Happy to oblige, I added Tony to my contacts list then included a pizza emoticon lest I forget him.
Air shimmered as Cletus materialized, brushed his bony knuckles over my jaw, then swirled into nothing.
Pressing fingers to my cheek, I turned to Linus. “What was that about?”
“I’m not sure.” The expression on his face was difficult to parse. “Wraiths aren’t allowed in the Faraday.” Amusement peeked through his eyes. “Odd, wasn’t it? Almost like he was saying goodbye.”
Nodding thoughtfully, I zipped my lips before I gave my part in Cletus’s newfound awareness away.
Though I doubted my doe-eyed innocence act had fooled Linus for a minute.
Fiddlesticks.
A giant of a man watched our approach through hooded eyes the tawny brown of crushed pecan shells. His sandy-blond hair hung in dreads down the small of his back, twisted into a loose tail. The crimson and black uniform did nothing to hide his muscular build or the menace in his bearing. How humans saw him and accepted him as one of them blew my mind.
“Mr. Lawson,” he boomed down at us, gripping the curved handle on the ornate glass door leading into a gilded lobby. “I wasn’t aware you were back in the city.”
“I’m only here for the weekend, Hood.” Between the curb and the door, Linus had donned one of the masks from his extensive collection. This was Scion Lawson, with a stick so far up his butt he probably coughed up bark, and a faint sneer tinged with just enough boredom to make you feel like simply addressing him was wasting his time. “This is Grier Woolworth. She’ll be staying with me. She has full access to the building and my loft, understand?”
Hood blinked once, but that was the extent of his reaction. “Yes, sir. I’ll make sure the rest of the staff knows to treat your guest with the utmost respect.” He turned his warm eyes on me. “Ms. Woolworth, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to the Faraday.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hood.” I wondered what on Earth he was but knew asking was gauche.
Hood pressed a button, and the door slid open, allowing us to step into the foyer.
The layout reminded me of every five-star hotel Maud and I had ever visited, including the check-in desk. There was an air of permanence about the place that suggested this was more than a temporary dwelling for those who entered, but the gleam of metal and sparkle of glass made it hard to imagine there were people who called such lush environments home.
A spindly man with a hawkish face popped up at the sight of Linus and rushed around his desk.
“Scion Lawson, what an unexpected blessing. So good to have you home, sir. The Faraday hasn’t been the same without you. The city herself has mourned your absence.” He bowed almost in half. “How is your exquisite mother? Lovely as ever, I’m certain.”
“Mother is well, thank you.” Linus dared me to laugh with a scowl, his mask slipping a fraction, before addressing him. “Hubert, this is Grier Woolworth. She is my guest. Treat her as you would treat me.”
“Yes, sir.” Hubert unfolded and eyed me as if I were the morning sun rising. “Madam, you are glorious. I see why Scion Lawson favors you so. Your hair—like the darkest chocolates. Your eyes—like spun gold. Your—”
“If you’ll excuse us,” Linus cut in before Hubert broke out the full-on sonnets, “we have plans this evening and would like to freshen up before we head out.”
“Of course, sir, of course. Let me take your bags.” He reached for our luggage. “It’s my pleasure, truly.”
“We’re good,” I found myself saying, unnerved by the adoration shining in his eyes. “Thanks, though.”
“As you say, madam.” Crestfallen, Hubert slumped his shoulders. “I am yours to command, should you need anything, anything at all. Your slightest whim is my greatest desire.”
Pretty sure I’ve never powerwalked to an elevator so fast in my life.
Once the doors slid closed behind us, I lost my grip on my laughter and brayed to do Maud proud.
That was all it took, like I had taken my fingers and pried off the mask to find Linus underneath.
Lips twitching, he was fighting a losing battle with a smile that had me grinning back at him. His starched posture had wrinkled into comfortable lines, and I saw so clearly the moment he sank into his skin and became simply himself that my heart pinched that this Linus was the one hidden away. Except from me.
