“Are you feeling ill?” Aberdeen asked as he moved toward him. Justin jumped and squeaked. He hadn’t seen the assistant there. The man always moved so silently, so gracefully through Frost Manor.
“I’m fine,” Justin answered as he gazed at Aberdeen. The man always reminded him of a rigid butler. Aberdeen was impeccably dressed, and his shoulder-length black hair was combed to perfection. He had a swarthy body, slim, but it filled the expensive suit nicely. He was also a good five inches taller than Justin’s five foot six.
“You appear flushed,” the man said. “You should lie down.”
I’m flushed because Demetri nearly kissed me. “No, no.” Justin waved Aberdeen’s concern away. “I’m good. I’ll just go find Caleb.”
“Master Caleb is in his bedroom.”
Justin nodded his thanks as he took off. He needed to calm down before he saw Caleb. The guy would know right away that something was amiss. He slipped into one of a bazillion rooms and found the bathroom. Justin turned the tap on and splashed cool water on his face, his mind going back to how Demetri had held a hand over his neck. Was it his imagination, or had Demetri drawn him closer?
“You wish,” Justin groused to himself.
Justin straightened, and his head snapped toward the bathroom window when he heard howling. That wasn’t uncommon around here. Demetri owned fifty acres of forested land, and Justin had heard that sound more times than he could remember over the course of ten years. Demetri had told him and Caleb that wolves roamed the woods and the boys should steer clear of them.
That had been fine with Justin. He never wanted to run into one of them. But the sound was still eerie every time he’d heard it. They lived in the heavily populated city of Dark Haven, but Frost Manor sat atop a hill, isolated from the city below. When Justin had first started coming here, he used to see Frost Manor as some magical place to escape. A castle on a mountain.
In some ways, he still did. The house was huge, and one could get lost if they didn’t know where they were going. Justin had done just that when he first came here. Now he knew the place well enough to know where he was going. There were still some rooms that were off-limits, like the entire west wing.
Justin swore he heard noises coming from that side of the house from time to time, but he’d never been brave enough to investigate.
Turning the tap off, Justin grabbed a towel from the rack and patted his face dry. He glanced at himself in the mirror and rolled his eyes. His skin was flushed, and his eyes looked too wide. But this was as good as he was going to get. Tossing the towel aside, Justin made his way to Caleb’s bedroom.
His best friend was sprawled out on his bed, snoring loudly. Justin curled in next to Caleb and closed his eyes, dreaming of Demetri and howling wolves.
Justin woke with a start. He wasn’t sure what had woken him as he sat up in bed. He rubbed his eyes and glanced around, only to notice that he was no longer in Caleb’s bedroom. His best friend didn’t sleep in a four-poster bed with sheer black curtains surrounding it. Pushing the bedding aside, Justin moved the curtain and slipped from the bed. There was a crackling fire in the large stone fireplace.
Every room in this house is swank.
The bed was perched on a dais, and Justin stepped down as he glanced around. Thankfully he was still fully dressed except for his shoes. How had he gotten here? He’d fallen asleep in Caleb’s bedroom. Had Aberdeen carried him in here? Although the assistant had never done anything wrong toward Justin, the guy gave Justin the creeps. There was something…wrong with Aberdeen. Justin couldn’t say what it was. It was just a feeling.
Exiting the bedroom, Justin moved down the hallway until he was standing at the top of the steps. He could see a light on in Demetri study. Easing down the steps, Justin moved closer. Hoping that Demetri might kiss him this time, Justin continued his descent as he rolled his eyes. Like that was going to happen.
He stopped just outside the study to the sound of murmuring voices. Justin inched closer, thankful he was wearing his socks and not shoes. The material helped to cushion his footsteps and keep him quiet.
“They are becoming bolder.” It was Aberdeen. “One almost attacked them in the stairwell at the asylum.”
“I’ve kept them safe all these years. Are you questioning my ability to protect Caleb and Justin?” Demetri sounded calm, but Justin could hear the underlying threat. Aside from Caleb pushing the man’s buttons, Justin had never seen Demetri upset. The guy seemed to always be in control.
But Demetri’s words circled in his head. What did he and Caleb need protection from?