“You have never read Faust, have you?” He shrugged out of his suitcoat and put it over a hook on the wall. “I thought it was rather funny. I’ll loan you my copy.”
“I’ll look up the CliffsNotes online.”
“Pah. Hardly the same thing.” He waved his hand dismissively before pulling the knot of his tie to loosen it and walking into the adjoining room. “Would you like a drink before bed?”
“Sure.” She went to stand but felt something squirm in her hood. She paused as Algernon climbed out and onto her shoulder.
Mephisto barked.
Algernon squeaked.
And then the chase began. Algernon jumped from her shoulder and ran down the hallway with the dog giving full chase. Mephisto crashed into the doorjamb as she took the corner too quickly, and then they were off and out of sight.
“Uh…”
“Don’t worry about them,” he called from the other room. She could hear glassware tinkling quietly. “They’re good friends. That’s a standard routine for them.”
“How many freaky undead pets do you have, man?” She stood and followed him. She had to stop to stare at the enormous room. The ceilings soared overhead, and one wall was painted a tasteful black. She didn’t know it was possible, but there it was.
He handed her a glass filled with amber liquid. She assumed it was whiskey, but it honestly didn’t matter. “Including our Hero, or no?” When she snickered, he smiled. “You’ve met them all now.”
She sipped the drink. It was whiskey, like she suspected, and expensive from her first impression. She was used to drinking bottom-shelf, rotgut, cheap shit, so, to be fair, everything tasted expensive to her.
Gideon walked to a chair and sank into it with a groan. He leaned his head back against the upholstery and sipped from his glass. He looked as exhausted as she felt.
“I wasn’t aware liches got tired.” She sat in another chair near his.
“Quite the contrary. Immortality is not exactly as it is sold in movies and books.” He lifted a finger and gestured while he talked, even if he didn’t pick up his head. His eyes were shut, and he stretched his legs out in front of him.
She was reminded of how tall he was—how long and broad shouldered. She’d always found him more than a little attractive, but something about the moment made her smile. Something about him was captivating when he was like this. When he was…she didn’t know what the word for it was. Vulnerable wasn’t quite right. Neither was casual. It was somewhere between the two. “Oh?”
“Mm. For example, I still have back pain.” He grunted in frustration. “How is that fair?”
“You get to live for hundreds of years.”
“And I will do it with back pain! Precisely my point.”
She laughed and sipped her drink, taking another moment to look around the expensive home. “Do you like living here?”
“It doesn’t have a greenhouse like Boston. I suppose for that reason, I prefer that house. It’s far more…modest. Contrary to appearances, I don’t favor somewhere as ostentatious as this.”
“It’s a bit pretentious.”
“A bit?”
“A lot.”
It was his turn to chuckle. He sat up, finally, to take a swig of his drink and, for a moment, examined his surroundings as well. “It’s what’s expected of me. Powerful people are meant to live in powerful places. We’re meant to show off our wealth to intimidate.” He paused. “I have a smaller home north of here in the country. I think you’d much prefer it there. But it’s several hours from an airport, and I figured you might want the safety of a city.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you want to run screaming, you can take the Underground.” He smirked. “Much faster than fleeing through the moors, trust me.”
That got her to laugh again. They watched each other in silence for a moment. His silver eyes flicked between hers in curiosity, as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t quite sure how.
“Why’re you afraid of me? You don’t seem afraid of much. You were about to take on that vampire without hesitating.”
He blinked, surprised at the question, and then sat back again to look down into the ice in his drink. “Radu poses me no threat. There’s only one thing in this world that can destroy me, and he’s not it.”