4. Chapter 4
Chapter four
T raveling the winding path past a grove of fruit trees, Noah approached the stone castle on the hill at the edge of the village. Surrounded by lush gardens with accents that leaned both dark and enchanting, it really did look like it had come straight from a gothic fairy tale.
Beyond the fact that some of his favorite people lived there, including his twin brother, he had a lot of reasons for loving the place. Like the fact that the castle had a unique personality all its own.
And he meant that quite literally.
Constructed by Hades himself as a gift to Orrin and his mate, ancient magic had been woven into every stone and plank of wood, creating a self-sustaining and temperamental home. The castle provided everything the occupants required, always adjusting and expanding to meet their every need.
Overeager to please and weirdly sensitive about criticism, it also tended to throw toddler level tantrums when it felt it wasn’t being appreciated. Noah found the quirks hilarious, but then again, he didn’t have to live inside the sentient pile of rocks.
Approaching the heavy arched door, he grinned when it swung open in welcome, and a warm breeze scented with vanilla and lavender rushed out to meet him.
“Hey,” he said, tapping his palm against the doorframe as he crossed over the threshold. “Is Finn here?”
A moment later, some of the marble tiles beneath his feet glowed with a pale gold light, creating a path that led past the ornate staircase.
“Kitchen?” he guessed.
The tiles flickered once, then glowed a little brighter.
“Got it. Thanks.”
When he had first started visiting, it had felt awkward and uncomfortable to carry on a conversation with an empty room. After a while, however, he had gotten used to it, and now, it was kind of like engaging with an enthusiastic puppy.
Following the illuminated path, he slowed when he approached the kitchen, his heart sinking at the sight that greeted him. Seated atop one of the barstools at the island, Finn sat with head in his hands, his back rounded, and his shoulders slumped.
It had been three days since they’d left Karleigh with Orrin at the diner, and as far as he knew, Finn hadn’t left the castle since. He had stopped going on patrols around the village, and he’d skipped his last shift at the pier to welcome new souls to the Underworld.
Noah couldn’t even imagine what he must be feeling.
From the outside, it seemed like not much could ruffle the cowboy’s feathers. Calm and confident, he took every new challenge in stride, and he rarely lost his temper. Through some trial and error, he’d managed to find new purpose in the village, and all he had ever wanted was answers.
Now that he had those answers, they clearly hadn’t been what he’d expected. And really, who could blame him? His entire world had been turned upside down because of a delusional obsession.
While his heart hurt for the guy, he felt like he knew Finn well enough to guess he wouldn’t respond well to pity. So, he took a deep breath and stuffed those feelings down before approaching the island.
“Is this a private party or can I join you?” he asked as he slid onto the barstool beside him.
Sighing heavily, Finn wiped both hands over his face before swiveling around to face him. “I’ll warn you. I’m not good company right now.”
“Fair enough.” The guy would have to do better than that if he really wanted him to leave, though. “Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
He’d expected as much. “Want to eat?”
Finn opened his mouth but paused, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Pardon?”
“Do you want to eat?” he repeated, enunciating each word with exaggerated slowness. “You know, food. You cook it, and if you do it right, it’s delicious.”
“I know what food is, smartass.”
But it got a chuckle from the vampire, and Noah would take what he could get.
“I was fixing to make some cowboy chili,” Finn offered after a brief hesitation.
“Cool.” He didn’t know how to make cowboy chili, but he could take direction. “I’ll chop stuff.” Sliding off the barstool, he paused and tilted his head. “There is stuff to chop, right?”
“Yeah.” Finn joined him at the end of the counter and reached out to ruffle his hair with another quiet chuckle. “There’s stuff to chop.”
Noah ducked his head, damning his fair complexion when he felt the heat creep into his cheeks. He just wished he knew if those casual touches meant the same thing to Finn as they did to him.
Although generally friendly with everyone, Finn didn’t seem to be all that affectionate. Oh, he’d offer a handshake or a clap on the shoulder, but he didn’t go around caressing people’s faces or brushing their hair behind their ear.
He wanted to believe that meant something, that it made him special, but their relationship never seemed to progress beyond those small moments. Of course, he could be an adult and use his words, but every time he tried, the risk of rejection stayed his tongue.
