Kissed by Claw and Fang novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: The Carriage House

The carriage house sat at the end of a long gravel drive, behind a stand of black pines.

It was gray stone, with a slate roof, a tiny porch, and one round window.

Lucian drove me out that evening, and my Honda followed his black sedan the whole way.

He walked ahead and unlocked the door with the brass key.

"The stove is gas," he said. "The water is hot. The bed is new."

"New?"

"It arrived this afternoon," Lucian said, and looked at the ceiling.

I stepped inside.

The room was warm and small and smelled like cedar.

There was a quilt on the bed, a table with two chairs, and a lamp with a yellow shade.

For five months I had slept in a car, and the sight of a real mattress made my throat ache.

"It's too much," I said.

"It is two hundred dollars a month," said Lucian. "I would like it in an envelope on the first."

"You can have an envelope."

"Good."

"And I'll fix the porch step myself," I said. "It's loose."

"You are not fixing my porch."

"I fix what I live in," I said. "That's how I pay."

He studied me for a moment, and then, to my surprise, he bowed his head.

"Very well," Lucian said. "I will supply the screws."

I laughed, and he almost did too.

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