when I sat in the corner and ignored him in favor of building my house.
My house.
A shudder went through me, and Maddox squeezed me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said again. Maybe if I denied it enough it would be true. My house wasn’t really mine anymore. Alfred had pulled the whole thing apart and explored every inch of the construction when he fed on me, and then submerged me into his colorful and bloody history while I drained him. I knew too much about him now—the manipulations, the control, and the power he wielded without a second thought. His bonds with Rogue, Maddox, and Fin meant everything to him, and while Fin was more a son than a brother, Rogue and Maddox were definitely his brothers.
It went beyond fondness and friendship. They were family, and no matter how they bickered, they would never choose me over each other. Not even Maddox, who promised I didn’t have to stay.
His word only held value if his brothers backed it. That helped to insulate me from the tenderness swelling inside, deflating it.
A growl rumbled in his chest as I pulled away, but the arm locked around me loosened, even if he didn’t let me scoot far. I drank the coffee and kept my gaze fixed on the blue sky overhead. The scent of snow floated on the air. It was crisper, sharper, and more intense, just like everything else. Colors were deeper and richer. Scents far more provocative. And tastes? I could dissect every part of the coffee if I focused.
Fin had tried to tell me being a vampire wasn’t so bad when it added so much to my senses. Unfortunately, I could taste all the bullshit he layered onto those sentiments, too.
“I should probably eat,” I said, aware that expressing any kind of desire was the fastest way to getting Maddox to let up. I didn’t look at him as I slid off the rock. In addition to clothes, I’d also scored shoes. These were more like hiking or combat boots—all function and no style.
That was fine.
They were an improvement on kitten slippers.
Maddox was my heated shadow all the way inside. He trailed me up the stairs to the library where, as with every other day, a virtual buffet had been set out. There was always bacon. Since the first morning Fin brought it back to me, bacon had been included in every breakfast. I filled my plate and carried it over to my favorite chair near the fireplace. It had become my favorite because none of them could sit next to me.
Though Maddox settled on the floor right in front of me with his back pressed against my legs. I bit back a reaction and focused on eating. If the day followed pattern, it wouldn’t be long before my other keepers tracked me down. They often convened here each morning. Like me, Maddox ate. Fin had to have already been up since the food was here, but since I never saw it come or go, who knew how it arrived.
The shuffle of an unfamiliar step, however, jerked me forward in the chair, and I cut a look behind us toward the room.
A man I didn’t know made his way through with a cloth, wiping things down.
“That’s Anton,” Maddox said, as if the name alone explained everything. “He will serve as librarian here. There will be more retainers arriving. Some came in last night.”
Retainers.
I tracked Anton’s progress. As if aware of me, the brunet paused to meet my gaze, and there was a flash of teeth as he smiled.
Vampire.
At Maddox’s rumbling growl, however, Anton dropped his gaze and bowed to me.
Oh for the love of…
I turned my back on him and glared at the fire. The ‘retainer’ continued his task of wiping things down.
“They will not bother you, Kitten,” Maddox told me as if that was my concern. “They know their place.”
Did they now?
“Good morning, Beautiful,” Fin called as he strolled in. I took a sip of coffee and said nothing before returning to my food. He hummed as he stopped next to my chair, and his gaze rested on me like a soft weight. With care, he waited until I lowered my fork and then pressed a kiss to my temple. “Not talking to me today?”
The barest hint of a wounded tone crept into his voice.
“She’s hungry,” Maddox said with a scowl. “Leave her alone.”
I didn’t need him to fight my battles for me. “I also have nothing to say,” I tacked