Page 14
“If it’s in storage, yeah, that’d be cool, but don’t go buying anything. I can probably make do with a couple of free weights to start.” I wonder if me going for a run would be a safety issue for Tristan. Something to ask when I meet Anna.
We walk through the little nook, and I notice yet another big leadlight window looking over the gardens. The main room had several also, flooding the space with light.
Unlike the rest of the open-plan flat, the bedroom has a door. Pierce pushes it open and precedes us inside. It’s a great size, big enough to hold the king-sized bed, two bedside tables, and an armchair, with space to easily move around. There are two open doors along the right-hand wall, and I spy a bathroom through one and a chest of drawers and hanging rails through the other. Walk-in robe? I’m really coming up in the world!
I stroll over to the bed and sit on the edge of the mattress, giving a gentle bounce. “This is fine. I’ll see if any of my housemates want to keep my bed.”
Pierce nods. “Excellent. We’ll tell Clive now so he can make it up.”
“Oh, I can—” A foot—Cat’s—stomping on my toes stops me. I cough to cover my gasp of pain. “Sure, that sounds fine.”
Pierce is no dummy, and he definitely noticed our little byplay. “If I can offer some advice, Adam?”
“God, yes. I never turn down free advice.” I stand and wander toward the window. In this room it looks over the backyard, which I haven’t seen yet. It looks like there’s a nice little paved patio with a table and a couple of deck chairs.
“Clive has been looking after Tristan’s home for decades. Easily longer than you’ve been alive. He has his own habits and preferred ways of doing things, and Tristan is very fond of him. We both know that a feeder has special value and often can claim special favours”—I did not know that—“but I would advise you not to upset Clive.”
I don’t know why people keep implying that I’m going to piss off the guy who’ll cook for me. Do they think I’m stupid? I might not be a Mensa candidate, but even I know not to bite the hand that feeds me.
“I’ve got no intention of upsetting Clive,” I promise. “I’m happy to follow his lead with how he runs the house.” He’s been here decades? He’s probably a grandfatherly type, set in his ways, but who loves looking after people and spoiling them. I can’t wait—I grew up without grandparents, obviously, and I used to get so jealous of my friends when they talked about the stuff they did with their nanna and pops.
Pierce seems satisfied with my assurances and leads us back down the stairs. “You’ve seen Tristan’s office, but that door next to it is the formal dining room. He uses it for meetings and dinner engagements. You’ll likely need to be in attendance at some point. Do you have suitable clothes?”
I blink at him. “For dinner?”
He nods. “Yes. The dinners are always formal affairs. Black tie at least.” He pauses. “I doubt there will be a white tie dinner anytime soon, but you should be prepared for that too.”
I shoot Cat an alarmed look. I’m not even sure what black tie means, unless it’s referring to a literal black tie.
“How nice!” my cousin says. “We can go shopping.”
Pierce frowns. “I’ll tell Clive to arrange something. Tristan has accounts with several establishments.”
Oh my god, what the fuck have I gotten myself into?
Before I can panic, Pierce turns toward the hallway I noticed earlier. “Now, this way we have Tristan’s private rooms”—he gestures to two closed doors as we pass them and then turns a corner and gestures to another—“a guest suite, and down here is my office.” That door is open, and I glimpse a desk with a laptop and a pile of paperwork. We reach a T-intersection, and he points to the left. “Down there are Clive’s and Anna’s rooms, the laundry, and internal access to the garage.” He leads us to the right, where one wall becomes multipaned glass windows with two pairs of french doors leading out onto the patio I saw from upstairs. “You’re welcome to use the garden, of course, but don’t mess around with the plants.”
“That’s no problem.” Gardening’s never been on my hobby list.
We reach another intersection. The hallway branches to the right, leading back toward the front door, and to the left is a set of open double doors leading into an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area. There’s another half turret, this one much bigger and set up as a sitting area, complete with a plush sofa and armchairs, a rug, and a coffee table. I can totally see myself napping on that sofa with the sun streaming through the windows. I hope it’s comfortable.
There’s a fireplace on one wall with a TV above it, more cushy furniture arranged to face it, and an alcove with an eight-seat dining table. The kitchen is obviously newer than the house but in a style that matches, and it’s bigger than any kitchen I’ve ever seen in a private home.
A woman not much older than me with a shoulder-length brown mullet is sitting on one of the stools at the island, reading something on a tablet, and there’s an older man wiping the sink. Anna and Clive? My stomach sinks when I see how Clive’s dressed. Who wants to cook and clean while wearing a dress shirt with suit pants and suspenders? The only concession to comfort is his rolled-up sleeves. I really hope nobody’s going to expect me to dress like that.
“Oh good,” Pierce is saying, “you’re both here. Clive, Anna, allow me to introduce Adam and Catrina Barale. Catrina is Nisha’s feeder, and Adam is going to be Tristan’s.”
Cat smiles sweetly and does that bow thing again, but I lift my hand in a little wave. If I’m going to live with these people, I gotta start as I mean to go on, right?
“Hey. Great to meet ya.”
Anna gets up and walks toward us, her gaze coolly assessing me from head to toe. It’s just a guess, but I don’t think she’s a vampire? I’ve only met three, but so far, they move differently from humans in a way I can’t explain. Anna’s graceful, but there’s a difference.
She holds out her hand, proving me right, and smiles. “Nice to meet you, Adam. Has anyone explained that I’m in charge of security here?”
I shake her hand—she’s got a good grip and more calluses than I do. “Yeah. Tristan said we’d need to discuss some stuff.”
She nods. “Once you’re settled in, we’ll find time. Meanwhile, welcome to Blackwood Place.”
