Page 27 of The Lunatics

Insects chirped in the lawn, birds twittered and cooed at each other from the tree branches, and it hit me then, why I’d felt so off balance in the house: I hadn’t been able to hear any of this.

Michael joined me at the railing.

I turned to him. “Is the house soundproof?”

He nodded.

“Is it okay to open the windows in my room?” I asked.

“When you’re in the suite, by all means. But I do ask that you close and lock them when you leave. Too many people know that we make our home here, and not all of them are friendly.”

“Have you had anyone act on that information before?”

“We have.”

“Hence the security?”

He frowned. “You noticed the security?”

Uh… of course I did. I have superhuman senses.

Not knowing how to respond to his question without coming across as insulting, I nodded and then changed the subject. “So, your mother is your alpha.”

“She is. It’s common knowledge. Still, my apologies. I felt your surprise upon meeting her and realized you didn’t know. I should have ensured you did before introducing you.”

“It’s okay. We all lived through the introductions.” Barely. “Do you two always argue like that?”

He sighed and looked away, one hand on the railing, the other in the pocket of his slacks. “Lately, yes.”

“Bad for your health, arguing with alphas.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

He turned then, and I followed him back in. My bedroom came as something of a surprise. I had expected another room done in neutrals. The walls were instead painted a deep green, while the ceiling, the baseboards, and crown molding were a crisp white. The wide plank wood floors were stained a rich brown, making the colors pop even more. In the center of the room was a large beige rectangular rug. The bed sat above it, draped in white linens. An ottoman stood at its foot, with a tray on top that held a vase of white lilies in full bloom, their sweet scent permeating the room.

My duffel bag and boxes were already in the room, and there were several white bureaus along the walls that would supply more than enough space for all of my clothes and then some. Opposite the door was a large bay window, with a seating area in front of it consisting of a couch and two chairs. A small whitewashed brick fireplace took up space just to the side, with split wood stacked artfully on the hearth.

I paced to the nearest window, throwing it open before I started putting my clothes away, leaving the door open in case Michael needed anything. While I worked, I thought about what my life here would be like. The first thing I needed to do was find some way to make peace with his mom. Having an alpha for an enemy was a great way to end up dead. Especially when my death would free her son. I’d just have to give her a reason to keep me around.

Michael approached the bedroom while I was stacking my books in the large bookshelf near the fireplace. I paused in my work and turned toward him.

“Settling in?” he asked. He’d removed his jacket and rolled his cuffs up, but his tie was still firmly tied around his neck.

“Yeah. I like this room.”

He glanced around it. “Marlena is to thank for the décor.”

Right. His fiancée. “Well, she has good taste.”

“Do feel free to change anything you want.”

“I will, thanks.”

“I made a phone call during the drive,” he said.

“I could tell. It gave me a minor case of road rage.”

Amusement, barely detectable, ghosted through the bond, but, frustratingly, it didn’t show on his face. “No doubt that was the one I made to our CFO,” he said. “The one I speak of now came toward the end of the drive.”