Page 7

The moment we rolled to a stop before the chateau, exhaustion sank deeply into my bones. One after the other, my sisters piled out of the vehicle with infectious smiles spreading over their mouths. Their energy was contagious.

The outside of the chateau was incredible. The stone facade covered the exterior in gentle, muted shades of gray. Wide, far-reaching, arched decorative windows dominated the entire front of the home. Several lofty, sharply slanted rooftops shot upward, standing proudly in the darkening skies like sentinels against the darkness.

On the second story, a Juliet style balcony was covered in greenery. It spread around the home, reaching toward the back. Vibrantly colored flora threaded through the ivy-like vines twisting around the silver-coated railing. Light from within the house bathed the cobblestone pathway in a soft glow.

“We’ve been rather busy with fixing this place up,” Savage stated, her eyes sparkling with pride. “I heard you are fixing up the house you purchased?”

A snort burst from my lips before I could prevent it from escaping. “I wouldn’t say fixing it, exactly. You, on the other hand, have done a breathtaking job with this place.” Our house was one step up from a shack, no matter how much I’d convinced myself otherwise. “This is truly amazing, Winnie.”

Narrowing my stare, I felt a sensation of uneasiness crawling over my flesh. Sliding out of my seat, I eyed the large intricately designed double doors that swung open.

“Wait until you see inside,” she offered as she guided me through the doors.

My jaw dropped the moment I entered the chateau. The outside was lovely, but the inside was exquisite. The soaring barrel-vaulted ceiling sparkled with crystals embedded throughout dazzling glasswork pieces. Dangling throughout were large, lavish chandeliers with the finest hematite crystals I’d ever seen.

Past the lofty column, a wall of glass offered a view of fires lit outside beside a large turquoise pool of water. The entrance opened right into a lavish hallway. It housed a split staircase that followed both sides of the walls, then split into different wings of the mansion.

Pictures lined the walls, each of our portraits painted by an artist, capturing a much more innocent image than we currently have. Silver was threaded throughout the entire house. It called me like a siren, begging to be summoned and wielded.

Winchester had built a masterpiece here, but she’d also added an arsenal of silver to wield against anyone who thought to trespass against our bloodline. It was everywhere. The frames, the ceiling, the walls, and the floors. Below our feet sat enough silver to slaughter the entire township should we need it.

A shiver rushed down my spine, spreading through my abdomen. Protectively, I placed a hand over my womb. My sister came here to protect me. She’d do so no matter who or what thought to harm me.

“You can feel it,” Winchester whispered, turning to look at me over her shoulder. “The silver we brought with us?”

“Yes,” I uttered softly, my mouth salivating with the need to summon it to my fingertips. “You’re intending to fight a war?” I didn’t need her to confirm it for me. The amount of silver within this place exposed the truth.

“No, but I’m not intending to lose should we be forced to fight one, Remington. We lost to them once. It wouldn’t be wise to underestimate them a second time.”

“Rhys cannot hurt me. I’m his silver. If he could hurt me, he would’ve done so already. He isn’t who we need to be wary of. Whoever is hunting me, that’s who we need to worry about.”

Winnie nodded in confirmation as she turned, peering through the entrance. After a moment, she guided me to a grand room with a fireplace built into the back wall. A matching set of rollback Chesterfield sofas faced one another, with a quaint table placed between them. Both sat before the fireplace, studying the flames, kissing like lovers over the wood.

Inhaling deeply, I drank in the scent of a wood fire and clary sage perfuming the chamber. Not waiting for an invitation, I seated myself near the fireplace on one of the sofas. The moment my rear end touched the softness of it, I sank into the comfort it offered.

“So?” Winchester asked, choosing the seat across from me. “What do you think?”

“It’s lovely,” I admitted as exhaustion threatened to slur my words.

“It’s the same as the one I own in Paris.” My eyes rounded before I did a slow double-take of the extravagant furnishings around the chamber.

“The same?” How many times had I wondered what life would’ve been like had she taken me with her when she’d fled our home?

Never in my wildest dreams had I thought she’d live in such a splendorous place. Not when I’d lived in a small cell-like chamber. A room built with silver and concrete.

“Other than a few things, yes. The one in France houses both silver and gold throughout the interior.” Nodding her head, she gazed around as if she were seeing it through my eyes for the first time. “You look tired.”

“Is that a nice way of saying I look like shit?” I countered as the heat from the fireplace warmed my flesh.

Winchester let out a snort before her icy-blue stare clashed with mine. “It is. Do you want me to show you to your chambers?”

“In a moment,” I conceded. Turning toward the flames, I observed them sway over the logs. “The fire is nice.”

“I sent word ahead for the fire to be lit inside your chambers. Considering everything you told me over the phone, I figured you’d be exhausted. Plus, I need to talk defenses with the others. Unfortunately, that means I need your ears to be elsewhere until we can figure out what all being a silver to the Van Helsing entails,” she said with poise and a hint of worry sharpening her tone.

