Chapter 5
A multitudeof stars twinkled in the inky sky above them when Mateo and Selena exited the car. He’d forgotten how dark it got at Broadmoor, his childhood home that sat high atop a bluff overlooking the Gulf Islands. The sound of chirping crickets filled the air and a lone coyote howled in the distance.
The stone entryway steps were covered in a thin layer of algae. Mateo made the mistake of touching Selena’s elbow when she slipped.
“Get your hands off me,” she snapped, jerking away from him.
If looks could kill, he’d be long dead by now.
Selena hadn’t spoken a word during the entire drive. Right shoulder pressed against the passenger door, arms crossed, she’d sat as far away from him as possible and stared into the darkness as his sports car hugged each winding curve in the road.
But he’d done what he needed to do. And he would continue to use any means necessary, including acting like a total caveman, until she was safe. That was all that mattered. Everything else, including how she felt about him, came second.
Inserting his key into the ornate lock, he pushed open the heavy wooden doors. They creaked from neglect. A musty dampness met his nostrils, and he wondered if there was a leak in the roof somewhere. With four years of no maintenance in this rainy, windswept climate, the house was bound to have some issues. He reached for the nearest light switch and flipped it on only to have nothing happen. Fuck. Of course. No electricity.
He’d need to get ahold of one of his brothers. Hopefully one of them could get the power turned back on at Broadmoor without him having to contact their parents, because he seriously couldn’t deal with them right now.
“Great,” she muttered under her breath. “Could this night get any worse?”
Luckily, he found a few candles and a pack of matches in a nearby sideboard. Soon the entire entryway was bathed in flickering light.
Selena drew in a sharp breath. “How big is this place anyway?”
His parents hadn’t approved of him dating a human girl, particularly one who was a sweetblood, so he’d never brought her here before. He could still see the distasteful look on his father’s face whenever Selena’s name was mentioned.
“If you’re talking about just the mansion,” Mateo replied, “there are fifteen bedrooms and suites spread throughout the various wings and two kitchens.”
“Holy smokes. I had no idea.” She gave a low whistle as she followed him into the adjacent sitting room. “Just the mansion? You mean there’s more?”
Her curiosity had overridden her fury…at least for the moment.
As he lit a fire in the huge stone fireplace and pulled the dust covers from the furniture, he told her about the carriage house down by the gates and the cottages nestled in the fir trees along the bluff. “My grandfather, who built the place, originally planned for it to be a resort.” A resort for other vampires, he thought, where they wouldn’t have to keep their true natures a secret.
“What happened?” she asked.
“My grandmother died while giving birth to my father. My grandfather was so heartbroken that he took his son and never came back.”
“That’s…so sad,” she said softly.
Unfortunately, his kind was well-acquainted with sadness and heartbreak. Successful pregnancies were rare. Many vampire couples who dreamed of having families remained childless for centuries.
“But your father came back.”
He nodded. “My parents wanted to restore the place to its original grandeur.”
She ran her hand along some of the ornately carved woodwork. “The workmanship and attention to detail is truly incredible. They must have loved it here.”
“They did.” Until he’d fucked up everything.
Unable to keep the emotion off his face, he turned away from her and threw open the French doors leading onto the terrace. A blast of icy air instantly cooled his skin, and he heard the surf crashing on the rocks far below.
God, he’d missed it here. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, smelling the saltwater and the nearby forest. He’d lived in a number of exciting cities since he left, but the wilds of British Columbia, with its supernatural beauty, was the only place where he ever felt truly at home.
* * *
Selena heldthe cup of tea Mateo had prepared for her and watched while he set a pillow and blanket on the sofa. A, as in singular, which meant what? That he wasn’t staying here?
Her heart beat out a low, ominous rhythm in her chest. “Are you planning to tell me what’s going on before you leave or are you just going to keep me guessing?”
