Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ben stood with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I hope monetarily, but a feast at the end of this endeavor will do."

Dreda rolled her eyes and dropped her arms to her sides. "So ever like your father."

"Not quite," Ben countered as he offered me a hand and helped me to my feet so we faced one another. His gentle gaze looked me over. "I do hope to have quite a few more children than him."

A blush accented my cheeks but I rose to the challenge. "I guess that could be arranged."

A lustful glint slipped into his eyes. "Then we had better be off to bed."

I snorted and patted his shoulder. "Not tonight. I'm so dusty that we'd just create a tornado."

"The baths have warm water and you may use as much as you like," Dreda assured me.

I lifted an eyebrow. "How is it heated?"

She tapped the side of her nose and gave me a wink. "That's a family secret."

"Thus an answer for another time," Ben chimed in as he looped an arm around the back of my waist. "For now, we should get you washed."

I was glad for his arm as a clock somewhere deep in the bowels of the manor chimed the late hour. My feet dragged a little up the stairs and the bed looked more than tempting, though not for the reason Ben's eyes hinted at. I grabbed my nightclothes from my open luggage and slipped through the door I had noticed earlier. The bathroom did indeed lay beyond that portal, and it was of a most pristine and elegant white with a clawed-foot tub and marble sink.

I opened the bathtub tap and was pleased when hot water came without having to wait half a lifetime. In a few minutes, I found myself sinking into the luxurious depths of a hot bath. I could have stayed there for what remained of the night, but a few noises from the bedroom reminded me that I wasn't the only one who had had a long drive.

Eventually, well-pruned and rested, I slithered out of the tub and slipped into my night clothes. I opened the door and found Ben seated on the side of the bed that faced the door. His head shot up at my coming and he admired my person.

"How do you feel?" he asked me.

I snorted as I read the implied tone in his voice. "Like a million bucks-"

A large yawn struck me and I was so focused on not locking my jaw that I tripped on the rug. I yelped and stumbled forward. Only Ben's quick reflexes as he leapt to his feet and caught me in his arms saved me from face-planting my gaping maw into the carpet.

I sheepishly looked up into his bemused face. "I think I need to close this bank for the night."

"You do look tired," Ben reluctantly admitted as he righted me. He guided me over to the bed and threw open one side of the covers.

"I'm not a baby," I insisted as I let him set me on the bed. He even flung the covers over me and tucked me in.

Ben set his hands on the covers near me and smiled down at the part of me that was visible. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Better hurry. . ." I murmured as I snuggled into the warm blankets. The bath had wiped away the numbing chill of the garden and the sheets kept the cold away.

Maybe a little too well. The last thing I knew was Ben shutting the door behind him with a soft and hurried click.

Blessed sleep was mine until something heavy and warm disturbed me. My eyes fluttered open and I discovered that an arm had draped itself over my waist. I followed the limb and twisted my head around to find Ben's face just behind mine. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and even.

A faint hint of sunlight shone through the window and onto the floor. The fire had long gone out in the hearth, but the room was, according to my nose, still moderately warm. I shifted and the arm around me tightened its grip. There was also the slightest hint of a wafting breath on the back of my neck.

I stared ahead and narrowed my eyes. "I know you're awake."

Ben couldn't stifle the slight laugh that escaped him. "Perhaps this is merely a sweet dream."

I snorted and tapped his arm with one finger. "Dreams have a tight grip on the mind, not my waist."

He nuzzled his nose into the back of my neck. "Could be both."

"Could be you faking it and just wanting to snuggle."

"I don't see an issue here."

Truth be told, I couldn't think of an issue with it, either. I was just about to get ready for a nice snooze when there came a horrible rapping on the door. It sounded like a flock of rabid woodpeckers was trying to beat it down.

A heavy and very irritated sigh escaped Ben. "What is it, Fysan?"

The owl's deep voice floated through the door. "My Mistress requests you arise and join her for breakfast."

Ben tensed and his voice was strained. "What's she doing up at this hour?" That's when I recalled his mentioning she was a late riser.

"She didn't go to sleep last night."

Ben sighed. "We'll be there in a moment." A flutter of wings was the only reply.

I twisted my head around to stare into Ben's concerned face. "I'm guessing she doesn't usually stay up all night."

He pursed his lips as he slipped his arm off me. "No."

Ben rose from the bed and began to dress. I followed suit but kept one eye on him. The worry in his eyes never wavered and he was very quick to change. So quick, in fact, that I was hopping through the door after him with one sock in my mouth and the other halfway on my foot.

I managed to catch up to him at the top of the landing where I grabbed his sleeve. "Does she usually let things worry her this much?"

Ben ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "I've never known her to get up before ten even after a storm knocked down a tree into the house."

He continued the journey down the stairs and I hurried on with my socks before joining him. Ben guided me through the maze of rooms and we soon entered the dining room at the rear of the house. Dreda was seated at the head of the table with a few dishes of breakfast foods placed in front of her. Her clothes were rumpled and she had huge black bags under her eyes. Frysan was seated on a thick wooden perch against the wall behind her.

Dreda looked up and smiled at us. "Good morning. Care for some bacon?"

"You're up rather early, or late," Ben commented as he helped me into my chair before taking up his own.

"Well, I thought since I was awake I would have breakfast before I went to bed," Dreda mused as she picked up a teapot in both hands and began pouring some tar-black coffee into her cup.

Ben leaned one arm on the table and captured his aunt's gaze in his own stern one. "Aunt Dreda, you despise the mornings. What really made you stay up to see this one start?"

Dreda sighed and set down the teapot. "It was Werd."

The mention of the pasty servant made my heart skip a beat. "Is he okay?"

She shook her head. "I fear not. He tries to hide it, but he grows weaker by the day."

A dark cloud settled on Ben's brow. "Are you sure he doesn't need blood?"

Dreda leaned back in her chair and stared at the table as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, doubt has begun to creep into my mind about that. There's no evidence he needs blood, but he has also, as far as I'm aware, not eaten anything for at least a week."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ben offered.

She pursed her lips before she raised her eyes to Ben. "Could you follow him tonight? Frysan and I have tried, but he's just too quick for us, and the woods too thick."

"What's he doing out there?" I asked her.

She seemed to sink deeper into her chair as she shook her head. "I don't know. I only know he travels in the direction of Scima."

Ben reached across and grasped one of her hands in his gentle grip. "We'll follow him. You get some rest."

She perked up at his offer. "Oh, thank goodness. I could use a good morning's sleep. Now then-" She sat up and shook her hand out of Ben's hold to grasp the teapot once more, "-does anyone want any tea?"