“Not what I asked, muirnín.” His direct look reminded her of what he’d said in her room. How he’d said it. You’ll want to answer me. Before she could stop herself, she’d shifted her gaze downward, as she might when a vampire addressed her.
“I . . . I haven’t thought about it.”
A slight tap of the chin, a reminder, and she lifted her attention to him. “Better.” He smiled, but that intent look kept her attention. “You mean you don’t listen to music for your own enjoyment?”
“I listen to whatever my Master wishes to play. I’m trained to dance in a variety of styles for his pleasure. I can also sing.”
“Okay.” He pushed the player between them. “Scroll through and find something that strikes your fancy. One song.”
She picked up the device, studied the list of songs. “Are these your favorites?”
“Playlists I’ve put together, aye.”
“All right, then.” She chose the shuffle option and hit play, so that the player chose the first song. He gave her a look, but he didn’t say anything further. The song was country bluegrass, a male band that filled the vehicle with music that fit their surroundings well. With the windows down, she adjusted the volume upward. When she did that, she won a grin. It made her feel a little better, though she couldn’t explain why. Reaching across the seat, he squeezed her hand briefly, then returned to driving, humming the song while she gazed at him, mystified both by the touch and the situation.
Each road they turned up became rougher, steeper, until they were bumping along on what seemed little more than a deer path. The trees closed in on either side, such that Niall raised her window, the leafy branches passing along the glass rather than slapping her during their passage. Just when she was certain he was going to have to produce an axe to get them any farther, they emerged into a small clearing. To one side was a log cabin built into the side of the hill, a necessary anchor given that the front yard had only enough level ground for a grouping of Adirondack chairs and a picnic table before it began to slope down dramatically, drawing the gaze in that direction.
Niall backed the vehicle into a spot obviously carved out for it next to the cabin, which gave Alanna the opportunity to stare at that overwhelming view. The slope was dotted with yellow wildflowers with black centers that danced at the touch of the wind. The hill disappeared into a forested gorge, enough daylight left that the sunlight gleamed on the golds, yellows, rust reds and countless greens, an artist’s mixed palette, forming the foreground for the mountain range behind, dark green hills giving way to blue-green ones. Beyond that, layers of hazy blue rocky formations rose into the sky, wisps of white clouds draped over them like silken spider webs. It was a view that kept the mind engaged and the tongue silent.
When she realized Niall had cut the engine, she looked toward him.
“Evan calls this the Atheist Test. Says if you look at the view and don’t believe in a higher power, no other miracle will change your mind.”
Not knowing what to say to that, she simply nodded and then forced herself to evaluate her surroundings more practically. Another vehicle, a sturdy SUV that looked like it had been decommissioned from the military, was parked on the other side of the cabin. There was a well, but now that Niall had opened his door, holding it there with a braced foot, she could also hear the rush of water, possibly a stream beyond the cusp of the hill on the west side of the property. Lifting her gaze to the steep grade above the cabin, she saw several cameras on tripods. They were loosely protected by a plastic tent, the flap tied back from the picture-taking end. Niall scowled.
“Idiot,” he muttered. He exited the vehicle, his size making it rock. Before she realized his intent, he was at her door, opening it for her. She wasn’t used to that, nor how he offered a hand so she could more easily step down from the Range Rover’s greater height.
“You’re lucky it didn’t rain today,” he muttered. “That plastic wouldn’t have held against a stiff breeze. You’d have fried your arse, getting out here to rescue the equipment.”