Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
Cora
Cora hated to admit it, but she was having a really good time.
She’d wanted to scream when Tressa first mentioned that Marquin was away from the manor and unable to speak with her, but since she had already resigned herself to staying overnight in Vampland based on how late they arrived, she gave in and allowed herself to enjoy the opportunity of a lifetime—seeing the inside of a vampire’s lair.
They referred to is as a compound, but that term was decidedly less exciting.
Tressa spent an hour showing her around the main house, indicating a few of the other buildings on the grounds that she might be interested in checking out in the daytime.
Apparently they even had an Olympic-sized swimming pool somewhere.
It was all a little strange given that she wouldn’t be there long enough to see much of anything, but hanging around Tressa was relaxing. Like a friend she’d known for years.
Following the intriguing vamp through what felt like an endless number of hallways, Cora found herself fascinated by some of the history of the place.
The original structure had been built in Lithuania, but Marquin had it torn down brick by brick to be reassembled here when he immigrated to the States.
Tressa let slip that they even had a legit dungeon on the lower level, but despite several minutes of begging, she wouldn’t budge on taking Cora down there.
She said it was not appropriate for ‘Girl Time.’ Clearly Tressa had been hanging out with the wrong kind of girls.
The dungeon was promptly forgotten, though, as Tressa brought her to an expansive dining room. It wasn’t the ornate chandelier or twelve-person table that caught her attention, but the massive spread of food. There had to be ten different dishes of pasta, ham, and roasted vegetables.
She didn’t know how long she stood there gaping before Tressa nudged her from behind.
“Help yourself,” the friendly vamp urged. “We prepared it all especially for you.”
“For me?” Cora squeaked. “Why?”
Tressa directed Cora to a seat and handed her an empty plate. “We don’t have many visitors, so our chef doesn’t often get a chance to truly showcase his skills. I think he got a little overexcited.”
“Talk about an understatement,” Cora murmured, heaping a scoop of fettuccine alfredo on her plate.
The motor lodge they’d stayed at had a poor excuse for a continental breakfast, and she hadn’t wanted to ask Saiden to pull over for lunch.
Her stomach was more than ready to dive in.
It was five bites too late before she considered the fact she was eating food that could be laced with anything.
“Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned,” Tressa remarked when Cora hesitated with her fork halfway to her mouth, sniffing the bit of pasta. “We’re not going to hurt you. Besides, Saiden wouldn’t have bothered bringing you all the way here just to murder you, so feel free to relax. Make yourself at home.”
The words should have been comforting, a reassurance of her earlier assessment when she had come to the same conclusion, but the mention of Saiden and murder tossed her back into the memory of Beer Belly flying through the air, and the sickening crunch that followed.
She knew full well what Saiden was capable of when he was angry.
Could she ever really be safe when surrounded by vampires?
“She’s telling the truth.” Saiden’s voice cut through her thoughts, and he strolled into the dining room to take a seat across from her. “Nobody here is going to hurt you.”
Cora glanced between Saiden and Tressa. The two vampires couldn’t be more different in terms of demeanor and appearance, but they both appeared equally genuine in their assertions of her safety.
The tension in her shoulders eased, and she continued shoveling food into her mouth, pausing every few seconds to remind herself to slow down. It was dangerous for her to eat fast as she knew all too well.
“Did you enjoy your tour?”
Cora looked up at Saiden’s question and nodded. “This place is incredible, and I’ve never seen anything so grand before. It’s hard to imagine people just living here like a regular home. It feels more like it should be a museum or something.”
“Wait until you see the gardens tomorrow,” Tressa gushed. “They’re so gorgeous you could die.”
Cora dropped her fork, cringing as a loud clatter echoed through the dining room.
“Not funny, Tress,” Saiden said to his cousin who looked mortified by her own comment.
“I’m so sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t even think.”
Cora evaluated the panicking woman for a second. The spike of anxiety she’d felt from the offhand comment seemed to slither away, and she chuckled. “It’s okay. I had the same reaction yesterday when I told Saiden he drove like a bat out of Hell.”
