Scarlett: (GxG)

Chapter 32

Sitting in the passenger seat of her SUV I had a terrible gut feeling. While she seemed completely calm and sure that Rian would be of help, I obviously had my doubts for very good reasons.

To my surprise the ride to his place wasn't long at all. I'd never seen where Rian stayed when he wasn't at the lofty penthouse. The reason for that had always been obvious. He was a bully who never really seemed able to stomach me. When I was younger I remembered trying to comprehend why. I chalked it up to all the problems I'd caused the family for a while. I'd been a wild child for a time. Something hard to love. Maybe even impossible at times.

The residential neighborhood we found ourselves in was quaint and nothing I expected a vampire from clan Astor to be staying in. There were many large townhomes, all of which with character that Anders would have appreciated, signs of what the city used to look like before it began to grow and large, concrete slab buildings had started to replace apartments and townhouses all together.

Lee eventually parked and got out, all the while seeming completely undisturbed by anything. Her red eyes glanced toward me when her shoes took the steps up to the door. I hung back, clinging to the sidewalk.

She pressed a button which caused a whimsical bell to go off inside the home. On a speaker near the door I heard a voice which I expected to be an assistant of some kind.

It was Rian himself.

"Hello?" He asked, obviously annoyed.

Lee leaned toward the speaker.

"It's me," she said. "I need to discuss something with you."

There was a beat.

"I'll be right down."

In what felt like no time at all the intricate wooden door opened enough for me to see my brother. He was dressed casually, far more casually than I would typically see him. Instead of his hair being tied back, it flowed freely around his pale face.

"Is everything alright?"

The concern in my brother's voice was strangely genuine.

His deep, green eyes didn't look away from Lee who stood in front of him with her thick, black hair falling over one shoulder. Words were softly spoken which meant I couldn't hear them from the sidewalk. Eventually Rian's gaze went past my father's guard to me. I gave a small wave of my hand, unsure whether I should smile.

His own expression was rather stoic when he looked at me, giving away nothing, not even the annoyance I usually saw in his eyes. Then there was a nod and Lee walked down the steps to me.

"Your brother is going to help. I think the two of you should be able to clean up without me."

I reached out and grabbed at her jacket.

"Without you? Lee, Rian hates me. I know you don't see it but-"

Her heavy hand on my shoulder made my words trail away.

"He is your brother, Zoey. He will help you."

There was a hint of a smile on her lips. And for just a split second I thought she was going to touch my cheek but her hand went back to her pocket.

"And I will check in with you tomorrow to make sure everything is alright."

Even though watching Lee drive away made my stomach twist into a knot, her words definitely helped soothe a part of me that was still panicking.

I stood in the doorway of Rian's home and looked around. It was sparsely decorated, a few paintings here and there but the focal point seemed to definitely be on the rows of bookshelves tucked into various rooms. There was a small urge to poke around and to see what my brother's interests were when he wasn't with the family as he was forever private. If I didn't have werewolf blood under my nails, I might have actually taken a peek at one of the books on the shelves.