“Help yourself to anything you find in the kitchen. I’m not sure what’s there, but you may find somechocolate in some of the tins.”
“Wait,” Tavia said. “When will you be back? What if something happens?”
She didn’t know where she was, and she was in the city—not just a house in the woods. What if someone came, or what if he didn’t return?
He took the transporter rod out and placed it on the table.
“If anything happens to me, take the coin I've given you and go back home.”
She looked at the transporter rod and back up at him. “Are you in danger?”
He scratched the back of his head, trying to laugh off the question. “Well, the Brotherhood did have me in a coffin, and their vault is here.”
“Is that where you think your item is?”
He shrugged. “Possibly. I’ve been gone a long time, and I don’t know much, so, as I’m shopping, I’ll gather information and get us tickets to this masquerade.”
“Maybe I should go with you,” Tavia said, uncertain about lounging in this house alone.
“Take the bath,” Lucius said, “and stop worrying.We're partners, and I can be extremely cautious.”
“When will you be back?” Tavia asked, feeling extremely hesitant about him disappearing.
“Sunset, maybe a little after, but I’ll be back, and I promise to bring you a treat. Is there anything you want?”
“What do I want?” The question threw Tavia off guard. What did she want? “Like, to eat?”
Lucius chuckled. “To eat, to drink, to wear, anything.”
Tavia couldn’t think of just one thing. There were too many delectable choices, but she knew she wanted more of the hot chocolate drink, more of the scones, more of the berries, and more of the cream.
But instead of listing everything, she simply said, “I’ve really enjoyed everything I ate and drank today, so I'd like to have more of that.”
He nodded. “That I can do.”
“Keep the doors locked,” he said with a flourish and left through the front door. “And when the tub is full, press the handle down to stop the water.”
Tavia locked the door behind him and hesitantly went to the washroom, taking the robe with her.
She wasn’t sure how safe this location was, but if she sensed any danger or Lucius didn’t return, she would do as he said.
But part of her hoped he would in fact return.
Because she had no idea what she would do if he didn’t.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Being a vampyre meant that emotions and feelings were heightened, and Lucius found that spending time with Tavia in close quarters made him think many inappropriate things.
But she had set the boundaries, and he would not cross them, no matter how much he desired to kiss those pretty lips.
Instead, he would shop for her and gift her anything she wanted, hoping to appease her.
He kept trying to justify his feelings, thinking that all that time locked in a coffin had made him highly vulnerable and emotional. Yet, something about her drew him in, captivated him.
It could be that she was simply the first female he had seen in a hundred years, and that was what he told himself.
Walking down the steps, he left the home, heading into the Golden City. He had another coin purse in his pocket and plenty to spend.
