As we pass a room on the right I slow. “What’s this?”
Asa backs up, peers in and smiles. “That’s where Bunny and her kids stayed.” He glances at me. “She’s human but her husband, Paul, was turned during Ivan’s reign of terror on the resort. He’s down in Argentina right now with the rest of the seethe—that’s what we call a group of vampires led by a master. We had to keep Paul’s family down here when the hunters went after the visiting werewolves.” He shakes his head casually like he’s relaying the neighbor’s trashcan was turned over by bears.
The fact that a human was married to a vampire takes me aback. “And they’re okay now?” I step inside the room for a better look. “I mean, it all worked out?”
“It was just a safety precaution.” He shrugs. “The hunters were taken care of quickly.”
I pluck a picture of an abstract dog off the wall and smile. It reminds me of Bryce and suddenly I want to be home.
“You miss your kids?” Asa’s breath is warm against the back of my neck and I want to lean into him.
“Every dirty, noisy inch of them.” I hang the picture back on the wall. “Now ask me in a week and my answer will probably be the opposite.”
“You’re lucky.” He reaches up and rubs his index finger along my cheek. “Don’t ever forget that.”
His expression tears my heart. As if he longs for something he can never have. A lump forms in my throat and I have to take a deep breath to get my riot of emotions under control. “I won’t forget.” Trying to lighten the mood, I cock a brow and smirk. “And if you ever get the overwhelming urge to play house, you can always come and babysit my kids for me.”
He lowers his hand and smiles. “Is that a threat? Because I just might take you up on it.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Threat, offer, you decide after you’ve been with them for a day. I’m just sayin’, you vamps ain’t got nothin’ on a couple of eight year olds and a teenage girl. They make a deadly combination.”
He holds up his hands in surrender. “I’ve been warned.”
“Damn skippy.” The kids certainly aren’t ready for a man in my life but I was fairly certain Asa didn’t stray too far from the inn anyway. Not that we had a thing, as much as I might want it. Something about this guy gets me all kinds of hot and bothered. I repress a sigh at the thought of running my hands over what I’m sure is a perfectly sculpted eight pack. “All right, we should get on with this.”
“I guess.” He ushers me out of the room and down a tunnel. After ten minutes of solid walking and mind-numbingly confusing turns, he stops and points to the ceiling. “We’re here.”
What looks like a round hatch is situated above us. “Great.” I pause and prop my hands on my hips. “You go first.”
He gives a snort of laughter and climbs the ladder. After twisting the huge handle, Asa pushes open the hatch. I jump when screeching echoes down the corridor, certain I’m about to be attacked by another maniacal spirit.
Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure, Magic
Chapter Eight
Asa
“Yeah, that’s not creepy or anything,” Lisa says, a slight tremor in her voice.
“Sorry about that. Probably needs a little WD-40. Don’t worry, you’re safe.” I’m tempted to add with me on the end, but considering how much I want to grab that luscious ass of hers she might hear the lie in my words.
I climb through the trap door, reaching down to offer the cute reaper a hand. The smell of what she bathed in taunts me, tempting me to lean in and take a deep sniff of the lingering hints of citrus.
Sniff her? What are you, a freaking dog?
I stifle the inner nasty voice and concentrate on getting my bearings. Once Lisa and I exit the closet, I make a beeline for the light switches. The ski chalet has been closed for the summer, just like everything else at the inn.
Light floods the space, drawing the eye to the lavish accommodations. A long, polished wood bar for serving anything a skier might desire, hand-carved tables and chairs, and dark leather furniture studded with brass nail heads arranged in front of a fireplace large enough to roast a boar.
“Wow,” Lisa mumbles under her breath, a hint of awe in her voice. “I can’t get over how upscale everything is. I get why the ski slopes are closed, it’s almost June—but why is the rest of the inn closed? I thought it might be because of the ghosts,” she snorts. “But clearly, you guys aren’t even aware they’re here.”