Chapter 14 Embry
EMbrY
Corvinus assists me into the back of the long black limo waiting for us as we touch down at the private air strip in Chicago. I knew all the masters and lords had wealth, serious generational wealth like Lucas too, but the golden accessories in his car are not one bit fake.
He buckles my belt as I slide into the plush leather seat beside him in the back of the car and the driver closes the door and gets behind the wheel.
“Straight to the estate, sir?” he says, glancing at Lord Corvinus from his rearview mirror.
“Sounds good. It will be nice to be home and not galivanting all over the globe.” He looks at me. “Although there were definitely benefits to the trip.”
I don’t blush, I swear I don’t but damn if my cheeks don’t heat under the intensity of his gaze.
That man gets to me in the worst of ways.
When we arrive at his home about thirty minutes north of Chicago my eyes take in the helipad a little ways in the distance on the lawn. “You use the helicopter much?”
His eyebrow arches. “More than I should. A waste of time if you ask me but you know how Descallia is about assimilation, having all the vampires blend into the humans’ world.
” He shrugs. “Not as fast as transporting but quicker than a car drive. We just drove today so you could see the way to the city.”
So thoughtful, but I won’t be traveling to the city.
There’s no reason for me to go there. Unless of course he plans to take me to Club Descallia, for that, I’d be ready to venture back into the city in a heartbeat.
“It’s a pretty drive, not too far but not too close,” I tell him as his driver makes his way up the long drive and the vastness of Lake Michigan stretches out beneath the floodlights of the perimeter.
“You’re on the lake, like right on the lake? ”
He grins. “One of the things I love about this place the most. Secluded, lots of woods, and the lake. I enjoy looking out at the water. I think you’ll come to enjoy the view.”
Excitement bubbles in my chest and for the first time in a long while I actually want to smile, feel like smiling. I give him a genuine smile. “I have no doubt that I will. I’m anxious to see your home.”
He squeezes my hand. “It’s your home too.”
I inhale a deep breath. “Ah yes, the contract. Is this where you intend to keep me prisoner to your vast charms for an entire year?”
The handsome lord draws me to his powerful chest and whispers in my ear. “I plan to take you many places you’ve never been, but this is the home I prefer.”
His driver pulls up to the massive estate, a modern-day castle, and a large door opens allowing us entry into the garage.
My eyes widen at the enormity. Clearly the space must be the entire size of the house, just below ground.
His driver passes a row of vintage and modern-day sports cars before pulling into an empty parking space, where clearly this beauty is supposed to go.
Corvinus opens his own door and assists me out, closing it behind him. “The garage. If you need to go somewhere just tell Bernard the car you’d like to take, and he’ll provide you with a key.”
My mind is having a hard time catching up to everything that has happened, all the changes, along with everything that’s been flipped right on top of its head.
“Thank you,” I tell him, taking in all the cars as we walk to an elevator.
When we step in, he presses a thumb to a unique clay-looking substance on the electric panel.
He catches me watching. “An updated material which solves the no oil issue of our prints. Pretty handy.”
I grin. Of course he has the latest and greatest, bypassing all the silly things we have to do to get around our own security systems made for humans and not vampires. “Every vampire in the land will want one of these.”
He grins. “And they should have it for a price.”
“I’ve heard about your entrepreneur ventures. Always dabbling in this and that, buying one thing to create something else. You must be good at it.”
He takes my hand as we step out of the elevator and leads me into a long formal foyer of his massive estate.
“It’s the challenge of putting things back together in a better state than I found them that intrigues me.
A business, once thriving. left neglected and then sold, I want to learn the history and make it as grand and even more profitable than it was in the day.
It feels good, and the money is a bonus. ”
An elderly gentleman dressed in a grey suit, black dress shoes, and with a little white beard walks toward us.
“Welcome home, Corvinus. This must be Embry.” He extends a hand to me.
“So glad to meet you. Please let me take your coats,” he says as Corvinus helps me slip out of mine and hands it to Bernard before removing his own.
“I’ve had your favorites prepared. It will be served in the dining room at your normal time. Let me know if you need anything else,” he tells Corvinus.
“Thank you,” I tell both of them, feeling more than awkward.
It’s not like I’m unaccustomed to the wealth after spending so much time with Lucianna, the masters and Lucas, but the way Corvinus takes care of me is something I’ve never once experienced in my life.
It makes butterflies absolutely dance in my belly and until this very moment, I’ve never experienced that either.
I glance up at Corvinus who’s gazing at me in question. “You okay?” he asks, sliding a finger underneath my chin so he can look directly in my eyes.
The emotion makes my throat hoarse. “It’s more than fine. Thank you for making me feel so welcome, and”—I let out a sigh,—“for taking care of me. I haven’t really been the same since finding out about my gramma.” I pause. “And Lucas. I appreciate your kindness.”
His eyes narrow and he draws me close. “There’s nothing to thank me for, love. Come, I want to show you the rest of the house.” My cheeks flush as desire between us floats in the air. “And the bedroom, where do you keep that?”
I sit up on an elbow, still naked in bed a couple hours later, watching him dress. “What do you think Overmaster Descallia will say when you tell him what Gramma told me about the shadow books and Lucas?”
He outright avoids looking at me as he continues dressing. My eyebrow arches in challenge. “You can’t just ignore the question because you don’t want to answer it, Corvinus.”
His dark eyes meet mine. “I don’t think he’s going to be very fucking happy about any or all of it if I’m being honest, but the faster we tell him, the better it will be for all of us.”
Mm-hmm. “I know what you’re really thinking, vampire.”
He walks to the bed and kisses me gently on the lips.
“I need to go. Descallia will be at my office shortly. I won’t be long, love.
” My eyes narrow at the handsome but deep-in-thought beast. He may not have said a word, but I can hear his thoughts racing as though he were talking just to me.
I straighten his tie, stand on tippy toes and give him a kiss.
“You’re just keeping the fact that our whole fucking existence may depend on what you learn tonight a secret? ”