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“Showing appreciation to those who are loyal isn’t being soft,” Nate shot back lightly. “It’s just plain appreciation.”
“It’s fun, too,” Winter added. “You should do it sometime.”
The suggestion had Nicholas’s lips curling before the man sighed. “I change my mind. I thought the rusty smell….”
“Animal innards always smell rusty at first,” she confirmed. “But they taste amazing when they are properly cooked or baked.”
“Right. Well, I still need to look for my friend, so….”
There was a small incline of his head, then the man was floating off. Nate went to the door, watching his brother’s departure and absorbing the silence in the hall before he returned his attention to the kitchen. Winter was slumped against a long table like the act had taken its toll on her. It enraged him and made him feel guilty, but he couldn’t very well go to her with the assurance that she didn’t need to do it anymore. As if sensing how he felt, she looked up, waiting.
“We need to step up the game. Rock the boat and make them show themselves instead of just waiting to catch them in the act.”
Silence. But her face already confirmed her answer before she spoke the words.
“Tell me what I need to do.”
Chapter 9
“I heard that Nathaniel sent you to hang out at House Chatterley for a reason. It must be a very important reason considering he hasn’t mentioned the why. And he often does.”
Winter glanced at Rebekah, who was watching the view from a balcony overlooking the ocean out front and the many lush forests before it. Unlike most vampires who shied away from direct exposure to the sun, the woman basked in it, tilting her head upwards from time to time under her cloak.
“Does it hurt you?”
“Not as much as it hurts them,” Rebekah said promptly. “I can withstand the sunlight for a long time, but eventually it will feel like a really bad sunburn.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“When I say sunburn, I meant an actual burning. It feels like you are on fire.” The woman smiled. “But I miss it, so I time my exposure just enough.”
“And the blood cravings?”
“It’s there, but living off of actual food for a major part of my life makes it my go-to for regular meals.”
“I see.” A pause. “Nate is off to run errands. What happens next depends on how it goes.”
Rebekah gave her a quizzical look but didn’t ask further questions. They sat in silence over a table of bread, eggs, and cuts of meat, then some orange juice that made her miss home just a little bit. She looked over to the market area that resembled a dollhouse at this distance.
“The humans who don’t belong to houses live off of bread and exchange whatever they make and service with other kinds of food. Sometimes they negotiate better and end up getting into a house. Those who have nothing to exchange steal out of hunger, and those who get caught are punished.” There was a thoughtful pause. “All of House Chatterley’s servants were saved from prison, from being sent to the other side, or castaways from other houses. Then there are the stowaways working out of the other houses’ sight and essentially kept safe because of it.”
“Hmm. Why is this being brought up?”
“I don’t know. I just thought it was cool. I wish more houses did this.”
Rebekah shrugged, her response light. “We do it because it’s a benefit to us. We get connected to more houses. That is all there is to it.”
And Winter didn’t believe a word of it, but she nodded.
“Either way, I still wish more houses did this.”
“I will let you in on a little secret.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the ones who want to preen and be a jerk to each other who always attend the parties you have been to. Except for Nate, of course.”
Translation: therewereother houses like House Chatterley. It made Winter feel better, understanding there was hope to make a change around here. Before she could ask what the house names were, Matthew entered the room and ushered them away from the balcony, cutting their breakfast short. Beside him was Hilda, bags in hand and already reaching for Winter.