“Wow. You’ve really been slumming it with me. I had no idea.” Straightening my spine, I pushed my shoulders back until the blades rubbed. “Sir, it’s such a pleasure to have you home, sir. Do you have any boots in need of licking, sir?”
Linus wiped a hand down his face. “Living at the Faraday was part of the deal I made with Mother.”
“Ah.” I counted the floors as we rose higher and higher. “That explains Hubert.” I pulled out my phone and shot off a quick text to Amelie and Odette to let them know we had arrived safely. “I’m sure he called your mother the second our backs turned.”
“You’re probably right.” He sounded tired. “He’s not usually so obnoxious.”
“Hood seems cool.” Again, the temptation to ask what he was had me tasting curiosity. “Hubert is probably not going to be my favorite person, though. I dealt with enough sycophants on Maud’s behalf to last me a lifetime, and he had a smudge on his face from all the brownnosing he’s been doing.”
“I’ve never brought anyone home with me.” He allowed himself a tiny smile. “Outing one of my lovers to Mother would be the highlight of his career.”
“Surprise.” Jazz hands. “Mother already knows all about me.”
And one of his lovers? Just how many did he keep? Or did he mean that in a general sense?
“Not all about you,” he corrected me, snapping me back to attention. “But she knows you’re here with me. There was no point in not telling her what her spies will make sure she finds out eventually.”
Keeping secrets from his mother was dangerous, even for him. I guarded a few I hoped she hadn’t learned, but I had no idea if he was doling them out to her when she got hungry for progress, or if he played his cards close to his vest with her, maybe especially with her—as he’d instructed me to do—and that meant hoarding my secrets until he could use them. The notion he might keep them without expectation…
It was a fairy tale, and I had never believed in those.
“The penthouse.” I pretended shock. “Ding, ding, ding. Top floor.”
His soft groan humanized him. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Immensely.” I raced him into the hallway. “If it seems like I’m making fun of you, it’s because I am.”
“Really?” He pulled a keycard from his pocket. “I couldn’t tell.” After swiping it, he passed it over to me. “Keep this on you at all times. This is your ticket in and out. There are wards set to scan for keys.”
“I got in without one this time.” I wasn’t arguing, just wondering how it worked.
“Hood let you in.” He opened the door to his darkened loft but stood there obscuring my view. “He’s the most mellow of the watchmen, but his temper can be short. Remember your key, and try not to talk to them.”
“Are they like the guards at Windsor Castle?” I rose on my tiptoes to peek over his shoulder. “They can’t talk or blink even if you hang from them like a monkey?”
“No.” Linus thwarted me by blocking access to where I imagined the switches to be. “They’ve been known to eat visitors they don’t like, and they’re contractually permitted to do so.”
“You aren’t serious.” Stepping into Linus’s world was like strolling into one of those fairy tales I didn’t believe in but felt realer by the minute. “Management would never go for that.”
“Residents pay a premium for security, and it doesn’t get safer than this. No one will harm you within this building, or they will be executed. The mingling of species requires harsher laws. That’s why no humans are allowed. We all sign the same paperwork before buying or leasing in th
is building. We’re all aware of the consequences if we—or our guests—misbehave.”
“I can’t believe your mother lets you live here,” I squeaked, grateful Boaz wasn’t here to call me on it.
“I’m shocked she does too.” He glanced around the hall. “Every day.” His gaze fell on me. “I think she hoped the terms and conditions would terrify me, and they did, but this is what I want.” His half-smile was heartbreaking. “It’s as close to freedom as I’ll ever get.”
Pity would earn me his anger, so I ignored the heartfelt sentiment and nudged him out of my way. I ran my hands along the walls in search of a switch, bumping art with my fingertips, and almost swallowed my tongue when illumination spilled throughout the room from the recessed lighting tucked in the flat spaces between thick, whitewashed beams.
“Grier…”
“Hush.” I drank it all in. “I’m absorbing.”
