A soft knock on the door set his heart to racing.He spun to face the source of the noise.
Maxim?I probably was in here a long time.Was I supposed to come out again?
The knock repeated.It was soft.“Raven?Could I have a moment?”
Raven didn’t recognize the voice, but then he really had no idea who most of these people were.Maxim was the only one who seemed…almost familiar.
Raven considered his options, wondering whether he should just lie down on the queen-sized bed and pretend he didn’t hear.He wasn’t sure why, but in the end, he went to the door and opened it.
The black-haired man from earlier stood there, the one who had apparently selected movies.Bryan.He looked polite.Polished.He brightened when their eyes met.
“Hi.I hope you like it here.I think this guest room is especially nice.So, about your roommate.”
“Jason?”
Bryan nodded.“Yes.He was here before when we were still looking for you.”Bryan crossed his arms.“He’s back now.”He frowned.“Clement has been lurking in the foyer downstairs and he greeted him, if you can call it that.He wants to see you.Would you like to wait for him in the living room?”
Raven looked at his sock-clad feet.He’s probably not going to see that these don’t match, right?
“Okay.We… Maxim sent him to buy books.I don’t know, I just…”
Bryan shrugged.“You can never have enough books.Personally, I wouldn’t mind a library, a few floors with shelves and that paper scent.”
“Biblichor.”
“Huh?”
Raven shifted his weight from one foot to the other.“Old book scent.That’s what it’s called.”
Bryan blinked once, then smiled.“I like that.”He leaned in.“How do you feel about plants?”
“I… Plants are nice.”
Bryan nodded, his expression serious.“Excellent.I’ll find one for your room.”He cocked his head as if he was listening to something.“They’re almost here.Come on.”
He turned and headed back to that large open space; the living room.
Raven didn’t follow right away, standing in the door of the guest room as if frozen, as if his feet had forgotten how to move.
He wasn’t sure why he followed Bryan in the end, but he did, sticking close to the bright white walls, taking his time to look around and take in where he was.
Most of all, the place was full of light.Never having been in a penthouse before, Raven didn’t know if the size of the place was normal.There were doors opposite the one that led to his guest room, windows that revealed a gorgeous view of New Amsterdam, and a double-height ceiling that stretched up above a second level that could be reached by a staircase across from where the screen had been set up.
Somewhat in the center of the room under what was possibly one of those walls you couldn’t take out without collapsing the whole building, there was even a cute little coffee bar.Raven saw artistic-looking coffee tins with jungle scenes and coffee from Tanzania, Brazil, and Columbia.
He frowned at that before he remembered where he was.A vampire’s home.Of course he doesn’t need a kitchen.
“Dad, you cannot wear those pants.Please change into something, you know, normal.”
Raven tilted his head up to see where the words had come from.On the upper level, he could just about see the top of a head of blond hair.
“Darling, I’ve been assured these are fine.”
Heath snorted.“By who?The tailor who made the emperor’s new clothes?”
Maxim cooed.“My sweet boy, you remember when I read you that story!Come here.”
“Don’t you fucking start!You’re making it weird again, and you’re wearing weird pants while you’re at it.”The elevator dinged.“What the fuck was that?”
