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I set my palms on the window and pressed my nose to the glass, drinking it in.
Gabriel knew I loved the ocean. It was like he’d bought this house with me in mind.
Yeah, right.I gave myself a shake and turned away.
Still no clock, but a knock on the door told me someone knew I was awake. “Your clothes are here, miss.”
A click and an electronic beep, and the door swung open. A golden-haired woman waited on the other side, dressed in the same black uniform—slim black pants, button-up shirt embellished with a snarling silver wolf—as the rest of Gabriel’s security force. Not a vampire, though; they’d be asleep now.
She wasn’t any friendlier than the vampires, though. She gazed at me, unsmiling, over the stack of boxes in her arms. “Where do you want them?”
I reached out. “I’ll take them.”
“As you wish.” She dumped them into my arms and bent to pick up another pile.
“Wait,” I blurted, juggling the boxes. “These…they’re all for me?”
Scorn flickered over her fine-boned features. “Of course.” She stacked five shoeboxes inside the living room next to the door.
“Thank you,” I said, and got a stiff nod in return.
She dropped several intriguing bags next to the shoeboxes and straightened. “When you’re ready, Lougenia said to tell you brunch is in the dining room. Your door will be unlocked during the day.”
She pulled the door closed with a decisive click.
“Well, screw you, too,” I muttered, then forgot her to take in my loot.
Color me shallow, but I love presents, and I hadn’t had a gift in three years. No Christmas gifts. No birthday gifts. Hell, I hadn’t even been using my own birth date. Not that I’d let anyone get close enough to learn it anyway.
I set my own packages down with the rest and knelt, not opening anything at first, just shaking the boxes one-by-one and examining the labels before turning to the bags. I didn’t recognize a single store name, but I could tell they were from trendy little boutiques that don’t bother with price tags. Because if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.
I wasn’t surprised Lougenia had gotten everything delivered so fast. The Syndicate probably owned half the shops, and if they didn’t, the owners would have fallen all over themselves to do Gabriel Kral a favor.
Scooping up an armful of packages, I took them to the bedroom and sat on the bed to open them.
Lougenia—or someone—sure had good taste. One box was filled with cute little shorts, and another held a dozen pretty T-shirts and tanks in a rainbow of colors. I also found button-up shirts, dress pants, yoga pants, two hoodies and four swimsuits ranging from a bright yellow one-piece to a tiny red bikini. There were even a couple of sleepshirts.
My next trip yielded several flirty summer dresses that I could actually see myself wearing, and the shoes, all five pairs of them: running shoes, sandals, flip-flops, and two pairs of high heels.
The last bags held sexy bras, panties and nighties so sheer they’d make a porn star blush.
“In your dreams, Kral,” I muttered as I dug around until I found a few exercise bras as well. But I couldn’t help fingering the slinky red mesh romper with the crotchless panties and picturing how Gabriel’s eyes would heat if I wore it for him.
My stomach growled, reminding me that I’d missed breakfast. In fact, from the height of the sun, it was closer to lunchtime. I pulled on shorts and a roomy orange button-up shirt with big blue flowers, then shoved my feet into the flip flops.
My hair was in wild tangles around my face. I brushed it and pulled it back into a ponytail, securing it with an elastic band I found in the bathroom.
The hall was empty except for another guard, this one a lean feline of a man with close-cut brown curls. Like the golden-haired woman, I couldn’t tell if he was dhampir or human, but at least his smile was genuine.
“Good morning, miss. I’m here to take you to the kitchen.”
He turned to go, but I said, “Wait. Is Gabriel up?”
“Not yet.”
I glanced at Gabriel’s door. “What time is it, anyway?”
“A little after eleven.”
