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But this last thought, that she wanted to climb into bed with Ethan, finally brought her to her senses.
She half-slid, half-pulled her hand away from the soft leather of his coat and the stiffer band of his cross-strap. But for a long moment, she looked into his eyes and let the experience flow through her, of who he was in his world, of his frequency, of the sheer size of him.
A breeze blew down from the surrounding hills and she shivered suddenly, which put him in motion. “Let’s get you inside. The night’s cold for half-humans.”
She chuckled at his word choice.
Half-human.
Oh, God, half-fae.
Was this truly who she was now? Who she always had been, but didn’t know herself to be?
He turned to the vampire holding her suitcase thirty feet above and held out his arms. He meant to catch it.
Samantha wanted to protest: the bag was heavy and the vampire in the air was so far away. Gravity and acceleration combined would add force to the weight of the suitcase.
But before she could say anything, the man above dropped the case, Ethan caught it easily, then slung it over his left shoulder.
Vampires were strong.
Her heart fluttered in her chest.
He called out to his men, ordering them to the Guard House and to check in with Finn. The entire vampire escort turned east and flew farther down the hill. He explained that he had a large, nearby training camp for his Guard, which also had a rec room and a bar for the warriors to let off steam.
Bergisson Realm.
Vampires in levitated flight.
Glowing night vision.
And a huge modern house that belonged to the ruler of the realm, all steel, wood, and glass.
Once inside the house, he swept his arm to the left. “The main living areas are at this end, including the kitchen, so if you need anything to eat, day or night, please help yourself. I have staff that comes in around four in the morning, when I usually return from my patrols, so don’t be surprised if you hear them, but they leave a few hours later when I head for bed.
“A cleaning crew arrives late afternoon because that’s when I’m usually emerging from my cave. I’ll let them know that I have a guest in residence so you won’t be disturbed.”
He waved his arm to the right, encompassing a short but broad staircase. “The bedrooms and a second living area are this way. You’ll have a suite to yourself, of course, with a sliding glass door to the conservatory that you can open and close at will.”
Samantha could see that the house was built to the contours of the land since another short staircase led down toward the living room and a massive stone fireplace.
At the far end of the room, a set of three stairs led upward once more, to a dining area with a huge table and large upholstered chairs. The kitchen was hidden from view by a long, brick wall.
The furniture, in subdued browns, blacks and grays, all seemed oversized, but then Ethan, as well as the Guardsmen she’d seen, were all big men.
Beyond the glass windows, she saw extensive landscaping with shrubs, lawn, flowerbeds all leading to the hillside and a short stone wall with wide, seating pavers on top. The oaks past the wall, had been left in a natural state of long grasses and shrubs left to grow wild.
With her case in hand, he gestured for her to ascend the stairs to the right.
At the first landing, rooms off to either side clearly belonged to Ethan’s job as a mastyr. One held a desk, a computer with two screens, filing cabinets, stacks of papers and folders. The room to her right looked more like a library but had a massive table in the center onto which an old map was laid out and weighed down with beautiful split-geodes, their colorful crystals winking beneath a soft overhead light.
“You have lights on.”
“By habit. My vampire vision is perfect at night, but we have several species in the Nine Realms who struggle if some lighting isn’t available.”
“Then it’s a courtesy.”
“No. A necessity. I think there’s a difference.”
‘Splitting-hairs’ came to mind.
Another short flight of stairs led to a second sitting area with another stone fireplace, smaller than the one in the living room but still impressive in size.
He tossed his arm in a quick side motion. “There are several bedroom suites here in the south wing, but I’ll want you closer to my rooms for safety.” He then gestured forward. “Beyond the living area is the suite you’ll be staying in as well as my rooms.” He guided her past a grouping of couches and chairs. “And here to the right is the conservatory. I thought you might like to see it. Most of the fae I know really enjoy this space.”
He directed her to a large arched doorway opposite the fireplace.
She stood at the entrance and gasped for the breadth and height of the room, the welcome fresh air that came from hundreds of plants and trees, and the beauty of the crystal roof that peaked at least sixty feet in the air, maybe higher.
“This is huge.”
“It is.”
Then she felt something, a kind of singing vibration from the room, which drew her a few steps inside. “What is that?”
“What is what?”
“I’m feeling another kind of vibration from this room.”
“You are?” He sounded surprised.
She turned and met his gaze. “Don’t you feel that? Hear that?”
He seemed taken aback as he narrowed his gaze and once more glanced around the massive room. “I don’t feel anything, just the air circulating.”
“It’s not your air conditioning. I’m sure of that. I’m hearing a kind of music.”
“Some fae, when they get near crystals, can hear melodies of a kind, but it’s very rare. Now that I think about it, Vojalie said she loves this room, maybe that’s why.”
“But she never mentioned a singing quality?”
“No, but then she’d have no reason to say anything if she experienced a fae reaction, which reminds me that I need to bring her here.”
“You look troubled.”
“I alluded to it earlier, but we’ve been having some kind of breakdown realm-to-realm in recent weeks. Sometimes it’ll clear up then close again, like someone has shut a door.”
“And that’s not normal?”
“No, not at all.”
“What do you think it is?”
He turned to her. “To say anything else right now would be irresponsible on my part. Let’s just say that I’ll do my best to get Vojalie here. I know she’ll want to meet you and talk to you and she’ll be the best person to introduce you to our world.”
