Page 30 of Marked
Chapter 15
Lilah
I don’t make the mistake of going back to my room. There is nothing for me to do there but sulk and pace. And I’m too old to do either.
A low growl of sound leaves me. “The asshole.”
“Which one?”
My eyes raise to find a blond woman just outside a set of heavy oak doors. The midnight embellishments over the wood are harsh. Impenetrable. Like a fortress’ stronghold. And it seems to make her smaller. Her baby blue eyes are large in an almost child-like face. And the ringlets framing them don’t help. But her body is supermodel perfect as she watches me with a kind, open expression.
“Which one of the guys pissed you off?” she asks again, like it’s no surprise.
My face heats. “How did you ...” I exhale. “The good Captain.”
Her pouty, pink lips turn down, and, for a moment, I want to take it back. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Her tone says the words are genuine, and I raise a brow. “It’s such a beautiful evening. No one should be angry.”
“You have an amazingly positive outlook.” My tone says exactly what I think about it too.
“My husband says the same thing.” She beams, and I feel bad for being so bitchy.
Unsure what else to say, I shift a little. “Well, it was nice meeting you.” I start to walk off.
Her heels clack over the marble. “Wait. Please.”
I turn.
She wrings her hands. “Are you a guest?”
“Of a sort.”
Her head bobs. “I know this seems strange, and feel free to say no, but are you busy today?”
I blink. “Well, I was going to ...” I trail off.
I need a new job. Like yesterday. There is no way I can stay here. Not permanently. And I refuse to accept any more help from Ruin. But I don’t even know where I am, let alone where the nearest town is.
Her bright eyes seem to grow luminescent. “We have a spa here. And a theater. I know you don’t know me, but would you care to join me?”
My eyes roam over her. She seems nice enough. Understanding, even. Ruin’s words float back to me.
‘You’re safe here.’
Was that before or after he decided to act like an ass?
Why his attitude shocks me, I don’t know. He’s a vampire. And an asshole. I should’ve known better than to think he could be nice. Trustworthy. And no matter how attractive he is, it’s best that I get that through my head now.
As she continues to watch me with a hopeful air, another pang of guilt rises at snapping at her.
As pissed as I am at Ruin, it’s not her fault or her problem.
But after how he acted, a spa sounds like heaven.
I exhale, and peer up at her with a grimace. “Do they do massages at this spa?”
***
The woman, who introduces herself as Raina, spends the next three hours dragging me through the manor. Even with several guards trailing us from a distance, her optimistic and happy mood is genuinely infectious. She supplies an endless array of jokes and scintillating tidbits about supernaturals. Including their bedroom stamina.
