Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Fuck, even if it didn’t have heat, he had a feeling he would have to take the room. He was out of places to crash. His couch-surfing days were at an end. Right now, his options were a park bench or the homeless shelter.
“Quit being such a baby,” Luke muttered to himself. “So, it’s a bit creepy. It’s not like it’s haunted. There are no such things as ghosts, poltergeists, or demons. Besides, between work and school, I won’t even be here that much. Just a place to shower and sleep.”
Feeling buoyed by his pep talk, Luke shoved the piece of paper into his pocket and marched up the broken sidewalk, past the overgrown front yard filled with thorny vines and high, brown grass. Sounds of movement caused him to quicken his steps. God only knew what was living in the shadowy garden, and he wasn’t interested in meeting it. Maybe if this worked out, his new landlord would pay him for some landscaping work or take a chunk off his monthly rent.
The wooden porch stairs creaked and groaned under his feet, announcing his approach long before the doorbell that echoed like a giant gong through the house. Yep, this house was leaning more toward Addams Family.
He took a deep breath and forced his heart out of his throat, only to have it leap up when both doors were flung open. A ridiculously tall man stepped forward to tower over him.
Not Lurch.
Luke stood, speechless, as he stared at the lean figure with the razor-sharp features and eyes as black as coal. His black hair was styled away from his face, and he wore a black suit with a burgundy button-down shirt, and it all accentuated his long lankiness.
“Mr. Luke Carter, I presume?” the giant inquired in a gentle voice.
“Yes,” Luke squeaked. He cleared his throat and shook his head, trying to clear his brain of its nonsense. “Yes. That’s me. Are you Az Jones?”
“Yes, I am. Please come inside.” Az’s smile was warm and inviting as he stepped aside and motioned for Luke to enter.
As he walked into the foyer, it was like stepping into a thick shadow. For a moment, he was blind, and his heart skipped, but his eyes adjusted from the sunny day to the dimmer interior a second later. He was stunned to find he was standing in a foyer filled with elegant dark woods, thick carpets, and old oil paintings that appeared as if they belonged in a museum. He’d never been in a house so rich. It almost felt as if he were making it dirty by standing there.
“This…this is gorgeous,” Luke whispered. It felt like a sin to even break the peaceful quiet.
The doors closed with a heavy, deep thud behind him, and Az swept soundlessly around Luke. He cocked his head and gave an odd little grin. “Do you think so?”
“Yes, definitely! It’s stunning. When I heard there was a room for rent, I wasn’t expecting the house to be anything like this.”
Az seemed to like Luke’s praise, because the man straightened, seeming to become even taller as he tipped his chin up. “It is a rather lovely house. I share it with five…friends. A sort of makeshift family. We don’t always get along, but we’ve found that living together is more enjoyable than living apart. Recently, we thought we should put the empty room in the attic to use, and what better way to do that than rent it out to a college student?” Az turned his laser-like focus on Luke. “You did say on the phone that you’re attending classes at Ravenwood University, correct?”
For a moment, Luke’s tongue stopped working. He could only nod twice while he rebooted his brain. “Yes. Yes, I’m a graduate student at Ravenwood. I am studying ornithology and environmental sciences and engineering.”
“Excellent. Does that mean you’re a fan of birds?”
“Very much. I’ve studied birds all my life. They’re absolutely fascinating creatures. Did—” Luke jerked his tongue back and clamped his teeth together to hold in the rest of his rambling. He had to make a good impression and not bore his prospective landlord to death with all his jabbering about birds.
Az lifted a questioning eyebrow as if prodding Luke to continue. Instead, Luke smiled broadly and gave a shake of his head.
“I’m a fan of crows myself. There are a few who like to visit me. Clearly, you won’t have a problem with that.”
“Nope. Not at all.” But were these the same crows he’d met on campus and who’d brought him the flyer? No, there was no way they could be the same birds. Crows were smart, but could they be trained to ferret out possible renters for their human friend? That was a little hard to believe.
“How about a tour of the house? It would help you decide whether you would like to rent our room.”