The far wall and the one behind us were hung with sheetrock and painted a soft greige color. The other two showcased original brick with plaster patches that softened the look. The floors were polished concrete and dazzled. A narrow staircase with glass panels in place of rails had been built along one wall. To maximize space, its interior had been hollowed out and transformed into a series of bookshelves overflowing with tomes. The elegant climb led up to the bedroom, a true loft space open to the rest of the apartment.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
The wood and brick combination saved his home from being sterile, but the contemporary furniture and modern art pieces made me wonder if the space had come furnished. Since he had no eye for design, as evidenced by his support of my wardrobe, the magazine ad results probably bothered him less than they did me.
Or maybe this was more evidence of his chameleonic nature. Maybe this was his preference, and I was all wrong about how well he fit into the quirky vintage style at Woolworth House. But I didn’t think so.
Drawn across the living room to the floor-to-ceiling windows, I stutter-stepped when movement caught my eye up in the loft bedroom, and I got an eyeful of a different view than the one I had expected.
An Asian woman lounged fully nude on the bed, her artful pose an invitation to gawk, and gawk I did.
“Hello,” she purred, twining the silky ends of her ombre hair around a delicate finger. “I wasn’t expecting Linus to bring home company.” Her brilliant green eyes sparkled almost as brightly as the elegant emerald collar around her throat. “This should be fun.” She wet her lips. “Do you want to be on top first? Or would you prefer to be topped first?”
Linus didn’t spare her a glance as he wheeled my luggage to the base of the staircase. “Meiko, no.”
Above him, Meiko climbed onto all fours and stalked down the length of the mattress. She hissed at him through needle-sharp teeth then leapt onto the floor. The resulting thud sounded more like a shoe dropping than a woman landing. About the time I got curious over what was happening up there, a furry leg banded with tabby stripes stretched for the topmost step.
“Um, Linus?” I felt my eyes widen. “What is that?”
“She’s a nekomata, and my second familiar.” He tapped his foot, waiting as the massive cat slinked down to greet him. “Meiko, Grier is our guest. No more pranks.”
The cat stuck its tails, and there were two, in the air and twitched them once as if to ask where’s the fun in that?
“Can she not talk when she’s…?” I gestured to what appeared to be either a Maine coon on steroids or a runty bobcat, “…like that?”
“Meiko can talk in any form,” he assured me. “She’s being catty.”
Literally in this case.
“You’ll be staying in my room,” he told me, and the cat yowled with indignation. “It’s the only way you’ll have any privacy. Meiko and I will stay down here.”
“Where will you sleep?” The sleek, angular sofa looked about as comfortable as a cardboard box with a sheet draped over the top. “We can always pick up an air mattress and pump while we’re out.”
Ears perked upon hearing we didn’t plan on sleeping together, the cat snapped her jaws shut then glanced between us, the light catching on her collar.
“I have a Murphy bed for guests.” He indicated one of the built-ins I had assumed was an armoire to hide his television since I didn’t see one mounted on the walls. “It’s never been used.” He pulled his luggage over and parked it at his new digs. “Now I can say it’s been tested at least.”
“I can stay down here. I don’t mind. I don’t want to run you out of your room.”
“You’re not. I’m offering it to you.” He indicated one of two closed doors. “There’s only one bathroom. We’ll have to share.”
“I can do that.” I bet it was every bit as lavish as the rest of the space. It wouldn’t beat the clawfoot tub in Maud’s bathroom where I used to beg to soak, but I could make do. “I’ll check in with Neely and see if he’s arrived yet.”
“All right.” He took his suitcase into the bathroom with him. “I’ll change.”
Meiko exploded into sex-goddess mode as the door clicked shut. “So, you’re Grier.” Her eyes glittered. “Want to know a secret?”
Unsure what her angle was, I shrugged. “As long as you don’t expect me to reciprocate, sure.”
“Follow me.” She crooked a finger in expectation I would trail her sashaying hips. “This is Linus’s home office, broom closet more like it, but it doubles as an art studio.” The door opened under her hand, and she flipped on a light. “Notice a theme?”
