Page 54 of Jared

Silas blanched. “Yeah, okay. You deserve to know what's going on. I've just been kinda dragging you along, huh?”

“Yes,” James said, following Toby as he opened the front door to what looked like a Tudor mansion and went in. he glanced over his shoulder back at Silas. “That would be nice.”

Silas winced and followed them both inside.

James looked around as they walked through the entrance. It was a beautiful home. The entrance was a long hallway that revealed a very traditional H shaped floor plan. Dominating the space, two matching staircases rose majestically, leading to two unconnected spaces. Craning his neck to try to get a better view, he spied what he thought must be a hall. Bedrooms? The other staircase led to a gallery that peered down over the entrance and part of what he assumed must be an area used for entertaining, given that it was open plan to the entrance area and possessed couches, armchairs, a few scattered side tables, and a fireplace.

“I'll be happy to give you a tour later.” Toby's voice pulled James back into the present.

“Thanks. I'd love that.”

Toby swept an arm towards a door off to their right. “If you'll just come this way, then.”

'This way' turned out to be an enormous dining room with another set of doors at the rear. The room beyond the doors turned out to be their destination. James was astonished to see a large, well equipped kitchen. A very modern well equipped kitchen.

“Wow.”

“You didn't expect this?” Toby asked. “We are not some medieval society. We have electricity if we want it.”

James felt his face flush.Crap.I made a rude assumption about their level of technology. Next up, more advanced stereotyping.

“I didn't see any poles or anything, so assumed.”

“Toby, why are you messing this poor man about?” A woman came bustling into the kitchen from a door to the outside. She held a garden trug in one hand, filled with carrots that still had their tops on, as well as dirt.

“Now, LeAnne, I wasn't messing him about. I was about to explain how we got we our electricity,” Toby protested.

“Mmm hmmm. Sure you were.” LeAnne gave Silas and James a friendly smile. “I'm LeAnne, Toby's long suffering wife. And you are?”

“James Patterson, confused human, FBI agent and apparent mate to Silas here.”

“Silas,” she acknowledged. “Heard you'd found your mate and gotten yourself into a spot of bother. Toby helping you with that?” she tilted her head inquiringly at Toby.

“I told him I'd try to help him out with his prince and the wolves. Speak to Laurie and all that.”

“Good idea. Laurie can speak to his prince though, royal to royal. And to the Alpha.”

Toby nodded.

“Well, go get to it!”

“I will! I was just bringing them in for some food. They've not eaten anything but what they could forge for a couple of days now.”

She nodded. “Take them for a bath and some clean clothes first. I'll put the dinner on while they bathe and you can call Laurie. Now shoo.I have work to do. Food won't cook itself.”

Toby looked abashed. “Okay, honey. I'll leave you to it.” He turned around to lead them back the way they came. “This way, gentlemen.”

“Wow. That's some woodwork,” James said as they got close enough to the staircases for him to make out the elaborate carvings on the treads, baluster and newel posts. “I bet that took forever. The figures, here on the side- what re those? Fairies and bats, flowers, and dogs? No, wolves, huh? Representing you and your neighbors?”

“We think so, but actually, it took no time at all that we're aware of.”

James looked surprised. Seeing his perplexed expression, Toby elaborated. “When our world was made, each of our species was given its own lands, and as needed, our lands, including our buildings, grow. They never get smaller though. Everything but the furniture appears, for whatever reason. Anyways, the staircases are part of the building, so they simply were. No one came into make them, they just came into being with the rest of the building.”

“And the dragons on the steps?” James gestured to the carvings on the stair risers.

It was Silas who answered him this time. “Our kind are always set in groups of three- vampire, a variety of shifter, and a Fae House. Three to each land. Around our compounds is the wild, where the Hunt runs and we travel to get to and from each other's lands, with a few small towns along the roads. To the east is the sea, which has to be crossed to get to the other lands, each populated by their own group of three. Now, the sea is populated with merfolk, fish, and other creatures of the deep, including dragons.”

“Water dragons?”