When he turned to use the toilet, I closed my eyes and let him have his privacy.
See, I had manners, unlike some people.
The image of my house flickered to life, and I began to do some rearranging in the room I’d make my bedroom. I wanted it to be as spacious as possible, no walls to hem me in. Having floor to ceiling windows all along one side would help.
Unless the sun turns you into a pile of ashes, then you better invest in a good vacuum for the next residents.
Shoving that wordy bitch out of my head, I debated the color scheme. I wanted blues in the bathroom. The sea and the seashore were good themes. But the bedroom? Soft creams, maybe, nothing too bold. I wanted it to be restful.
Heat settled next to me, and an arm slid around me. I didn’t fight the tug as he settled me right against him. I’d actually gotten chilled after the cold wash and the fact that my hair was still wet.
“What are you thinking about so hard you have a tiny frown right here?” He traced a finger between my eyebrows, and I flicked my eyes open to find him studying me intensely. His shirt was back in place, and his damp hair had already begun to dry. Guess all that heat he put off took care of that quick.
The words ‘none of your business’ lingered on my tongue. Not that what I was doing was really a state secret. “I’m building a house.”
Surprise reflected in his narrowed eyes. “A house?”
I nodded. “A retreat. Some place just for me. I’m building it from the ground up, so it’s exactly what I want and where I want it.”
Closing my eyes, I went back to my room and studied it from floors to ceiling. Carpets, definitely. I might do wood floors or tile in the main body of the house, but I wanted the good carpet in here. Did I want a fireplace?
Yes. Images of a stone fireplace flickered to life, then river rock, I kept shifting the construction.
“Can you show me?”
The voice intruded, and I slid him a look. “What?”
“Show me your house.”
“No. I’m not done with it yet.”
Despite his seeming repose, nothing about Maddox was relaxed. Likely, he tracked any sound in the hall, though there had been none since the earlier shuffle step. In theory, no one was supposed to be in this cell. We could languish here without detection unless they happened to open it up for a new occupant.
Well, then we were fucked.
“Tell me about it then.” The soft invitation in his voice came at a direct contrast to his aggravating and entitled tone of the day before.
“No.”
“Well that’s rude,” he chided me. “We’re alone. We have time. You could get to know me.”
“Or you could shut up and let me build my house. I’ve been working on it for weeks. By the time I get out of here, I’ll be ready to build it.”
To my absolute surprise, he went quiet. I half-waited for him to interrupt again. My focus divided between the half-formed nebulous bedroom and the very much present male currently binding me to his side. When his silence continued, I settled into the work of carpet selection, fireplace construction, and where the bed would go. The room would be open, not cluttered. There would clothing storage in the enormous walk-in. Plenty of space for my clothes and shoes without taking up the bedroom. I wanted nothing to obstruct the walls.
Maybe one of them could be painted with a scene. A mountain glen came to mind—trees, grass, and a crystal lake. It was absolutely stunning and pristine in how untouched it was. I could escape all of humanity there. The peace twisted into my veins, and the lust for it flooded me.
The water was cool, even on the warmest days of summer. The woods and the surrounding mountains boasted plenty of game. The location, tucked away so high, wasn’t near any crossroads or passes. To ascend to it would require master climbers and a sure knowledge of the way.
It was the perfect escape from everything and everyone. The longer I stood there, the more I realized it was a very real place. This was no simple painting. I drew back from it until I stood only in my room again, and the wall stretched before me beckoned like a gateway.
Almost as if it were saying, You know you want to come through. Come, play with me.
Snapping my eyes open, I glared at Maddox. He was absolutely still next to me, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and regular.
He wasn’t asleep though.
“Afraid, Kitten?”
“How are you doing that?”
“He’s not,” Fin announced in a cheerful voice. “That would be me.”
Of course it was.
“Fin,” Maddox growled. “Have they reduced their security?”
“Nope,” Fin stated. Even in the torchlight, I couldn’t quite make him out. The blurring seemed to take him just out of focus. Understanding that he wasn’t truly present helped, but it was equal parts irritating to focus on him and intriguing to discover how he pulled it off. “They’ve increased it.”
Maddox let out a growl.
“What was that? ‘Oh, thank you, Fin. You’re right, Rogue was the perfect one to summon for this situation,’” he mimed the answer to himself, pitching his voice almost perfectly into Maddox’s deep rumble. “No problem, Mad. You know, I’ve only got our best interests at heart.” He waved off the make believe gratitude with the air of a cocky grin. “‘You’re too humble, Fin, it doesn’t suit you. You were right, and I was, and yes, I know you don’t hear this often, but you should. I was wrong.’ Hey, it takes a big man to admit something like that, my friend. Have no worries, I won’t lord it over you, much.”
A snicker escaped as Maddox snorted. “Keep patting yourself on the back.”
“Someone has to,” Fin said easily, and I could have sworn he winked at me. “Hang on a little bit longer for us, beautiful Fiona. Rogue will be here at nightfall, then you two move and I’ll meet you. Between us, we’ll get you out.”
“You sound very confident,” I told him.
“That would be because Rogue knows what they’re hiding here, he won’t let them say no. While he’s making a lot noise, we’ll slip out unnoticed. It’s a whole thing. Just trust me.”
“She doesn’t trust easily,” Maddox warned, not that I needed him to answer for me.
“But we’ve already got a connection, Fi and me,” Fin argued. “You just sit over there and be all grumpy in your grumpiness, and let me handle this.”
Granted, he was kind of cute and amusing, but Maddox wasn’t so bad when he wasn’t talking. He definitely made the air warmer.
See, I was using my positive people skills. They did actually exist.
A yawn split my jaw before I could say anything though, and both went a little quiet.
“You feeling okay, Kitten?” Maddox pressed his nose to my hair and took a deep breath.
“She looks a little pale, course, you both do. Firelight’s not exactly ideal lighting for determining coloring…” Fin drifted closer. I hadn’t really paid attention to his movement the night before. Course, it had also been dark. He didn’t quite touch the floor as he moved.
How much effort did it take to do that? Not to mention, what was he that he could do it at all? Astral projection was a rare talent, and most who possessed it didn’t advertise it. They made the best spies and, under certain circumstances, excellent assassins.