Page 6 of Radiant

“Pretty good.” I made straight for the fancy pot and poured, then sat and relaxed in the low-backed chair as the scent hit me.

With my coffee in hand, I looked out the window over his shoulder. “Wow. Is that a courtyard garden?”

I couldn’t see much of the actual courtyard due to the untrimmed ivy that blanketed the wall and tapped tender leaves against the window, but there was something down there.

“It is. You don’t get these as much anymore today. This one can only be accessed from this apartment and from Jan and his niece’s place.” He pointed to a smaller hallway leading away from the kitchen, not the door I’d come through. “This would have been the servants’ entrance. It takes you down to the garden now, and to the basement as well.”

“This place is a labyrinth. I like it. Jan has a niece?”

“She’ll be doing the housekeeping and cooking. She’s helped him look after the place all this time.”

I nodded and finally took a sip. “I don’t envy her. The apartment is huge. And, you know, it’s really stylish. Like a nice vampire lair should be.”

Auris’s smile stretched. “So glad you’re pleased. Then I’m sure you’ll approve of me having ordered a few of your pieces to display here.”

I put my mug down with a thud. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, but I did. I insinuated that I would. You barely told me not to, so I bought a few canvases. I splurged.”

I leaned back, blushing. “You just want to impress me. With your credit card.”

“Absolutely. Is it working?”

I tried to look coy. It didn’t come naturally to me, but maybe wearing his clothes was helping. “Can I have my vampire cult if I say yes?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then maybe.”

He shrugged. “I’ll take it. Which brings me to the next thing. You need to go clothes shopping.” He pointed at my pants and the sweater as if he wanted to accuse me of thievery. “I like you wearing my things, but they are a bit big on you. Winter here gets cold; you’ll need a proper jacket.”

“You want me to go shopping on your dime?”

He nodded. “As a matter of practicality. The church’s worker bees will be looking for you, but they don’t know all the names on my accounts, not to speak of the cash I have on hand.” He looked at me for a few more beats, so long my cheeks heated all over again. “Besides, I would like to splurge some more.”

I spent a few moments savoring my coffee. I didn’t enjoy shopping, but he was right. By now, I’d planned to be back home; I needed everything from socks and underwear to a scarf.

“Okay, fine. But also, we’re here because you wanted to go look for that other vampire, right? The one the priests told you they killed here a couple of years ago?”

He tapped his index finger on the table. “Seven years ago, yes. They mentioned a bone church, and I think I know where that is.”

“I’m coming.” I did my best to sound firm. I was pretty sure he was going to tell me not to.

His sigh confirmed that suspicion. “We’ll go at night.”

“Tonight?”

“Not if you insist on coming. It’s been seven years, so a few more days will not change what we are likely to find, if anything. I want you to get used to this place, decide whether you want to live here for the time being. And then, when you’re ready, we can discuss how to handle your business, whether you want my manager to take it from here, and all the other details that need attention.”

I heaved a sigh. I’d known that was coming, and if he’d brought it up first, he felt some urgency about it. I wasn’t looking forward to it—it sounded like more paperwork than anyone could enjoy—but it would have to be done. I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t ever forget what we had just begun.

“For today though… Do I get to be a tourist for today?”

Auris’s eyes lit up, and he bobbed his head eagerly. I was already looking forward to him touring the city with me.

“We’ll do some shopping while we’re out,” he said, crushing my innocent tourist dreams just a little bit.

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