“Well, that is true,” Tressa pointed out, taking a sip of her water.
A silence settled over the table as Cora finished up the last of her pasta. “Aren’t you guys going to eat?” she asked, eyeing the empty plates in front of Tressa and Saiden.
“I already ate,” Tressa blurted out at the same time Saiden said, “I’ll eat later.”
“Okaaaay,” she drawled, feeling a slight itch of discomfort when she remembered just who she was sitting across from. She should be thankful they weren’t indulging in what was likely their standard dinner.
Cora set her fork down and stood up from the table. “I’m starting to feel a little stuffed. Could one of you show me where I can crash tonight? I promise I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I talk to Marquin. He’ll be back tomorrow, right?”
“Oh, definitely,” Tressa said. “But let’s worry about tomorrow later. Now, about your room…”
“I’ll take her,” Saiden interjected, pushing back from the table. “She will be most comfortable in the East Hall.”
Tressa and Saiden exchanged a quick look, and Cora was starting to get annoyed at all the unspoken conversations those two had. Either they knew each other very well, or Saiden was hiding a telepathic ability because Tressa just settled back into her seat, seemingly happy to let Saiden take over.
Cora traipsed after Saiden as he led her around a few corners and down a long hall toward the east side of the mansion where he paused in front of a closed door.
“Listen, about your room…” he began.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Cora interrupted. “As long as there’s a bed, I’ll survive. It’s just one night.”
“Right. Ummm… Okay then.” Saiden pushed open the door and gestured for her to enter.
Stepping over the threshold, Cora tried to keep the disappointment off her face.
The room was so… boring. She’d honestly expected something a bit more gothic and dramatic, something that fit the rest of the home’s antique interior.
This room barely had anything on the lame beige walls, and the basic blue curtains looked like something she could buy on the cheap at any discount thrift store.
One blocky dresser squatted next to a bookshelf loaded to the brim with classic hardbacks, and another sat next to an oversized bed that took up the majority of the space.
With a deep mahogany frame and black comforter, it was the only thing even remotely dark and mysterious.
So much for gaining inspiration from her surroundings.
“I know it’s small, but…”
“It’s fine,” Cora cut him off, setting her overnight bag on the dresser beside the bed. “Like I said, all I need is a bed.”
“I’m sorry it’s not very nice. This room hasn’t exactly seen a woman’s touch.
There’s a bathroom through there,” Saiden said, pointing out a door off to the side that she missed in her initial inspection.
“Towels are in the cabinet if you want to shower. If you need anything, just open the door and yell. The rooms are somewhat soundproofed, so you should at least have some privacy here.”
Cora nodded as she sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Saiden to close the door. When he leaned against the frame with no obvious intentions of leaving, she asked, “Is that all?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I guess. Unless you need anything?”
Cora eyed him, the casual way he rested with one arm on the frame, his muscular body taking up the entire doorway.
The man wore death like an old familiar jacket, yet seeing him so relaxed made her want to dive inside and unravel his darkest mysteries.
Cora could practically see herself getting up from the bed and crossing over to him.
She imagined wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his lips down to hers.
She imagined forgetting for just one night all the things that were wrong with her, and all the reasons being with Saiden was a bad idea.
Unfortunately, her head had always been stronger than her heart. Okay, it was actually something a bit further south that was making demands, but rationality still won out.
“I’m good,” she said quietly. “Thanks, Saiden. For everything. Not just the white knight routine this afternoon but bringing me up here at all. It means a lot that you’re willing to let me have a chance. I’m guessing you don’t do this often.”
“Never,” he confirmed, backing out of the room. “Good night, Cora.”
“Good night, Saiden.”
The door closed with a soft click, and she debated locking it behind him. Not that a lock would stop any of the vampires in this house. It might deter Saiden from showing up in the middle of the night for another cuddle session, though.
She got up and strode across the room. Placing a hand on the door she pressed her ear to the frame, listening for any noises on the other side.
When she felt confident that Saiden wasn’t still hanging around, she locked the door then headed into the bathroom to wash her face of all the grime from a day spent on the road.