He vanished back to the game room leaving me and Tane alone again.
Tane rubbed his palms together and faced me. “He’ll come round. I shouldn’t have surprised him like this.”
Weird that he was excusing his son’s behavior and taking the blame. But again, how well I knew father/son relationships could be weird.
“I can show you to your rooms now,” Tane said, voice gruff.
I could tell he was disappointed. He had wealth, power and wore a suit that had to have cost a fortune, yet his body communicated an exhaustion that confused me.
We climbed another set of stairs. Slowly, I followed. The voices faded away as we came to the third floor. Everything was quiet up here, almost sterile.
Tane opened the first door to the right. We stepped into a foyer with a small couch and a coffee table set with flowers and a couple of brand-new unlit candles. Open double doors led to a huge bedroom. The bed was on a raised dais and covered with the fluffiest comforter I’d ever seen. The décor was soft blues and greens, like being underwater. This room was so huge it had a couch with a coffee table, a fireplace, a desk, and a small dining table by a huge window that took up an entire wall.
Tane walked to two closed doors. He opened one. “This is the closet.”
Inside, a light automatically clicked on and I saw a huge walk-in with empty racks and drawers and shelves.
Tane walked to the second door. “This is the bathroom.”
It, too, looked huge. I could see two sinks, a shower, and a private alcove for the toilet.
“If you want more space, the room next door is vacant. It could be used as an office or den or whatever you wish.”
I cleared my throat. “Um, this is huge. I don’t have a lot of stuff.”
“It’s all been delivered and in your closet. I didn’t have anyone unpack for you. I figured you’d want to do it yourself.” Tane held up his hand. “That reminds me.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out two cards. He laid them on the desk. “Shop online for whatever you need. These two cards should be plenty for whatever you need. But if not, see me. I’ll have more money wired to them. Did you bring a laptop?”
“Yes.”
“Your phone?”
“Yes. But I figured you’d take them.”
“Why?”
“I thought I wouldn’t have access. I mean, you know, like outside access.”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “Why? Planning a rescue?”
I shook my head. There was nowhere to run. No one who would want me. Not in wolf country or any other.
“Then why would I cut you off?”
I shrugged. This was nothing like being a captive. Though technically that was what I was.
“The Wi-Fi password is greenblueyellow. All one word.”
I nodded.
Tane stood uncomfortably for a few seconds. Finally, he said, “Well, I’ll leave you to unpack, then.”
He closed the door as he left.
The first thingI did was peek into the closet. I saw my one suitcase and some bags on the floor. I began to hang up the few clothes I’d brought.
As I worked, my mind relaxed and a ton of questions piled up again. What was expected of me? Would I have free reign of the house? Would I be allowed outside? What about meals?
I definitely didn’t want to go down to the game room and ask Malin. It was best to stay away from him if he didn’t want anything to do with me.
