Page 16 of Liberty

Words left my mouth before I could think, “You’re staying at my house?”

All three stared at me for so long that I felt nearly suffocated. What did they know that I didn’t? Who did they know? When it appeared no one would answer, I saw Ellis’ Adam's apple work as he tried to form words, “You knew James?”

“Know James? No. But he left me this place,” I confessed.

Sterling rolled his eyes, his whole head falling back with the movement. “Just another fucking mystery to add to the list.”

They had mysteries piling up? What a fucking coincidence. So did I. “If it helps, I don’t want it. I’m probably selling it the moment I sign my name on those documents.”

All eyes whipped to mine as Ellis exclaimed, “What? No. You can’t sell the estate.”

“If it means that much to you, why don’t you buy it? I don’t need it.” Nor could I afford it, but I left out that little chunk of info.

Sterling was chuckling, “He ain’t buying shit on a carpenter’s income.”

Ellis turned to him. “You think I haven’t accumulated cash savings over the years? Not everyone plays the stock market, Sterling. But that doesn’t mean I’m broke. And, not that it matters, but for your information, my furniture is in high demand. I’ve got orders three years out.”

“You will never be as rich as me.”

Ellis sneered as he looked Sterling up and down. “Nor would I want to be.” He turned back toward me. “You can’t sell the house. James left it to you for a reason.”

“Well, if that was the case, then James should have told me personally. Or introduced himself.”

“Maybe he tried.”

I doubt it. If James knew he was dying and had enough time to write a will, he could have said, hey, I’ve got something for you. “He didn’t.”

“Well, he was murdered. It’s not like you can plan for that,” Sterling offered, and I gasped involuntarily. His lawyer failed to mention that fact when he informed me about the inheritance.

“Murdered? How?”

Sterling shrugged. “The details are unclear, my guess – a stake to the heart or beheading. There isn’t a massive amount of other options when it comes to killing us.”

He said it as if the death of his friend hardly phased him, so detached and emotionless. “James was one of you? A – a –”

“Jesus. Just say it and get it done with. Freak out so we can move on,” Ellis said, and when I whipped my head toward him, he added, “I literally can feel every emotion going through you right now. And, oddly, through them. I dislike this recent development.”

I worked hard to slow my panic, trying to make it harder for him to read. “Sorry.”

“No one’s as sorry as Oak, here.” He patted Oaks back. “He brought you into this mess.”

I watched Oak for a reaction, but he gave me none. “To be fair, I think I was already tossed into it.” It was true, even before the entire episode with Daniel, James had left me the house. Daniel had said – I paused at the thought. “He said – he said he had no choice, that his maker demanded it.”

“Who?” They all asked in unison.

“Daniel. The –” I swallowed hard, “Vampire Oak killed.”

Oak scratched at the dusting of blonde hair on his jaw before looking toward the other two. “So it was ordered. Why?”

Ellis’ eyes roamed Oak. “We will figure it out. Why don’t you go replenish?”

“No.” The word was hard as it left his mouth.

“She will be fine. We won’t leave her side.”

Oak’s head gave the slightest of shakes. “I said no.”

“You’re weakening, you know. If there were another attack, you wouldn’t be able to defend her.” Once Ellis pointed it out, I could see the apparent fatigue etched on Oak’s face. What he did earlier, whatever was done to save me, took a lot out of him. “You can trust us, you know. We won’t harm the girl.”

Oak gazed at Sterling, who held his hands up in surrender. “Why would I hurt her? I just healed her, remember? Which, by the way, opened up a floodgate of questions if any of you have some time for me to throw around.” He paused. “Just go, Oak.”

Oak’s piercing gaze locked on me, assessing me before he slowly rose. “Five minutes. Tops. I think James has a stash in the fridge.”

I wanted to know what a stash was, but I definitely didn’t want to know enough to ask. Whatever they were into or weren’t wasn’t my business, and I hoped it never was. Oak had made it to the doorway before he stopped and stared at me, his head tilted to the side.

“We never got your name.”

Oh, yeah. That. Since we all seemed to be connected by a crazy mysterious force anyway, I might as well just give it up. I didn’t look at the others when I spoke, only directly into the green gaze that nearly trapped me in a trance.

“Libby.” I licked my lips. “Liberty Sarah Johansen.”