The Hunger (The Lycans 3)

She snorted. “Please. He doesn’t give a shit about that. He’s all talk. And half the time he’s the one delivering the sexual harassment to the waitresses.” She exhaled, and she sounded so exhausted.

“You should still be sleeping. I know you didn’t get home until late, and then I woke you up with the phone call.”

“I’m fine. I’ve been staring at my ceiling for the last hour because I can’t fall back asleep. But enough about me. Did you finally get to that guy’s house that’s going to help you find your father?”

I found myself walking out of the study and into the foyer, looking around at the grand staircase, taking in the wealth and sophistication of the foyer. This place screamed old money.

There was a staircase to my right, massive and as wide as it was long. The huge double front doors were to my left, and in between that and the staircase, a huge, gorgeous chandelier hung from the wooden beams that made up the cathedral-sized ceiling. It wasn’t one of those fancy crystal ones but instead was made up of stained and polished wood, antlers, and incredibly gorgeous iron that was molded to twist around and make the frame.

“I wish I could show you this place,” I murmured as I looked around, hearing the awe in my voice. A moment later my phone started buzzing. I pulled away and looked down to see Evelyn was video calling me. I snorted and shook my head, not about to remind her of the price of this international call, especially without Wi-Fi, at least on my end.

I accepted the call, and a moment later Evelyn’s grainy face popped up on the screen, her hair piled up into a messy bun and dark circles under her eyes. But her face instantly lit up when she saw me.

“Hey, you,” she said and brought her oversize coffee cup to her mouth, taking a long drink. “So, show me how incredible this place is.”

I turned the camera around and started with the staircase. I could hear her “ahhhing” as I swept the phone across the foyer, then over to the front doors. I walked a little toward the library, showing her all the shelving and hearing her gasp of amazement and pleasure. Evelyn was a bookworm just like I was, and I knew she’d appreciate the sight of all those books. And then I turned the camera back around so it was facing me, not comfortable enough to show her any other parts of the house, since I hadn’t gone to other rooms.

“Where is this dude who brought you to that house that screams loaded?”

I was not about to tell her he was currently figuring out a room for us that was away from the rest of his family because I wanted to have sex. Yeah… not going there. “He had to step away for a bit.” I left it at that, but I saw the curiosity written on her face. Thankfully she didn’t press.

“Uh-huh,” she said, but she had this little knowing smile on her face. “Okay.” She straightened. “Talk to me about this dude. What does he do for a living, where is this place located, and the most important question… is he part of the Scottish mafia?”

I lifted my eyebrow at that. “Is there a Scottish mafia?”

She shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“Um, no. I can say with certainty there is no organized crime going on with Caelan.”

“Okay, well, is he like… a billionaire?” Her eyes went wide. “Please tell me you’re not sleeping with him to get information on your family. Please tell me he isn’t like your… sugar daddy. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that, but I don’t want you giving up the goods to an old-ass man in hopes of finding information—”

I couldn’t help it. I started laughing so hard tears tracked down my cheeks. “No. I can say with all honesty I am not doing that.”

“Well damn,” she muttered, her smile telling me she was teasing. “That would have been one hell of a story, right?”

I really wished I could tell her the truth. But not yet. Not right now, over the phone with an entire ocean separating us.

The conversation turned to other stuff, with her talking about work again even though I knew she hated it. But I also felt like she needed to vent, and I wanted to just talk about normal stuff after all that had happened in the last few days.

“How long do you think you’re gonna stay there?”

I thought about her question, unsure how to answer. “I don’t know, actually. I guess it depends on if we find out any information.”

“Well, I hope you're not there too long, because I’m a selfish bitch and want my best friend back. It’s lonely and boring here when you’re not around.”