He chuckled softly as he closed the door. Ain’t gonna happen, he thought, not in this lifetime, so they’d better get used to it.
Gideon paced the floor while waiting for the people in the house to turn in. It was a nice room. Off-white walls. Good quality beige carpet. A small maple desk and matching chair. Flowered drapes at the single window. A private bathroom with an enclosed tub and shower, a walk-in closet.
Opening his preternatural senses, he listened to the sounds of the house—Kay and her mother getting ready for bed in their rooms downstairs. Kay’s father pacing the floor in the den, his footsteps quick and angry.
It was a big house for only three people. Of course, it was more than just a house, it was a symbol of the Alpha’s rank.
Moving to the window, Gideon stared into the darkness, his eyes narrowing when he spied a man walking the perimeter of the backyard. Gideon frowned. Was it normal for someone to keep watch at night, or was it because there was an unwanted guest in the house? A closer look told Gideon it was Victor Rinaldi.
Curious, Gideon left the house and made his way into the backyard.
Rinaldi detected his presence almost immediately. “What are you doing out here?” he demanded.
“Just getting some air,” Gideon replied mildly. “What are you doing out here?”
“Keeping watch, what else?”
Gideon thought it odd that it was Victor, and not a member of the pack, doing sentry duty. “I’d think that electrified fence would be deterrent enough.”
Rinaldi shrugged. “It doesn’t pay to let your guard down. I’d think a vampire would know that.”
Gideon clenched his hands, annoyed by the man’s derogatory tone.
“I don’t like the way you look at Kiya,” Rinaldi said flatly. “I know the Alpha said you were welcome here, but I think it would be better for everyone if you took off.”
“Maybe, but I’m not ready to leave.”
“Stay or go, it makes no difference. Just remember that Kiya is mine.” There was no mistaking Rinaldi’s defensive posture, or the unspoken challenge in his eyes.
“Is that right?” Gideon cocked his head to the side. He had never been able to resist a challenge, and he saw no reason to start now. “What if she changes her mind?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Rinaldi retorted, bristling.
“Yeah?” Gideon grinned, just to further piss off Rinaldi. “Well, I wouldn’t bet on it if I were you.”
* * *
Chapter 20
Kay woke late after a restless night. Sometime around two in the morning a bad dream had awakened her. Though the details of the nightmare had eluded her on waking, she hadn’t wanted to go back to sleep. What she wanted was Gideon, lying beside her, assuring her that everything would be all right.
Slipping out of bed, she had tiptoed up the stairs to his room, only to find his bed empty. Wondering where he had gone had kept her awake until sunrise. She had told herself he had gone hunting, or for a walk, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind kept whispering that he had decided to leave and hadn’t wanted to tell her good-bye.
Yawning, she sat up. In the clear light of day, she knew her fears of the night before were groundless. He wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye. So, where had he been last night?
Pulling on her bathrobe, she hurried up the stairs and peeked into his room again, unable to stave off a wave of fresh doubts when he wasn’t there.
After a long, hot shower, she dressed and went downstairs. To her surprise, she found her mother and father in the kitchen, still at breakfast. Apparently they had also had a late night. She took a moment to study her parents. As usual, her mother was dressed for the day. She wore a neatly pressed blue print shirt, white skirt, and low-heeled shoes. A lacy white apron was tied around her waist. Her father wore a crisp white shirt and gray trousers with a razor-sharp crease. She could never remember her parents taking their breakfast in robes and slippers, not even when she was a little girl on Christmas mornings.
“Good morning,” her mother said, smiling. “I was about to make your father another stack of pancakes. Would you like some?”
“Thanks, Mom. Anything I can do to help?”
“No, everything’s ready.”
“Where’s Greta?” Her aunt and uncle often dined with them.
“She’s gone into town. Brett went with her.”
Nodding, Kay sat down across from her father and reached for the coffeepot. As usual, he had his nose buried in the newspaper, which suited her just fine. She really wasn’t in the mood for idle chitchat, not when she was worrying about Gideon’s whereabouts.
She sipped at her coffee, which was hot and strong and black, just what she needed to kick-start the day and clear her head.