Offering a tight lipped smile in reply, I peeled my exhausted bones from the plush Chesterfield and waited for her to lead the way to my chambers.

“None of us enjoys knowing he has a legal immortal claim to you, Remi. I have people scouring the libraries of immortals for anything about what it means to be another’s silver.”

“I’m not mad or hurt. Honestly, I’m just exhausted.” My shoulders sank in defeat as I stopped putting on the facade of being fine.

Exhaustion bled into my bones and soul. Smothering a yawn in my palm, I struggled to keep my eyes open. My entire body ached from the ceiling crashing down on me.

I wasn’t healing as quickly as I should’ve been, either. It had become more apparent after I’d left Rhys’ house and moved into the new place. What benefits I’d received from immortality, whatever they were. They’d diminished since I’d begun growing another person.

“You’re braver than you think you are, sweetie.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I nodded in agreement. A lot of good being brave did for me. I could be bulletproof, and it wouldn’t change the fact that I was slowly crumbling from within. The only time I’d felt whole since leaving Rhys’ side was when he’d saved me.

Without him near, I felt hollow, as if he fit in the hole growing inside of my soul. That thought terrified me more than being alone. I wasn’t afraid of being alone at all. I was afraid that whatever connected me to Rhys was slowly killing me without him around to ease the ache.

I’d be damned if I admitted it aloud, or to anyone else. It was a weakness I didn’t need, nor want, to have. Without knowing what it meant to be his silver, I was going through this blind and alone.

“You’ve had quite the night, darling. Let’s get you settled into to your new room so you can rest and regain strength.” A warm smile played over her mouth as she held her arm out, indicating I should follow her.

“Thank you, Winnie.” I didn’t need to thank her for what she’d done, but I did need her to know I appreciated her and everything she was doing for me.

I followed Winchester down two long, winding hallways before we entered a lavishly decorated chamber. The moment I entered the spacious room, I was soothed by the gentle scent of lavender and sage flooding my senses, savoring them.

The bedroom was painted a soft cream color, accentuated with jade-green embellishments. A bed with a high, padded headboard was pushed against the wall. The fabric of the headboard matched the walls, while the plush pillows and blankets were the same jade-color as the furnishings.

A chaise lounge chair matching the bedding was situated in front of the large, embellished fireplace. Gravitating toward the fire, I sank into the chair and stared sightlessly into the dancing flames.

“There’s a bathroom through the door farthest from the bed. I took the liberty of ordering you an entire wardrobe. Unfortunately, I forgot to consider your precarious situation. Hopefully, you can make do with what is in there. The Van Helsings have cut us off from town, as well as the outside world.”

“I figured as much,” I admitted. Walking closer to where I sat, Winnie clasped her hands together in front of her as she stared at me with worry.

“Look, I don’t pretend to know how you feel. I do know it cannot be easy not knowing what to expect. Just know that you’re loved. No matter what happens, we’ll deal with it head-on.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, unable to tear my attention away from the flames.

Fire had always hypnotized me. The colorful flames hypnotized my mind, holding it prisoner as it crackled. The noise of it creaking or cracking the wood was musical to my senses.

“Rest, then feel free to explore if you want. The pool is heated if you’re so inclined to take a dip. The outside fires burn all night long. A reminder to the Van Helsings that we do not fear the flames.” With that, she spun on her heel, leaving the chamber without a backward glance.

Once the door closed behind Winnie, I leaned back against the pillows stacked behind me. The longer I stared into the swaying flames, the more my eyelids weighed. With my head on the pillows, I sensed sleep’s pull overcoming my resistance.

A cold, bitter breeze drifted over my flesh, forcing my eyes to pry apart. The skin on my forehead furrowed as I slowly sat up, surveying my surroundings warily. Colorful stained glass exposed the full moon shining through it brightly.

“What the hell?” I whispered through trembling lips as I forced myself up from the chilly floor I’d awoken on.

The cathedral was in a state of ruin. Pews had been tipped over or broken. Tall candelabras held half melted candles, their flames swaying with the slight breeze drifting through the holy place’s main chamber.

As I rotated in a tight circle, the hair on my nape rose as the sensation of being watched crept down my spine. My lips were dry, and the urge to run away began in the pit of my stomach.

In the furthest corner from me, soaring pillars swept up to the arched ceiling. Between them, double doors had been perched open to reveal the darkness outside of the cathedral. From the corner of my eye, I caught movement beside me.

The moment I spun around to discover what had moved, a hand shot out, cradling my cheek as his thumb swept over my quivering lips.

“Hello, Love,” Rhys said in a honeyed whisky tone. “You kept me waiting. Now, I intend to make you regret doing so. Tell me, are you going to be a good girl or my unwilling prey? Either way works for me. In fact, why don’t you choose which you’ll be tonight for me.”