“Why a mop?” Ren asked, turning slightly to look at her, one eyebrow raised on that famous face that made her heart nearly stop every time he looked at her. Maybe in a few million years, she’d get used to how handsome he was. Then again, maybe not.
“To clean up all the water on the floor,” she replied absently.
Ren smiled. “No need. Didn’t you see the drain?” He settled his head back on the rim of the tub and closed his eyes.
“Drain?” Katrina found the energy to lever herself up a few inches to peer over the side of the tub. Examining the floor, she really noticed the fancy tile work for the first time.
“Every few dark tiles on the frame design around the tub aren’t actually tiles. They’re little grates that feed down into a drainage pipe that runs just under the floor. There’s a subtle slope to this whole room that allows water to drain away. No mopping required. It’s rather ingenious, actually,” Ren said, his eyes shut as he appeared to doze the entire time.
“Wow.” Katrina was impressed all over again by the thought behind the design of this beautiful place.
“I think Monty spends a lot of time dreaming up new ways to make his home more efficient,” Ren went on. “He renovates part of it at all times in sort of a rolling upgrade movement, from what I’ve been able to learn, and he does a lot of the design work himself, in consultation with experts in all the latest techniques and materials.”
“I never thought of a vampire being interested in interior design,” Katrina mumbled, resting her head back against the rim of the tub.
“When you’re immortal, I suspect time weighs heavy if you don’t have many and varied interests.”
“Margarete took us to the music room. It was more like a mini concert hall and museum of rare and costly instruments all rolled into one. She said Monty plays them all,” Katrina volunteered.
“I’m not surprised,” Ren said, his voice deep with the purr of his inner cat. Katrina loved his voice. The timbre of it lit a fire of desire in her that was never quite dormant when Ren was near. “I suppose being the Prime Minister for his kind in this country isn’t quite enough to keep his waking hours filled.”
“He’s what?”
“The Immortal Prime Minister is the official title. In the States and most places in the world, they just call themselves the Master of their regions, but the Brits always seem to do things a little differently.” Ren chuckled at his own words. “Basically, he’s in charge of all the bloodletters in the area, and if there’s a problem, he sorts it out.”
“Sounds like a lot of responsibility.”
“It is. I know I wouldn’t want to get in the middle of a fight between two of their kind. They have moves that no shifter can match, and the really ancient ones have all sorts of magical tricks they can employ. The Masters—or, in this case, the Prime Minister—has to be the strongest of all the bloodletters in the region to rule them. If another challenges his position, their battles for dominance are the stuff of legends.”
“But your people have Alphas, too, right?” She was learning a lot. Things she felt would be important to know about this new world she’d been brought into.
“Being Alpha is slightly different. I mean, I’m an Alpha, but I wouldn’t dream of challenging Mark for the leadership of the Clan. I’ve got enough to handle just in my own family.”
“So, you’re the Alpha of your family group?”
“One of them,” he admitted. “My career choice and being in the public eye has kept me in the background of Clan operations and my family, as well. That will change as I age out of the human world and can focus more on family matters. Finding you—my dear mate—is the first part of that transition. Though, I suspect it will take more than a few years. We can have a lot of fun in the human world for a while yet, being super stars and making movies.” He turned to kiss her jaw, rekindling the fire that always smoldered between them.
“That sounds amazing.” What his hands were doing beneath the water was also pretty amazing.
“You’ll see,” he promised, then kissed her lips in a way that made her forget all about their conversation and concentrate only on him. Them. Together.
*
Filming started in earnest the next day with blocking rehearsals and location shots. Katrina had an early call for costuming while Ren was off in the forest around the estate, shooting some of the foundational scenes with Robin Hood’s Merry Men. Katrina’s scenes that day were sunset and evening shots, so she had a little free time after lunch. She went for a walk around the grounds with Adela, who was also free.
“This place is beautiful,” Katrina remarked as they walked down the long driveway that was sheltered on both sides by tall, straight trees whose leafy branches formed a canopy over the roadway. She had never seen anything quite like it. “There’s a feeling here…” Katrina tried to put her feelings into words but failed. “I can’t quite describe it.”
Adela shrugged. “It’s magic,” she said in her husky contralto.
Katrina would have stopped short, but Adela kept walking, so Katrina kept going. She realized magic was something Adela took for granted.
“Magical,” Katrina mused. “That’s a good word for it.”
This time, it was Adela who paused to look over and meet Katrina’s gaze. “More than a descriptive word in this case, my friend. It’s clear to me that Lord Montague has invested much time and study into protecting his home and lands. There is real magic here. Protective magic of a kind I have seldom encountered.” Adela shrugged and turned away to continue walking. “Of course, I have not met many of his kind in my time. I’m relatively young.”
Katrina wanted to ask Adela just how old she was but knew that would be rude. She was more interested in the magic at the moment, anyway.
“There are different kinds of magic?” Katrina asked instead.
“Many,” Adela replied almost absently as they strolled along. “Shifter magic is what I know best, but there are many other varieties, both good and evil.”
Adela shared what she knew of the various sorts of magic as they walked along, and Katrina counted it among the most interesting and informative conversations she’d ever had. Adela was becoming a good friend, she thought, and was warmed by the idea. It was nice to know that Ren’s friends and family were willing to accept her, even if she was just a non-magical nothing.
Adela returned with Katrina to the castle then ran off in the direction of the filming location in the woods. She had a fight scene to be part of, she said, and laughed as Katrina just shook her head and went inside. Margarete was crossing the main foyer as Katrina entered and paused to say hello. They chatted for a few minutes, and Katrina learned that Margarete had been invited to watch the filming that evening in the west gallery, along with a few other members of the family. Katrina wasn’t really surprised by Margarete’s enthusiasm, given her reaction to their arrival, and was glad of the heads-up. Katrina would have an audience to her work tonight, in addition to the film crew.
At the appointed hour just before sunset, Katrina got to work in earnest. They had some scenes to shoot in the west gallery before the sun went completely down and then some crucial scenes that they had to time right for when the sun shone through the ancient windows. Sonia had it all worked out and kept them to a strict schedule. The concentration required helped Katrina block out the audience of onlookers who were seated just behind the cameras, watching.