Relieved, Nicole laughed and nodded her silent thanks to Sadey. The last few days had been so heavy. It was nice to have someone understand but still have the ability to lighten the mood.
She followed her downstairs to a basement that had six rooms, three on each side of a hallway.
The home was a large Victorian with the upstairs interior decorated in dark woods and bronze tones. Down here, bronze sconces dotted the wall between the doors, and the walls were painted a deep burgundy.
“Vampires sure like their dark colors,” she observed.
“They sure do,” Sadey answered, coming to a stop at the second door on the left. “This used to be Urick’s room, but he left. Most of the coven left.”
“I gathered that. What happened?”
Sadey sighed and rested against the wall. “They used to be called the Asheville Coven. Their numbers were huge but quality was low, if you catch my drift.”
“They were bad vampires?”
“Yep. The shift in power to Aric weeded out the murderers. They didn’t like his ethics. He moved them here to Winterset, and it was one war after another. The Bloodrunners exiled them from Asheville in the first place, and then my ex stalked me, and then Aric aimed the coven at him to save me. Then Garret’s origin came in a few months later and dragged a coven with him to annihilate Garret and Dawn. All of their human feeders were killed. So much blood, so much war, and we kept losing members of the coven as time went on. Now this new vampire is killing here, and Shane is getting tired. They’re my family, and I wish my people could just have a break. Have a rest for more than a few months at a time, you know? But I’ve learned the hard way. There is no peace with vampires.”
“Maybe someday there will be,” Nicole murmured. Hope was important.
“Sheets and towels are in the room, and the bathroom is at the end of the hall,” Sadey said, pointing to a closed door at the end. “If you need anything, Evan is in the room right across from yours. Goodnight, Nicole. Rest. You’re safe.”
Sadey turned to leave, but Nicole stopped her. “Hey, Sadey?”
“Yeah?”
“Covens aren’t like I thought they were. You and your people have been kind to me. I won’t tell anyone the things you’ve shared with me tonight.”
Sadey smiled and rubbed her arms as if putting warmth back into them. “I sure appreciate it. And I can tell you are being truthful.” She tapped her ear. “I have good instincts.” Her eyes flashed the gold of her snow leopard, and then she turned and headed for the stairs.
Oh, Nicole knew what Sadey and Dawn were. They had registered as Snow Leopard Shifters and officially pledged to the Winterset Coven. It had made front page news of the town newspaper.
Nicole watched until Sadey disappeared up the stairs and then turned back toward the room. She startled hard. Shane was watching her from an open door at the end of the hallway. His eyes were black.
He eased back into the room and shut the door softly, just as the bathroom door at the end of the hallway opened, and there was Evan.
The handsome vampire was looking at the ground, a small frown furrowing his dark eyebrows as he walked her way. His hair was all wet and messy, no clothes on save a towel he’d secured low around his waist, and he strode with the confidence of an apex predator.
His nostrils flared and he looked up, his eyes black as a demon’s. He startled when he saw her.
Fingertips in the air, she gave him a little wave. “Hi.”
“I’m sorry I bolted earlier.”
“It’s okay,” she assured him. “Today has been crazy. This week has been crazy. No, this year has been crazy.”
“This century.”
She huffed a laugh. Goodness, the world seemed different after today. “If you’re a hundred, it means you have a hundred interesting stories.”
He cast a quick glance at the door to his room then back to her. “When did you sleep last?”
Nicole shrugged and let off a sigh. Reality wasn’t as fun as getting lost with a tall, dark, and handsome vampire. “Slept a few hours since the attack.”
“Want me to put you to sleep with my hundred interesting stories?”
Her heart hummed against her breastbone. “Yes.” She’d never heard a word from her lips so infused with hope before.
Her life had been one big terrifying shadow over the last week, and she hadn’t been able to see the edges until tonight when Evan had drawn a laugh from her. In the dark moments, she’d been scared she would never laugh again. Something about this man banished shadows, defined edges of the darkness, and made her feel…something. Anything. The numbness didn’t exist when he was near, and that was a certain kind of magic she didn’t wish away.
He shoved open the door to his room and disappeared inside, closing it behind him softly.
Unsure of what to do, Nicole wrung her hands and then straightened out the sweater he’d given her over her jeans, tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.
The door opened and Evan stood there, chin lowered, eyes lowered. He pulled the door open wider and stepped back, twitched his head in an invite.
This was big. She could tell this room meant something to him.
Slowly, she stepped inside past him and looked around. The walls were light beige, and the crown molding was a glossy white. This was the brightest room she’d seen in this house yet. Against the windowless back wall was a desk with a computer, papers stacked neatly on the corner. The dark wood floors boasted a light gray rug under a king-sized bed with
