Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(12)

I didn't touch the idea of human companions. He already knew my thoughts on live blood. As long as he didn't assign me a companion, and the others showed no sign of abuse, we were good.

"They don't have their own homes?" I asked.

It's not like I wasn't used to the concept of keeping your people under one roof. The military kept its junior ranking soldiers in a barracks after all—but that was meant to be temporary. Vampires lived for centuries. Who wanted to live in a barracks environment for all that time? I shuddered just thinking of it. People all around you with little time to just relax. I couldn't think of a worse fate, and I had lived in barracks for a good long while. I’d been more than happy to get out of there when the time came.

He inclined his head. "Some keep a separate residence, but most elect to stay here when they can. Despite popular opinion, we’re not meant to live isolated lives. We're as social as the wolves; we just show it differently."

The gaze he cast me held a hint of disapproval. For my own isolated living situation, no doubt. I shrugged it off. The solitude suited me.

Eric parked the car and we got out. Nathan grabbed my bag before I could.

"I'll show her to her room," he said.

Liam waved him on. "See that you do. Give her a tour as well then report back to me."

Nathan clapped me on the back and headed up the stairs to the tall wooden double doors. They looked like solid oak, stained a dark brown. It gave a certain majesty to the building, made you feel like it was out of a different era.

Nathan showed me to a corner room on the third floor. Bigger than possibly my entire apartment, it was more of a suite in a very swanky hotel than the bare bones barracks room I’d envisioned. The floor was made of a dark wood, with white and silver rugs dotting it. To the side was a sparse kitchen done with white cabinets, a dark blue tiled backsplash and stainless-steel appliances. A living room sat to the other side, the couch luxurious and inviting. On one wall was a large-screen TV complete with a surround sound stereo system.

I looked at Nathan in surprise. "This is my room?"

He nodded, looking happy about my reaction. "Yup, just for you."

I made a 'hm' sound as I stepped into the kitchen and ran my hand over the counter. Marble. Outfitting this place had cost a pretty penny.

"Are all the rooms like this?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, each one is a little different. They've been designed with their occupants in mind."

"So, this is the guest suite," I stated, looking around impressed. If this was how they treated their guests, it'd be interesting to see how they treated their people.

A wide smile crossed Nathan's face before he moved to the coffee table and set my bag down. "Do you like it?"

I nodded as I opened the fridge. There were several bottles in there filled with thick, red liquid. "I thought you guys disapproved of the bottled stuff."

Nathan shrugged. "We do, but it's good to have on hand in case of emergency. Not as good as the live stuff, but it'll do in a pinch."

I shut the fridge door, not tempted by the blood. Liam's little perk-me-up would tide me over for a day or two, judging on my last experience with it. I didn't know if that would be the case with any blood taken from a live source, or if that was a special blend given his level of power and centuries of life. I suspected it was the latter.

I wandered into the bedroom and let out a low whistle. This room alone made my kidnapping worth it. The same dark wooden floor continued in here, light-colored rugs contrasting with it. The ceilings were vaulted with windows overlooking the gardens. On the opposite side of the room was a closet with one of those sliding barn doors that were suddenly so trendy. A full-length mirror gave the room the impression of airiness and light despite the fact it was night.

That's not what held my attention, though. No, the ginormous bed in the middle of the room did that all by itself. Elegant and simple, it looked like a cloud. My bed was nice, but this one was about three levels above it. If you fell asleep in that thing, you wouldn't want to get out of it come morning. One thing I enjoyed above all else was a good mattress. After spending several years sleeping on whatever cheap thing the military provided when I was lucky (I slept on the cold, hard ground when I wasn't) I'd embraced the decadence that came with having my own place and bought a nice mattress. This trumped mine.

"Like it?" Nathan asked, following me into the room.

I took a running start, leaping through the air to land belly down on the mattress, arms widespread.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said with an amused smile.

I took back what I was thinking earlier. Maybe living in a place like this wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a person. It was about as close to barracks living as a chicken was to a dinosaur. I could see why Liam's people didn't mind staying close to hand.

"You know, if you joined us, a room like this could be your very own."

I turned my head so my eyes met his and gave him a quelling look. "Nice try, but it'll take a little more than a nice room to tempt me to the dark side."

His lips quirked. "You haven't seen the bathroom yet."

I propped myself up on my elbows. That was true. A bathroom in this place would be worth checking out. Before I could move, a voice called out from the other room. "Hello?"