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Both Eden and Sunny remain preternaturally still, as if stillness is a defense mechanism of sorts. Julian’s smile widens farther, but it’s Jaxson who speaks first.
“You promised you wouldn’t makemy guestsuncomfortable, Julian. I need them here. You better fix this, you big pain in the ass.”
Julian’s gaze snaps to Jaxson, anger flashing in them but only for a moment before he locks his eyes on Rafe. “I apologize for making you feel unwelcome, Alpha.” His eyes slide to Jonah. “And you, Sigma.” To me. “And for making you pass my little test.” Back on Rafe. “But I will not apologize for protecting those under my reign. That is my highest duty. Surely you can understand that, Alpha.”
Rafe’s shallow exhale tickles the back of my neck. “I can,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Good. Then allow me to make amends by cooking you a ‘welcome to Laurel Cove’ meal. There’s plenty of room in my compound for you to get cleaned up and we can make a fresh start.”
Eden finally takes a breath, the movement snaring my attention. “Oh, you all are in for a treat. That’s how Julian won me over, his cooking.”
Vampires eat?I ask Rafe mind to mind.
Evidently.
“We’ll have dinner with you,” Rafe says. “But this is your last chance. If you insult my people again, we won’t hesitate to leave your beloved city.” Rafe spits the word “city” like it’s a curse.
We spend the rest of the ride in nearly amicable silence. Tensions run a hair too thick, gazes too attuned to one another for it to truly be amicable.
“Rory will show you to your room. I’m assuming you’ll want to share?” Julian says as Rafe, Jonah, and I approach the ornate double doors to his city-center compound, arm-in-arm-in-arm. Eden and Sunny are behind us, also arm-in-arm, and for a moment I wonder if maybe those two aren’t more than just friends.
Jaxson stands next to Eden, a little bewildered looking.
“Yes,” Rafe and Jonah say in unison, without hesitation.
A large man with a huge square face—Rory, I presume—opens the doors, ushering us into an absolutely frigid open concept space. I pull Rafe and Jonah closer just to keep my teeth from chattering as I take in all the different spaces. Multiple seating areas divided by plush rugs and different variations of a warm color scheme made the vast space feel warm and welcoming, despite its ungodly temperature and imposing size. Did vampires need to keep themselves refrigerated or something?
I couldn’t imagine keeping a place like this clean and tidy.
But then, I suppose Eden doesn’t have to imagine that either. Vampire Queens definitely don’t dust or do windows.
“Dinner is at nine sharp in the formal dining room.” Julian nods toward a hallway indicating where we might find the dining room. “I’ll let you three clean up and explore as you see fit. Rory will be on call should you need anything.”
“This way, if you please,” Rory says as Julian, Eden, and Sunny head in the opposite direction.
“You coming, Jax?” Eden says to the wolf who begged us to come here.
Jaxson shakes his head and catches up with his vampire bestie. “If they leave, I’m blaming that oaf you call a mate,” he says under his breath as they turn the corner.
We follow Rory up at least seven staircases, or so it seems, before he finally announces we’ve made it to the guest suite.
The guard, or butler, or whatever he is, opens the door and gives us a quick tour, outlining the living space, sleeping quarters, and bathrooms. Yup, I said bathrooms. As in more than one.
God, what it must be like to live like this. To not share less than a thousand square feet and have dominance battles over who gets to shower first.
I glance around the living space, which is bigger than my whole cottage, and sigh. “We need to move out of the cottage,” I mumble.
“If you need anything, just hit zero on the phone and I’ll have it sent up to you.”
“Oh, thanks,” I say, and suddenly I’m aware of just how vastly different our two worlds are. Maybe Rafe was right to have trepidations about coming here. Compared to these people, wearesmall-time wolves.
Rory’s out the door, about to pull it closed, and I’m about to breathe a sigh of relief and give voice to all the weirdness in my head, when he stops, making direct eye contact with me.
Rafe lets another low, rumbling growl reverberate in his chest.
“I don’t mean any disrespect,” he says to Rafe while still locking eyes with me. “Only to show you my earnestness. They aren’t as bad as they seem. Really.” He closes the door tight behind him, and the sound of his lumbering footfalls growing farther away gives me a second to get myself together.
“You want to move out of the cottage?” Jonah asks quietly as we all undress and head to the shower. We really do smell like vomit.