So, instead, he busied himself with finding and gathering the supplies he needed while Finn laid out a variety of vegetables on the counter beside him—onions, peppers, garlic, and a fat jalapeno.
His high-rise apartment at the Tower offered a full-sized kitchen with everything he needed to prepare his own meals. Anything not already available, the apartment itself provided.
Much like the castle, there seemed to be an intelligence to the Tower…or very clever magic. Everything from clothes and shoes to a pantry full of food simply materialized, renewing and replacing as necessary based on his preferences and whims.
Despite having the tools he needed to cook, however, he rarely utilized them. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had prepared a meal that involved anything more complex than preheating the oven.
He didn’t consider himself inept or bad at cooking. He just didn’t particularly enjoy it. Rather than finding the rhythm of the task soothing or even distracting, it just bored or frustrated him. Not because he couldn’t do it but because he would literally rather be doing anything else.
He liked being in the kitchen with Finn, though. Working side by side toward a shared goal felt fulfilling in a way he hadn’t expected. From the corner of his eye, he watched Finn move with a quiet confidence as he gathered spices and lined them up on the counter.
When he retrieved a bowl from an overhead cabinet, he stood a little closer than strictly necessary, his arm brushing against Noah’s in a way that felt more intentional than not. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.
“What?” he asked when he caught Finn staring at him a few minutes later.
Finn smiled, gentle and unhurried. “Nothing.”
Brushing a curl away from his eyes with the back of his wrist, Noah huffed out a nervous laugh. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” Finn echoed, his tone quiet and teasing.
And yet the single word settled between them, heavy with something beyond simple banter.
Noah swallowed and returned his attention to the cutting board, doing his best to ignore the flutter in his stomach. “I think I’m done here. Is there anything else I can help with?”
After inspecting the vegetables with an approving nod, Finn jerked a thumb toward the refrigerator. “If you want, you can shred some cheese.”
“I can do that.”
“I’m not hiding, you know.”
Noah paused with his head in the fridge, his hand hovering over a block of sharp cheddar. Though Finn spoke conversationally, he could make out the thread of unease in his voice.
Grabbing the cheese, he carried it back to the counter, nodding his thanks when he found the box grater already waiting for him. “I get it. I wouldn’t want to deal with her either.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same luxury since Karleigh lived in the same apartment building as him. Worse, she seemed to go out of her way to hunt him down, just to glare at him from a distance.
So far, she hadn’t run amok of the village. She hadn’t threatened anyone, including him. In fact, as far as he knew, she hadn’t spoken to a single person besides Orrin.
Yet every time he left his unit, she was right there—the corridor, the elevator, the shadowed corners of the lobby—watching him. He didn’t fear her exactly. She just creeped him the fuck out.
“I can’t avoid her forever, though.
“True.” Unless he planned to never leave the castle again, he would eventually have to meet his maker. Literally. “But you don’t owe her anything. Not even a conversation.”
“I want to know why she did this to me.”
He wanted to turn and look at the cowboy, but he resisted. Instead, he concentrated on his task, holding space for Finn to be vulnerable without shining a spotlight on the moment.
“What do you expect to learn that you don’t already know?”
Karleigh had been up front about her reasons for turning Finn, and while it sounded insane to him, he believed her. There had been some missing pieces in her story, and some parts that didn’t quite add up, but she hadn’t tried to hide her obsession.
“I don’t know,” Finn admitted. “I guess I want to know why she chose me specifically. I’m sure I ain’t never met her before.”
“I get that, but I think you might want to manage your expectations. What seems reasonable to her probably won’t make any sense to you.”
He didn’t know if Karleigh’s delusions and obsession had come pre-programmed in her genetic makeup, or if something had happened during her own transition to trigger it. Either way, she didn’t seem to be playing by the same rules as everyone else.
Finn sighed, a nearly inaudible sound filled with resignation. “I reckon you’re right about that. I don’t even know if I can trust her.”
Noah rocked his head from side to side as he considered that. “I don’t think anything she told you is a lie, but I get the feeling there’s more to the story. Especially the part about how she died.” He glanced sideways, trying to gauge Finn’s expression. “Does that make—fuck!”
