“Oh,” I say, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.
I’ve been here all of ninety seconds and I’ve already seen a dozen things that make no sense. I thought I knew what the world outside of my little home was like. I’ve read tons of books, and I always ask my mother and Scott all kinds of questions about their life before meeting Burke. But I’m quickly realizing that I don’t know anything.
“All the bedrooms are up here.” Jeremy moves to the steep staircase and I slowly follow. The railing is sturdy and none of the steps creak or bow. They’re well made with a glassy sheen on the dark wood.
“These rooms belong to Basil and Tristan,” the beta points at two side-by-side doors, “but we all pretty much sleep in Killian’s room.” He leans down, and whispers, “But don’t worry. We won’t crowd you two tonight.”
Dread settles in my belly as I realize what he means—Killian probably expects to rut me tonight. It makes sense. That’s why alphas want omegas, but there’s a chance Killian won’t. After all, I’m still bruised and sore. I can play it up. Pretend to be in a lot of pain. The pack alpha was very considerate last night. It’s not ridiculous to think he will be tonight too.
“And this is Killian’s room. It’s where you’ll sleep.” Jeremy flicks a little switch on the wall and light erupts overhead. I stare at the fixture on the ceiling, taking in the bright, clean light. It’s like daytime, but inside. Linden said it was easy to use electricity, but I honestly didn’t believe him.
Curious, I reach out and flick the switch. The light instantly turns off, casting us into the dark. I flick it back up and the light is back. “Wow,” I whisper.
Jeremy’s eyes crinkle along the sides as he smiles widely. “It’s kind of fun. Isn’t it?”
I am in awe and completely forget to keep my expression blank. “Yes.” I smile, flicking the switch up and down a few more times. “Did you grow up without electricity, too?”
His nose scrunches as he gives me a jerky shake of his head. “I did grow up with electricity, but I understand how it can be fun,” he quickly adds, and I realize I’m being ridiculous. Of course, he had electricity.
And air conditioning.
Hell, I bet this pack even has a fridge. I really hope they do. While I plan on waking up and getting the hell out of here before anyone else tomorrow morning, I’d still like to see how a fridge works. This might be my only chance.
“What do you think?” Jeremy takes a few steps into the room.
Leaving the light on, I scan the large space. It’s huge, like everything else in the house. The ceiling is insanely high with a dark beam that runs along the center, the carpet is squishy and the far wall is one massive floor-to-ceiling window. In the corner, I can see the top of the oak tree. We must be right above the living room.
“The bathroom is this way.” Jeremy turns slightly, then waits, obviously wanting me to follow him.
I stare as we pass the biggest bed I’ve ever seen in my life. The dang thing faces a large window and looks big enough to fit my whole family, kids and all. I stare longingly at the dark green comforter, wishing I could skip the bath and curl up under it.
I miss my nest.
“This is the closet.” Jeremy opens a narrow door, showing me the tiny room. “These are yours,” he points to a stack of clothesnext to the door. I eye them, but don’t look too closely. I’m sure they’re fine. “And here is the bathroom.” He touches the door next to the closet. He pushes it open, then points to the switch on the wall. He lets me flick it on.
I can’t stop my eyes from going wide as bright light fills the clean, white room.
This is nothing like my house. My bathroom at home has a wash basin and a small sink. While we do have running water, it comes from only one spout in the sink, but this room has multiple spouts—one in each of the sinks, one in a fancy-looking bathtub, and then some weird-shaped ones hanging from the ceiling.
“Is this a shower?” I ask, admiring the white, shiny tile.
“Yes,” Jeremy says, watching me closely. I know he must find my reaction to all of this kind of silly, but I don’t care right now.
Resting my fingers on one of several silver knobs, I wonder what each one does. “I’ve never seen a shower like this before.” It’s only a partial lie because, in truth, I’ve never seen any shower before. But I’ve read a few books where the characters take a shower. It was described like a tiny waterfall, but even with my mother’s insistence that they were real, it was still hard to believe.
“Would you rather take a shower?” Jeremy asks, reaching for one of the knobs. His fingers brush over mine, warm and gentle, and I yank my hand back. Jermey pretends not to notice and turns the knob. Water erupts from a silver spout overhead. It blasts down, and I scramble back. It looks kind of violent. Not relaxing at all.
“No, thank you.” I stare at the forceful splatter on the tile floor.
“No problem.” Jeremy turns it off, then moves to the washbasin. He gets to work, turning one knob, then another. Water bursts from the spout, and my eyes go wide.
“That water pours directly into the tub?” I ask, wondering how the hell they heat it up.
“Yes.” Confusion pulls Jeremy’s dark brows together. “How did baths work in your old home?”
“You heat the water up on the stove, then pour it into the washbasin,” I say. “Do you not warm up your water first? Do you only take cold baths?”
Jeremy’s expression softens as if understanding what I’m saying. “Come here.” He takes my hand, bringing it to the spout. The second my fingers touch the rushing water, I jerk back.
