Page 87 of Lady of Darkness
I huff a laugh. “I highly doubt that, Rose. I’ve only known him for a few months!”
Still, I go upstairs and change into black pants and a dark green silk blouse. It feels casual, yet fancy enough if needed. I still refuse most footwear, so I pull on my trusty pair of leather Converse before fixing my hair and applying a thin layer of makeup. Five minutes before four, I head downstairs and grab the brownies from the counter.
“Thanks again, Rose!”
“Good luck tonight,” she yells from somewhere in the dining room.
I try not to roll my eyes as I grab my coat hanging by the front door. It’s soft and luxurious, made of cashmere. It also cost as much as my rent in New York would’ve per month. Sterling’s proclivity for luxury is truly unmatched, but I can’t complain. I like it. And itisvery warm, especially for tonight, since it’s in the forties already with the spitting kind of rain.
Grabbing an umbrella, I rush to the dark grey Range Rover waiting by the front door. It takes a bit of finagling to climb in with a pan of brownies and an open umbrella, but I manage to figure it out. When I close the door, I turn to face Alaric.
“Hi,” I say breathlessly.
“I was going to come get you at the door,” he says sternly, furrowing his brows. “You don’t always need to be so stubborn. I could’ve held the door open for you.”
I shrug. “It’s fine. I wouldn’t want you to ruin your suit,” I retort, my eyes running over the clean lines of his dark grey suit. Most of the others spend their days in more casual clothes, but not Alaric.
He clicks his tongue before he dips his head down and kisses me softly on my lips. He tastes like peppermint and cigarettes, and I can’t help the soft moan that escapes me.
“Hi,” he murmurs, a warm finger grazing the side of my cheek.
“So, what’s this surprise?” I ask, smiling as he pulls out of the driveway.
His lips twitch. “You’ll see. What’s in the pan?”
I have to cover my mouth with my hand to keep from smiling. “Rose made brownies.”
“Oh?” He turns to face me for a second, his lips pulled up into a mischievous smile. “Poisonous brownies?”
I scoff. “I knew you were going to have something to say about it.”
He laughs–a rich, booming sound. I hardly ever get to hear it, but when I do, it’s glorious.
“Can you blame me, little monster? Come on.” Placing a hand on my thigh, he squeezes lightly. My whole body shivers at his touch.
“It would be the perfect murder, though,” I muse. I look over at him, and he gives me a lopsided smile as I continue. “Attempt to murder you all once, get forgiveness and make you feel safe, and then try again a few months later. Genius.”
He chuckles. “It is genius.”
“You’d never see it coming,” I add, opening the foil to show him Rose’s perfectly baked brownies.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t. We all trust you fully now.”
“To your detriment.” He laughs as he pulls onto a side road. I look around. “Where the hell are you taking me, Cross?”
They all call each other by their last names, so sometimes, I find myself doing the same thing to remind them that I am one of them.
“Patience, Windsor.”
I cross my arms as we make our way out of town on the narrow country lane. My palms sweat as Alaric takes the turns at 60mph, with no regard that someone could be coming around the narrow bend. Driving in England is not for the faint of heart. Even though I know I’ll need to drive here at some point, I am not looking forward to it.
He pulls down a dirt driveway. There are trees on either side, and the rain begins to pour as we drive up to a massive brick building. It’s similar to the barn–what I’ve crudely coined theBloodshed Barn.Except, this place is bigger. Prettier, somehow. There’s a large red door and flowers all around the perimeter. It looks like there’s a forest beyond the warehouse, too. Large factory windows made of black metal dot the exterior of the building.
“What is this?” I ask, looking over at Alaric as he parks.
“I’ll show you.” He exits the car and walks around to open my door, popping an umbrella for me.
I set the brownies on the dashboard and climb out, walking to the large red door by his side. He holds out an old skeleton key and gestures for me to take it.
