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“No, it was still a mistake, but the likelihood of me making the same one again has gone down.” Lauren put the car in gear, turned onto the driveway, and drove them the rest of the way up the mountain. “Ambrose’s house is just about perfect. He calls it a cabin, and I guess it kind of is, but it’s so much more. It’s a lot of space without being too much for one person, or even two people, and it’s like living in the woods on top of a mountain while still being inside with every creature comfort imaginable.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
Lauren pulled into the parking space and pointed through the woods. “See? You don’t even know it’s there until someone points it out. From here, the trees block you from seeing the roofline.” She opened her door and got out. “C’mon. I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of Ambrose. He’s different from anyone I’ve ever met. His energy is undeniably divine, but he acts more human than any other god or demi-god I’ve met.”
“And he can probably hear us.”
“Oh, I’ve told him what I just told you. It’s no secret.”
Lauren led her mom through the enchanted little trail that led to the clearing around the house, and then up the steps and into the mostly-glass-walled great room.
“Oh, wow,” her mom said. “This is spectacular.”
“I know, and the cathedral ceiling just adds to the spaciousness and drama,” Lauren agreed. “The two bedrooms are over to the right. The master bedroom is the one with a view of the lake, which means my view makes it look like I’m in the woods, which we are.”
Lauren walked her mother into the guest bedroom, where the outer two walls were all glass. The only full bathroom was in between the two bedrooms, and a half-bath was downstairs. But the full bathroom up here had the toilet in its own little room. The main portion had a huge bathtub and a separate gigantic shower, not to mention a vanity with two sinks.
“The shower and tub remind me a bit of one of Mordecai’s bathrooms,” Lauren said, “though I didn’t mention that to him.”
“WhereisAmbrose?”
“Downstairs. He told me to bring you down when you’re ready to meet him.”
“Well then, let’s do that.”
Lauren opened and closed the door on the landing, and then opened and closed the door at the base of the steps. She noted her mother looking around the basement, and wasn’t surprised when her mom said, “This is built so you can house a vampire.”
“It is,” Ambrose agreed. “Completely underground with no windows, with two doors coming in at all egresses so sunlight doesn’t get in during the day when visitors arrive and leave. There are multiple vampire hidey-holes as well, so they can feel safe while they’re dead to the world.”
“Mom, this is Ambrose. Ambrose, my mom, Kirsten O’Shea.”
Ambrose gave a courtly bow. “I am honored to meet The Harlequin. Welcome to my humble abode.”
“Mordecai changed the subject when I asked your lineage.”
“Speaking of lineage, there’s something I haven’t brought up to Lauren yet, because I felt it was something she’d want you nearby for.” He motioned to the seating area near the pool table, and he put his pool cue in the rack alongside the other sticks. “Please, have a seat for a few moments before you head to Chattanooga for dinner.”
When they were seated, he told Lauren, “I have a contact in China who can arrange an introduction with the head of the Huàsheng Dynasty. This is something you need to consider from all sides, because while they can teach you things the rest of us likely don’t know, it’s also possible you’ll find your biological relatives, if you present yourself to the bloodline.”
Lauren’s heart sped, her stomach flip-flopped, and the room spun like an out-of-control gyroscope. She wanted to make a run to the bathroom to be sick, but she didn’t think she could stand, much less run. She grabbed the arm of the sofa, and then her mother was on her knees in front of her, a hand on each of her thighs, helping her with her energy.
“Deep breath, Lauren. Feel the air in the back of your throat going down your bronchial tubes, filling your lungs. Breathe in and let the oxygen help clear your brain. Breathe out the confusion and dark energy. I’m right here, and nothing can hurt you when I’m with you.”
Lauren heard the words, but it was all she could do to follow the instructions. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Eventually, the room stilled, but she still thought she might be sick. If she’d eaten anything, she probably would’ve lost it, but she had an empty stomach, which helped.
“I don’t want anything to do with the people who abandoned me.”
“But if there’s a great aunt, or a grandmother who knew nothing of you? Half-siblings, born years later?” Ambrose asked.
“You say that as if you know it to be true,” Lauren’s mom said, her voice sharp.
“I do not know it for a fact, but I believe it is likely the case.”
Lauren forced her mind to think of strategy, without emotion. “My guess is they won’t trust someone raised outside the fold. Blood or not, I’ll likely represent a danger to their secrecy if I let them know I exist. I don’t think going to them is an option.”
“It’s something we need to keep in mind,” her mother agreed. “Thank you for giving us the option, Ambrose, and thank you for understanding Lauren might need me when she heard the possibility. Is there a reason you do not want us to know your lineage?”
