at him?” I asked carefully, wondering if she was clairvoyant.
“Because you shivered,” she chuckled, turning smiling grey eyes toward me.
“Sons of the first House of Van Helsing from front to back are Mikel, Nikolas, who we now call Cole, Acyn, Rhys, Silas, Cadmus, Illeron, Sorin, Xanth, Arryn, Kaden, Dagen, and Xavier. Their mother is pregnant with Lady Nyota in the picture. She died five days after birthing the little princess. They were murdered by that bastard Donte Silversmith for no good reason other than jealousy. Arthur was a good husband to her, and you can tell by their brood of children they adored one another. Handsome bunch, are they not?” she asked, turning to find me grimacing at her assessment.
“Very much so,” I agreed honestly. “And this one, she must be the Lady Nyota?”
The picture was of a female with black hair, much like Rhys, but where his eyes were blue, hers were a startling crystalline blue that held an emotion that left me shivering. She was posed in a chair with the brothers standing behind her.
Gone was the carefree Van Helsings, and in their place were cold, hate-filled men that didn’t care what the artist captured. Cole was the only one with any emotion other than hate filling his eyes. His eyes held a sadness that caused my stomach to tighten with the pain he exuded.
“We should get you out of here before one of the brothers finishes feeding,” she whispered while placing her hand on my shoulder.
“Indeed, since I instructed you to keep my guest out of the family room, Isa,” Rhys’s voice slithered down my spine, noting the coldness in his tone.
“Don’t get angry at Isa. I was already in the room when she found me. I couldn’t stomach the vile noises coming from the room next to mine,” I stated, turning to glare at him.
“Ask me if I care, Silversmith,” he grunted, and Isa turned, looking at me coldness burning in her eyes.
“You’re one of those bloody bastard Silversmiths that killed our Lord and Lady?” she growled, spitting at my feet before she turned on her heel, leaving the room.
“She’s lovely,” I muttered, turning to walk past Rhys, only to find a blonde female stroking his arm silently, staring at me through malice-filled eyes.
“Problem, Remington?” Rhys asked softly, his eyes narrowing on me as I took in his meal with jealousy I couldn’t understand and didn’t care to examine.
She wasn’t just pretty; she was beautiful with a smooth, alabaster complexion. She wore a sheer red nightgown, uncaring that it exposed her ample breasts or landing strip between her thighs. Her hair fell in gentle waves to her hips, sexily mussed from hours of endless sex with Rhys. She lowered her hand, stroking over his crotch with ownership burning in her glare.
“Okay then,” I whispered, moving past him and his feeder. I started toward the bedroom, dismissing them both. His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist as my chest rose and fell with an emotion I didn’t understand.
“Were you looking for something?” he asked softly.
“An escape hatch or the kitchen,” I swallowed, yanking my arm away from his grip. “In all the excitement of you guys getting back, and heading off to eat for hours, I wasn’t provided sustenance. Unlike you, I don’t eat from my dick. I need actual food, so after hours of listening to Miss Thang here scream your name to the bloody rafters, I decided to go looking for the kitchen to see if I could get something to eat. I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to walk around inside your home, my bad. I’ll return to my cell,” I growled, stomping off toward the staircase.
I entered the room, closing the door behind me, staring up at the newly fixed ceiling. I shed my clothes, heading toward the bathroom to shower. I grabbed my bag off the bed, tossing it onto the counter before moving to the shower to start the water. Seeing the stereo, I messed with the station, finding a soothing song before opening my bag.
Pulling out a pair of lounge pants and a soft white camisole top, I placed them onto the counter with plain white panties. My eyes studied my reflection, frowning. I was gaudy compared to the model-looking woman Rhys had healing him tonight. My hair was a mess, untamable on my best day, and naturally curly. It was a mass of red hues, along with blonde highlights oddly scattered throughout the mess of tresses.