Keystone (Crossbreed #1)(28)
“Sounds good.”
Viktor stood up. “We begin tonight. Until then, feel free to go into any room with unlocked doors,” he said to me. “We have many things to offer.”
“Such as?”
Blue’s brows arched, drawing attention to her sapphire eyes. “Did you see the pool in the courtyard? It’s a little cold for swimming, but it’s heated. There’s also a rock-climbing room and billiard room.”
“And a bar,” Shepherd added, rising to his feet.
Christian patted him on the shoulder, and they swaggered out. “You read my mind.”
I spent the full day exploring the mansion and got lost three times. I went outside and circled the grounds, but a dense wave of fog rolled in. Before it started to rain, I hurried back to the house.
Blue wasn’t kidding about the rooms. I found one with billiard tables, dartboards, shuffleboard, and game tables, including one with a chessboard. I sat down and studied the chess pieces, wondering which one I was in the grand scheme of things. Steam rose from the heated pool outside, but I wasn’t much of a swimmer, so I just admired it from inside. The courtyard wasn’t a perfect rectangle and branched around as if it might be L-shaped.
The kid inside me wanted to skip down the halls and sing, but the pessimist kept reminding me that I was just a girl from the trailer park who had no business living this kind of lavish lifestyle. I’d grown up on the side of the tracks that even the cops didn’t visit.
After my self-guided tour, I found a room with a large window, and sofas boxing in the fireplace.
Christian poked his head through the open door in the right-hand corner from where I was sitting. “Sounds like a little mouse scurrying up here with all that trampling you’ve been doing.”
I ignored him, still curled up and staring at the empty fireplace on my left.
“Cat got your tongue?” Christian circled around the modern grey sectional and sat on the opposite side, crossing his ankles on the ottoman. He made an L shape with his index finger and thumb, then rested his chin between them. “Think you can handle the big leagues?”
“Are you offended by my Breed, gender, or the fact you’re no longer working solo? Something tells me you’re not trying to save a young girl from a dangerous life of espionage, so which is it?”
Christian retrieved a small piece of candy from his pocket and tucked the wrapper away.
“How long have you been doing this?” I asked.
He crunched on the candy. “A few months.”
I laughed. “That hardly makes you a pro. What did you do before this, stand-up comedy?”
“I was a guard.”
“Who did you work for?”
He groaned and rubbed the side of his face. “Not that kind of guard. A bodyguard contracts his professional services; he’s not an employee. Most people hire Vampires since we’re not easily detected and don’t require sleep. We protect their lives with our own until our services are no longer needed.”
“Your last gig must have been a doozy if you ended up here instead. Did you rush through a hail of bullets and fling your body over his, only to find it was too late?”
Christian dodged my gaze. “He was a she, and she was no longer in need of my services.”
There was a lot of implication wrapped up in that tidy little sentence. “And did you still need hers?”
He tipped his head to the side and tapped his fingers on the armrest. “You remind me of her in just one way. She always had to have the last word.” Christian bit down on his candy and put his feet on the floor, widening his long legs. “Why so glum this afternoon? Where’s that pocketful of sunshine you always carry around?”
I gave him the finger.
“Ah, there it is.” He chuckled softly and reclined his head.
Christian looked like he’d taken a pair of scissors to the collar of his thin sweater to make it wider. It showed off his collarbones and drew attention to his dark features.
“Tell me, Raven, will it be the dress tonight or the sweats? Because I’ve seen your wardrobe, and it’s astonishingly limited.”
“The black dress hasn’t failed me yet.”
“I seem to recall a few failures on the night we met.”
I put my feet flat on the floor. “Pickings were slim. Food is one thing, but I don’t fail when I’m on the hunt for justice.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Ah… justice. Tell me more about that.”
I pulled my long hair around to one side. “What exactly is your job tonight, to keep an eye on me? Do you have a scorecard in your pocket to keep track of all my points?”
“I’m your guard, remember?”
“Be my backup if you want, but I don’t need a guard. I never have.”
When I stood up to leave, Christian sprang to his feet and blocked my exit.
“No need to get your knickers in a bunch. And for feck’s sake, you can look me in the eye. I’m not going to charm you.”
“Are you going to wear that?” I asked, pointing at the loose threads hanging from his neckline.
He flashed a dark smile. “Hasn’t failed me yet.”
“I guess if you’re going to be a bad dresser, go for gold.”
“You’re a chirpy little bird.” He lowered his head, looking down his nose at me. When he hooked his finger beneath my chin to tilt my head up, I looked away. “And a pretty one at that.”