"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?"
"In here," Nathan said back. He didn't raise his voice, so I assumed the newcomer was a vampire with the same exceptional hearing.
A man with red hair and pale skin stuck his head into the room. His plump cheeks and bright eyes didn't say vampire. They said normal guy with a desk job. He looked around. Spying Nathan, he bounced inside with all the energy of a puppy as he gave us a wide smile. On his heels came a tall, gangly man wearing glasses with thick black frames.
I sat up, wanting a look at these newcomers. The redhead had a disarming smile and didn't look like a cold-blooded drinker of the red stuff. His pale skin was the only thing that might have suggested vampire, but even that wasn't much paler than other redheads I had known. His companion didn't look nearly as friendly, but that was understandable given the fact the other man was probably friendlier than the rest of the people in this house put together.
"Ah, you're here," Red said, finished greeting Nathan. He bounced over to me and stuck out his hand. "I'm Richard. You can call me Rick, but never call me Dick."
I clasped his hand in mine. "Good to know. I'll make sure to remember that."
His eyes went slightly unfocused as his gaze turned inward for a moment. To my magic-seeing eye, it looked like light gathered around his head before dispersing almost as quickly as it came. His awareness returned, and his smile got wider. "I'm glad you're here, Aileen. I think we'll be good friends."
"Ah, ha. I guess my reputation precedes me." I looked over at Nathan in confusion, noting he looked fascinated by the interaction.
Did everyone in the mansion know about the stubborn yearling who refused to be absorbed into a clan? If so, how many resented the fact that I was going against the establishment? Humans liked to think they respected people who fought for their beliefs, but when someone tried to swim upstream, they collectively lost their minds and were incapable of appreciating the forward thinker until years, sometimes decades later.
"Not at all. I just have a bit of insight into the situation." Richard smiled as if he was amused by some inside joke of his. He didn't explain that ambiguous statement, turning and gesturing to the other man. "This is Theo. He's a companion."
"Companion?" My voice rose in question as I gave Theo a chin nod. The other man's nod was respectful, and he gave me a small, shy smile. He was cute with his curly mop of hair and the nerdy glasses.
Rick took a seat on my bed, leaning back on one hand and looking around the room in curiosity. "Yeah, companion. It's pretty much like it sounds. They provide company and blood to the vampires, usually it's an exclusive relationship but not always. There are a couple of free agents in the mansion for our brethren who have chosen to forgo keeping a companion for one reason or another. Theo's one, so if you get hungry just look him up."
The other man gave me an embarrassed smile before shooting a small glare in Rick's direction. It was a wasted effort, going unnoticed as Rick craned his head to look out the windows.
"And what do the companions get out of this relationship?" I asked, looking between the two men. I was careful to keep all trace of judgment out of my tone, not wanting to create waves this early in my stay. I know, a shocking thing for me to say, but one of the ways I'd survived in the military—heck even thrived—was by getting the lay of the land in any unit I entered. The people in this place were sure to be a tight-knit group. I had no intention of making things harder on myself than necessary.
Rick frowned thoughtfully. "Every person's reasons are different, but for the most part, I'd say they enjoy the longer lifespan and the fact that they're put on the short list for the kiss."