because next thing I knew, Dimitri was nudging my shoulder and softly saying my name.
I startled awake and looked around. The cable had come to a stop in front of another set of elevator doors.
Dimitri stood over me. “Time to wake up, sleeping beauty.”
“I’m awake,” I groused, pushing myself up and following him off the cable car.
We stopped in front of the elevator.
“Push the button,” he told me, his expression unreadable. The glint of mischief in his eyes made me pause.
I gave him a weird look. “Is this some kind of trick?”
“Not exactly.” He nodded to the panel. “Push the button.”
Annoyed, I stabbed the button. A second later the door slid open.
“Damn,” he murmured, his eyes lighting up like I had given him a Christmas present.
“What?” I demanded, stepping inside.
He joined me and pressed a button. The doors slid shut as he turned to me. “This is the entrance to the Alpha residence. You have to be on the approved list to get access. Or be family.”
My eyes narrowed.
“It’s spelled,” he explained. “You either have to be given permission to access through the wards, or … be able to bypass it yourself. It’s linked to the Dashkov bloodline. The doors opened for you, so you’re definitely Dad’s daughter.”
“So, that was what? A witchy sort of paternity test?” My nose wrinkled at the idea.
“Sort of,” he agreed vaguely. “I was curious to see if it would work.”
“Great,” I muttered, always happy to be someone’s experiment. I leaned my shoulder against the wall in the elevator car. A second later the doors slid open.
“Holy crap,” I whispered, my eyes going wide as a whole new world suddenly opened before me.
The elevator opened near the front of the house. Everything about the opening, from the marble floors to the grandiose double staircase wrapping its way to the second floor, screamed opulence. Gold accents were everywhere, including the massive crystal chandelier hanging in the entryway.
I slowly stepped out of the elevator, my gaze unable to land on just one beautiful thing. Paintings, statues, and furniture looked pristine and perfect. I was almost afraid to breathe in case I messed something up.
Dimitri slowly followed behind me as I walked into a room off the foyer.
Hardwood floors gleamed up at me, but it was the massive windows that caught my attention. They looked down over a small town at the bottom of a hill, flanked by a row of formidable mountains standing sentry over it while snow fell in a blinding white blanket from gray skies.
“You live here?” I said, unable to hold in the amazed awe.
“Yeah,” he replied. “So do you.”
I let that comment go. I wanted to press my hands and nose to the glass and stare down at the town that looked like something out of one of the Christmas movies Larkin forced me to watch over the holidays.
I tucked my hands behind my back so I wouldn’t be tempted to touch anything.
I stared until I yawned, my jaw cracking from the effort and my knees almost buckling.
“Your room is upstairs,” Dimitri told me.
I turned and he jerked his head for the stairs.
I followed him up them, my hand gliding along the smooth wood of the railing as we went. At some point I wanted to study the intricate designs of the spindles, but my brain was too tired to do it now.
He led us down the hallway to the right. “Family stays in this wing,” he told me. He started pointing out doors. “Mama’s room, my room.” We turned a corner. “Dad is at the end of the hall.”
“Your parents don’t have the same room?” I asked, my steps growing sluggish the more we moved.
He shook his head. “I told you. Their relationship is … Well, I’ll let them explain it.”
Huh.
We turned another corner and Alexei was waiting, leaning casually against the wall, his thumb swiping through his phone. He tucked it into the pocket of his jeans, straightening and smiling as we approached.
“Printsessa,” he greeted me.
“It’s Skye,” I muttered, rubbing a hand down my face. “Just Skye.”
“This is your room,” Dimitri said, pointing a finger at the closed door.
“Dimitri said you would want Tate to be with you,” Alexei explained with an indulgent smile. “She’s inside, still asleep. She probably won’t wake up for a few more hours.”
“Is it healthy for her to have slept this long?” I asked, my gaze shifting between them with concern.
Dimitri nodded. “Yeah. The cocktail we gave her was the same as the doctor and your