.”
She came out a few minutes later. Knox had a fire roaring on the hearth, the flames’ soft glow bathing her in golden light as she walked into the great room to join him. She took off her coat and folded it over the back of the large sectional in the spacious living area.
Knox faced her, watching her take in their new surroundings with an open sense of awe—and mounting suspicion.
“What is this place?”
“I told you. It’s a safe house.”
Her gaze landed on his. Wariness shadowed the curiosity that had been there a moment ago in those clear, intelligent hazel eyes. “I know what you told me, Knox. I’m asking for the truth now. All of it. This ‘safe house’ is more like a mansion. One that’s apparently been unused for a long time, yet has recently been dusted, cleaned, and stocked like a luxury hotel. Who does it belong to?”
“The Order.”
She drew in a breath. There wasn’t a person alive in the last two decades, human or Breed, who was unaware of Lucan Thorne or the cadre of Breed warriors at his command. Their reputation for justice was practically legend, as was the dauntlessness with which they carried out their rule of law.
Leni stared at him. “You never mentioned you were associated with the Order.”
“I’m not. My brother, Razor, in Florida has some inroads with them.”
“They won’t mind if we’re using their property?”
He shook his head. “They agreed to let us come here.”
“Why?”
“Because I had Razor explain to them that you were a Breedmate, and that you and Riley were in danger as long as you remained in Parrish Falls.”
