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Kiam’s chest moved up and down. “Three days.”

CHAPTER 25

Brittney

I almost fell over—not that it’d be difficult, with how I was feeling. Three days gone just like that. Three days of just lying in bed when the Fae were coming for the diamond.

“But what about Leander and Adrian? Have they shown up? What’s going on? I can’t believe you let me sleep that long,” I complained. There was way too much going on for me to loll about in bed.

Kiam stroked his chin and came closer. “Someone has been scouting outside but I haven’t been able to get a clear picture of them. You need food.”

Eating anything was the last thing on my mind. “So, what do we do? Can they get in here?”

He tilted his head, giving me a withering glance, and walked out of the room.

Taking advantage of his absence, I dragged myself from the mattress and gathered a fresh pair of leggings, short sleeved shirt, and a hoodie and went to shower. Kiam wasn’t back when I finished, and I’d missed his magical hair-drying ability while my hair dripped everywhere. I towel dried it, but my hair was so long it didn’t help as much as you’d expect.

There were no windows to peek out of, so I went searching for Kiam.

The only other time I’d really explored his home was while I was escorted by the Fae, but it felt so long ago that I couldn’t remember where anything was. I recognized the door Kiam used to bring me down to the ritual chamber, I passed by where I knew the computer office was, but beyond that I was clueless.

Kiam had said I needed food, so I was searching for a kitchen. Do vampires even keep food in their homes?

After traipsing down several more corridors, I found the room I’d been looking for. As I’d come to expect with Kiam, everything was dark and ornate and beautiful while being covered with a layer of dust. A little bit of disorder was fine with me, just not around food.

“Would it bother you if I cleaned the kitchen for you?” I asked, walking up to the marble and dark wood island. He was rummaging through cabinets and glanced at me.

“No.” He flicked his fingers towards the countertops, and the layer of grime disappeared.

Sighing, I said, “You missed some spots. After we get rid of the Fae, you’ll have to show me where your cleaning supplies are.”

While upper surfaces were now sparkling, dust still covered the sides of cabinets.

“Do you like steak?”

“Sure, by why would you keep it up there in a cabinet?”

“Check the refrigerator.”

The silver doors opened easily. “OH. Wait. Hang on.” I looked over my shoulder. “Um, this isn’t food.”

He dropped a bag of something on the island and joined me. There were jars of oddly colored liquids, a glass dish with what appeared to be a human brain, a pile of something that may or may not have been hay, and a small bowl of fingernails. To his credit, there was a bunch of carrots on the back of one shelf.

“I’m not eating that.” There was no way any of that was going near my mouth. “There’s no food delivery service here, is there.”

Kiam ignored me and grabbed a plate, stared at it, and then handed me a meal of steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cooked carrots.

“Those carrots better not have come from the fridge. Also, thank you.” I grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the counter and dug in. For a magical dinner, it was very tasty. Not that I had anything to compare it to, but still.

“I’ve never had anyone here like this,” he said. He moved away and fiddled with something near the stove.

Unsure what to say to that, I stared at the counter while I ate, taking note of all the objects around me. I loved his house, there was cool shit everywhere. A wooden box sat just out of reach, so I lifted myself up and dragged it closer.

When I flipped open the lid, I gasped. Inside, there was a thin cluster of hair. The long strands were grouped together and carefully twisted into a neat pile. It wouldn't have been all that unusual, all things considered, if the hair wasn’t identical to mine.

I slid my finger along the specimen, and an odd feeling coursed through me. “Uh, Kiam, what is this?”

When he turned to look at me, he froze, eyeing the wooden container. “Your hair.”