The box grater clattered across the countertop, and ribbons of cheese rained down to the floor like confetti.
Hissing in a breath through gritted teeth, Noah curled his fingers reflexively, wincing when sharp pain shot up his hand. In his distraction, the block of cheese he’d been shredding had slipped from his grasp, and he’d ended up grating the knuckle of his middle finger instead.
“Shit, are you okay?”
Embarrassed, he waved off Finn’s concern as he hurried over to the sink. The sharp teeth of the grater had taken a pretty good bite out of him, and blood flowed freely from the wound to pool between his fingers.
“I’m okay.” He forced a laugh as he shoved his hand beneath the cold water. “I guess that’s what I get for not paying attention.”
The fact that he could still bleed, still experience pain, even in the afterlife, was both a blessing and curse.
On one hand, knowing that nothing much had changed beyond his address had made the transition easier.
On the other, still being able to experience cuts, bruises, and even things like insomnia just kind of felt like adding insult to injury.
“Can you hand me a towel?” When he didn’t receive an answer, he twisted around to look over his shoulder, his muscles instantly tensing when he found the vampire standing directly behind him. “Finn?”
A deep, rumbling growl echoed through the kitchen, his lizard brain recognizing the sound for what it was.
Danger.
“Finn,” he tried again. “Hey, look at me.”
Moving like liquid lightning, Finn grabbed him by the wrist and spun him around, pinning him between the sink and his muscled frame. Eyes wild, nostrils flared, he jerked Noah’s hand closer, his gaze locked on the beads of crimson that trickled down his injured finger.
Another growl vibrated in his broad chest, and his lips parted, revealing the glistening tips of elongated canines. Then he dipped his head—slowly, deliberately—and wrapped his lips around the scraped knuckle.
Despite the precariousness of the situation, Noah couldn’t help but respond. The first swipe of Finn’s tongue across his skin sent a shiver down his spine. The next, tickled the hairs at the back of his neck and made his pulse jump.
And the third went straight to his cock.
“Hey.” His voice sounded fragile, weak, and naturally had zero effect. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Finn! Snap out of it!”
It took another few seconds, but Finn finally lifted his head, a small spark of recognition shining in his dark eyes.
“That’s good.” Gentling his voice, he stopped trying to fight the grasp on his wrist and leaned into the vampire instead. “Look at me. It’s okay.”
“Noah?”
“Yeah, it’s me. You’re okay.” He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, but his hand still trembled as he reached out to cradle Finn’s cheek. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Finn responded, closing his eyes and nuzzling into Noah’s palm.
“What do you mean?”
“Something feels different.” Placing his hand over Noah’s, he held it tighter to his face. “This helps.”
“Tell me about it,” he suggested, trying to keep the guy talking until the bloodlust had passed. “What does it feel like?”
“I’m sorry,” Finn answered instead. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, you didn’t hurt me.” The incident had startled him, but nothing about Finn’s touch had been painful. “And you don’t have to—”
“Wow, something smells good.”
He closed his eyes and choked back a groan as the familiar voice rang in his ears. His brother really did have the worst timing.
“Oh, hey, Noah. I didn’t know you were coming over.”
Finn reacted as well. Only, instead of irritation, he chose violence.
His lips peeled back from his teeth, and a dark, territorial snarl ripped from his throat. The next thing Noah knew, he had been spun around again, his back now pulled tight against Finn’s chest with a strong, muscled arm locked around his waist.
“Whoa, what the hell?” Keegan demanded, his brow creased in confusion as he stared at them from the other side of the kitchen island.
Of course, his brother’s mate didn’t have quite the same reaction. Guiding Keegan behind him, Rune stepped forward, his massive frame radiating with protective energy.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but we can talk about it.” As he spoke, he crept toward the end of the island. “How about you let Noah go first, though?”
To his credit, Rune had a lot of experience in managing Finn’s slips in control, but somehow, Noah didn’t think the usual tactics were going to work this time.
“Come on, cowboy,” Rune coaxed. “Let him go.”
Rather than comply, Finn’s arm tightened around his waist, and his other hand came up to rest in the center of Noah’s chest, the hold both defensive and…possessive. Then he spoke. Just one word, tinged with a growl, that changed everything.
“Mine.”