Wanted: Undead or Alive

Oh, Baby!

I found pajamas on the bed. Not the long, white nightgown one would expect a woman in a castle to wear, but soft, cotton, men's style PJs. No objection on my part. I didn't spend too much time wondering where they came from. Hawwa was half my size, and they certainly weren't Brian's. The Adamos estate seemed like a place where one did not want to ask too many questions.

The bed stood so tall someone had placed a carpeted step beside it. I climbed up, pulled the heavy covers over myself, and lay staring at the gauzy canopy stretched overhead. Concrete thoughts refused to form. I guess at some point I dozed off because one moment I was thinking about pretty little girls with horrible fangs and the next, bright sun streamed through the crack between the velvet drapes.

I sat up and examined my surroundings. Any given item—from the gold-framed mirror showing my tousled-hair reflection to the ornate candlesticks on the nightstands, to the chairs that looked like they belonged in a museum—was probably worth more than everything I owned. How many rooms were in a house that qualified as an estate? There had to be a staff for a place that big. Did Nick have his own room? Was I sleeping in it? I ran a hand over the wide bed and wished Nick was there, naked and watching me with one eyebrow arched.

Oh, good grief. Get a dang grip on yourself.

My clothing had been washed and folded and placed on top of a dresser.

I shuddered to think someone had entered the room while I was sleeping and unaware. Was it Abtin? Hawwa? Thing from The Addams Family? Eesh.

A knock came at the door after I'd scrambled to wash up and get dressed and, just as I finished tying the laces on my boot.

Surely, it was pure coincidence that they knew the very moment I was ready. Eesh again.

Hawwa greeted me with a warm smile. "We should get you to the airport. If you leave now, you can be back in Michigan before sunset."

"What happens at sunset?" I asked.

Her beautiful smile dawned brilliantly across her face. "All the best things." She handed me another pomegranate, though the last one still sat untouched on the bedside table. "For the road. There will be a proper meal served on the flight."

All the questions that had plagued me through the night raced toward my mouth and got jammed together at the back of my throat, so I ended up following her wordlessly through the enormous house and out the front door while each query fought for dominance.

Abtin opened the back door of the Mercedes as we approached, but Hawwa put a gentle hand on my arm and stopped me from moving forward.

"Nicolai's biological mother died giving birth to him, as often happens when a child such as he is conceived," she said. "It's a testament to her strength that she was even able to carry him to a viable age."

I blinked at her, my questions falling from my mind like broken shards of glass.

"For all practical purposes, Adom and I replaced her. This was at the request of his father, whom he has long had a complicated relationship with." She sighed, and I wanted to lay my head on her shoulder and let her hold me. "Many years ago, Nick left us to pursue a path that some frown upon."

At last, I found my voice. "Do you frown upon his choice?"

"No." She didn't hesitate. "The Organization is far from perfect, but they help us all maintain a delicate balance that ensures a degree of civility. The job Nicolai does for them is difficult, but important, and he is well-suited to it. I am grateful for his work and for yours, but it is dangerous, and any mother would fear for her child."