Page 57 of House of Ruin
Blaze huffed a laugh, and Andro released his neck, returning to Gael’s side.
The House of Rats had a very similar layout to the Snakes’ brownstone, but it was considerably smaller and more modest.
Their library had all its walls lined with heavy wooden shelves. But instead of leather- and cloth-bound editions, like the Snakes’ library had, the Rats’ shelves were lined with cheaper hardbacks and a few occasional leather-bound copies.
The House of Rats didn’t have the Snakes’ budget.
And it showed.
It showed in the lack of handpicked vintage and rare furniture that had seen generations of students living in the home. In the lack of molding and crystal chandeliers that had seen more than any of them would. In the lack of a bar in the corner, with crystal glassware and carafes filled with expensive liquor.
Some Houses were just not on the same level.
In the far corner of the library, a vintage all-brass bar was perched, with two forest sprites tending to drinks and canapé trays.
Blaze found himself strolling towards it before his mind even registered his feet moving.
He ordered a whiskey, neat. The usual.
Then Blaze drifted away, a drink in hand, to find himself a spot far away from anyone else.
A few witches glanced his way as he passed the small crowd, wineglasses resting in their hands as they exchanged meaningless chatter.
Nobody stopped Blaze, though.
Finally, he found a lone green velvet chair in the corner of the room, next to one of the large shelving units, and settled on it.
What a perfect location it was.
Lazily, Blaze draped one ankle over his knee and leaned back. His gaze scanned the room as he slowly sipped his whiskey.
It took them long enough, but then the girls started acting.
You’d think with how used Blaze was to women’s attention, he completely ignored it by now. Yet it wasn’t like that.
It was like breathing air.
Blaze indulged himself, sending a wicked smirk to the tall redhead who wore a flowery dress in the midst of winter, surely because it made her tits look great.
Then he winked at the girl on his left, with luminous ebony skin and dark-as-night eyes, who, from the look she had on her face, would have devoured Blaze without blinking an eye.
Ah, so many choices.
So many wonderful, perfectly fitting choices.
Yet none of them mattered anymore.
With a sigh, Blaze rubbed his eyes, feeling as desperate as ever.
He didn’t want to think abouthertonight. It didn’t seem as if Blaze had any control over his thoughts anymore.
At least not when it came to Alecto.
Everything else, he could push away, ignore, and forget until it hit him right in the face. Like the other day with Detective Vin.
But Alecto…she was impossible to kick out of his head.
“Gods, you look miserable,” Andro said, coming over with a drink in his hand.