Gazing into his office was like staring into a mirror. On the back wall, hung above his desk, was an oil painting. The woman wore my face, but she wore it better than me. Happiness shined through her eyes, and a mischievous quirk lifted one corner of her mouth. She looked like she had a good secret and was seconds from sharing it if only you would lean close enough to hear.
This must have been his last memory of the girl I used to be.
“There are more,” she confided. “You’re his muse. You have been for as long as I’ve known him.”
“How long is that?” I rasped, unsure what else I ought to be asking.
“Four years,” she admitted. “Why he fixated on you when he has me is unfathomable.”
“I shouldn’t be in here.” Viewing this without his permission was worse than Boaz thumbing through Linus’s sketchbook in front of him. This was… More. A shrine—or mausoleum—where that past Grier remained entombed. “He won’t want me to see this.”
“Whyever do you think I showed you?” Delight rattled in the back of her throat. “Do you know what a nekomata is?”
“Not offhand, no.” I backed from the room, and she followed, closing the door behind her. “Are you a true shapeshifter, or do you use glamour, like the fae?”
“You’re a smart cookie.” She tapped the end of my nose. “No wonder he wants to eat you up.”
Heat flooded my face, part embarrassment over what she was telling me and part—I don’t know what—at seeing his memorial. Though her diversion almost worked, I noticed she hadn’t answered my question. “I’m guessing you trade in mischief.”
“Right again, Cookie.” Her husky chuckle, like she was sizing up how many bites that might take, made me uncomfortable. “I show people what they expect—”
“I did not expect a cat lady.”
“Oh, Cookie, but you did expect a beautiful woman in his bed.” Her eyes glimmered, the pupils dilating. “You must have put a lot of thought into his tastes in women.” She raked her claw-tipped fingers through my hair. “I plucked the image out fully formed, no embellishment required.”
“You’re wrong.” I backed away, but her fingers tightened on the ends of my hair to hold me still. “I have a…” boyfriend didn’t feel like the right word, “…Boaz.” Maybe if we had made it to our second date, or if he picked up a phone sometime, I might have had a different label for him. Right now, I wasn’t sure what we were or weren’t. Too much had
changed that night in the Lyceum. He had changed. Given all that happened, it would have been impossible for him not to be altered. “Linus and I aren’t like that.”
“Yet.” She twisted in on herself until a fluffy too-big-to-be-a-house cat sat at my feet. “Brrrrrt.”
“Back at you,” I mumbled, relieved when she padded into the kitchen. Antsy at being left alone in a strange place, I dialed up Neely for comfort. “Hey, where are you?”
“I just rolled up to a café on Peachtree Street Northwest. I couldn’t remember where you said you were staying, and since you forbade me from hunting down my sugar lump, I figured I would fuel up while I waited.”
A look down at my clothes had me second-guessing the need to change. Unlike Linus, I wasn’t headed for a meeting, and there was only more of the same in my suitcase. With that reminder of why we had planned this outing in mind, I decided there was no reason to keep Neely waiting.
“Hold on.” I located Meiko, who was busy lounging on a black mohair throw draping the couch, and waited while she decided whether to acknowledge me. “Can you tell Linus I left? That I’m going to meet Neely? He’ll know who I mean.” And since we hadn’t nailed down our plans… “He’s welcome to join us if he wants.”
“He won’t.” Meiko yawned, baring a mouthful of teeth. “He’s not a joiner.”
“He did mention a meeting,” I conceded.
“There you have it,” she purred. “You best run along to meet your little friend.”
“Grier?” Neely buzzed in my ear. “Are you coming or…?”
“I’ll be right there.” I checked my pockets for my debit card and room card. “Order me something hot and sweet to go while you’re at it.”
“Aren’t you wicked?” He chuckled. “I’ll see who I can rustle up.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “A drink, Neely. Not a person.” I retraced my footsteps to the elevator. “I’ve got my hands full as it is.”
“Do tell.” His interest perked faster than a fresh pot of coffee. “I thought you were Boaz forever?”
“He’s acting weird.” Granted, he had plenty of reason for that. “I’m not sure what’s going on there.”
How to Break an Undead Heart Page 13