Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
The cool interior greeted me like a long-lost friend. I sighed in relief, but the moment was short-lived.
“Damn it, Ivy House!”
Dolls teetered down the steps wearing horrible plastic smiles. “Mama,” one repeated, over and over.
“What in all that is holy—?” John uttered behind me.
The mural on the arch changed to a lion running through the countryside, chased by an army of gnomes and dolls.
“That’s not funny.” I frowned at it and directed John to the large sitting room on the right. “She’s just messing with you.”
“She?”
“The house. Don’t show a reaction, and she’ll get bored.”
“Probably not,” Ivy House said.
I rolled my eyes. “We can get you a room at the hotel or try to find a room someone is renting in town. We’re low on housing right now, unfortunately, but there’s bound to be something. We’re working on the housing issue, too. But we have plenty of space here.”
Fred walked in, ashen-faced and wearing a lopsided smile. “I don’t know what was scarier, the gnome attack or the fire.” She plopped down next to John on the couch. “We made it, though.” She smiled at John. “Cool house, right? There is so much cool stuff in here. Ivy House lets me wander around because I’m helping all of you. Come on, I’ll show you some stuff. I saw you checking out the buildings in that cairn. You’ll love this. Come on.”
She plucked at his arm, and surprisingly, he slowly rose and followed her like a lost lamb.
38
Austin
The small sitting room at the back of the house felt like a welcome relief after all the traveling and tension from the road. He sank into the couch with a tired sigh.
“There you are, sir.” Mr. Tom came in with a plate holding two sandwiches and a bag of chips. “This’ll tide you over for now. We’ll have a big roast tonight with all the fixings now that I have a proper kitchen with space and appliances that actually work.” He eyed the scotch. “Do you need me to bring you the bottle?”
Usually, Austin hated when the gargoyle waited on him, but right now, he welcomed it.
“It’s fine, Mr. Tom, I can manage. Thanks.”
Mr. Tom closed the door behind him with a click. Silence surrounded him as he took a sip of his drink and breathed out another sigh, this time one of relief. He’d been slow to adjust to Ivy House, only moving in when it was renovated and more to his tastes. But now, it felt distinctly like home, especially because he could feel Jess upstairs taking a shower, safe in the confines of the house.
Two fast knocks and the door opened again, admitting Mr. Tom, who was clearly irritated. “Apparently former alphas don’t know that retiring means people are no longer at their beck and call,” he said, his wings fluttering. “Aljoe is insisting on seeing you, sir. Shall I tell him you have more important things to do than coddle a grown man old enough to look after himself?”
“No, Mr. Tom, thank you. Let him come in.”
Mr. Tom narrowed his eyes at Austin before sweeping his gaze to the drink and food and then around the area. “You see, sir, what happens when you don’t consume so much sugar? No wild mood swings and unexplained tempers. Now do you see why I limit you?” He sniffed and turned for the door.
Home, sweet home.
John walked in a moment later, glancing back down the hall at a retreating Mr. Tom.
“Before being in your company”—John closed the door behind him—“I would never believe an alpha would allow someone to speak to him like that gargoyle just did. I would never believe I would allow someone to speak to me as he so often does, or that I would ignore a vampire letting himself into my room to wander around, or let the mate of a powerful alpha comfort me by touching my arm.”
He surveyed the room with interest, obviously wanting to look around, but instead walked to the loveseat facing Austin. He noticed the food.
“I apologize,” he said. “I won’t take much of your time.”
“Not at all. You’ll forgive my casualness. This is a room Jess and I wind down in.”
“Of course.” He leaned back, easing himself into relaxing. “I appreciate what you are trying to do for me. There isn’t another alpha in the world who would. They might offer me a place to reside, but they’d ask something from me to get it. Advice on running a territory, maybe, or training.”
He paused. It sounded like he’d decided not to stay. Austin waited for him to go on.
“You haven’t asked,” he said. “Neither has Jessie. I can tell you won’t.”
“Correct. I sought out a rogue, looking to offer help. Nothing has changed.”
John nodded in agreement. “I swore I would never join a pack again, not even one run by my sisters.”