House of Royals(15)

“Also surprising,” I say with a nod. “Though I have to say, knowing you’re tangled up with vampires kind of makes me wonder if you’re some kind of supplier of blood to them.”

Ian cuts me an ice-cold look. “I’d never.”

“Sorry,” I immediately apologize. It’s going to take me some time to learn my boundaries with Ian Ward.

He doesn’t say anything else as we continue our drive.

I was right. This seems like swampland, and I’m sure that at any minute, we’ll be sloshing through water and have alligators jump out at us from the stagnant swamps.

But we stay on the road and turn off onto an even scarier-looking one.

The trees with endless amounts of moss hanging from them threaten to swallow us for a minute, almost totally blocking out the sun. But suddenly, we break out into a clearing. No swamp, just well-trimmed grass and a little yellow house with flower gardens out front.

It’s picturesque.

“This is your house?” I ask in shock.

“It’s my grandmother’s house,” Ian says as he continues on the little dirt road stretching to the side of it. We continue on for a while longer, back into more trees, and stop in front of what looks like a tiny cabin or a shed. It’s rustic, and looks like it’s been put together in stages, but it has a certain manly charm to it. “This is my house.”

Ian turns off the engine and climbs out. He grabs my bag from the back as I climb out and marvel at the complex beauty around me.

Massive trees dot the landscape here and there, blocking out the sun with their giant leaves. Spanish moss hangs long and thick from the branches. Undergrowth hides unknown trails. The sun trickles through to dot the tin roof of Ian’s house. I look back at the yellow house. It’s so charming and bathed in sunlight. Like something out of a fairytale.

The two houses are polar opposites.

“Alivia?” Ian calls from his front porch. “You coming?”

“Yeah,” I say quietly. I turn and follow him inside.

The walls are all wood and everything looks used or salvaged. I’d honestly be kind of shocked if Ian didn’t build this place with his own hands. A small living room with a worn-out couch and a rocking chair occupy the right side of the space. To the left is a small simple kitchen. Straight ahead I can see into a bedroom and there’s a bathroom.

This is almost exactly the same size as my apartment in Colorado, and I find it oddly comforting.

“It’s not much to look at, but it’s my own space,” Ian says as he walks back from the bedroom where he’s just set my bag on the bed. “Started building it when I was only fifteen. Finished it a few years back.”

I was right.

“It’s a far cry from Conrath Estate, but the House will never come looking for you here.”

“Right,” I say as I wander to the bedroom. There’s a queen-sized bed with a worn-out blue comforter on it. A dresser is pushed up next to the closet and that’s all that occupies the space. The bathroom isn’t any bigger than necessary to cram in a shower, toilet, and sink.

“Don’t worry,” Ian says as he stuffs his hands in his pockets and observes me. “I’ll take the couch.”

My polite instinct is to say that he doesn’t have to. It’s his house and his bed, not mine. But then again, this was his idea, and Rath’s, and if not for that idea, I’d be sleeping in my suite and not putting anyone out.

“Okay,” I say simply.

I jump pretty violently when there’s a knock on the closed front door before it opens.

I turn to find a pretty, young blonde girl staring at me with startled eyes. “Oh,” she says. “I’m sorry, I uh…didn’t realize Ian had company.” The shocked and confused tone to her voice tells me how rare of an occasion this truly is.

“Elle, this is Alivia Ryan,” Ian says, waving a hand in my direction. “Alivia, this is my little sister, Elle Ward.”

“Oh,” I say, surprised once again by this vamp hunter. “I…uh, it’s nice to meet you.”

“I love your name,” Elle says shyly with a smile that looks so much like Ian’s. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “Ian, Lula told me to tell you it’s time for dinner.”

“’K,” he says. “We’ll be right in.”

Elle looks at me one more time and offers a fluttering little smile before she heads outside again.

“I should have figured you were a big brother,” I say with a small smile when I meet his eyes. “You do have that whole protective quality going on.”

Ian fights off a smile and opens the door wider for me. “Shut up,” he laughs. “Come on. Don’t make my grandmother wait for us.”