Once the car got on the road, the gentle motions of traveling sent Kai right to sleep and he didn't wake until Ian was nudging him awake.

"Kai wake up, we're at my place."

"Hmm?" Kai babbled, scrubbing at his pasty eyes and blinked hard several times trying to clear his vision.

They were in the city and it was night already. The building the car pulled in front of was all glass and stainless steel. A man in a uniform-type red coat stepped up to the back door and opened it.

"Good evening, Mr. Brooks. Welcome back home."

Ian gave Kai a small nudge. "This is where I live. Mr. Asher will take care of us. He's one in a million, actually."

Kai looked back at Ian and then to the man.

Mr. Asher was a kindly looking man. He was older, with a deeply lined face and bushy eyebrows. The hair at his temples was gray, peppered with some black. He held out a gloved hand to help Kai out of the SUV. A gesture Kai wasn't expecting.

Kai stepped out, his foot landing on half the curb. It threw his balance off, pitching his weight backward against the car.

Mr. Asher, ever so kind, helped to steady him with a firm hand on his elbow.

"Easy, sir. I take it you've both been on the road a while."

Ian stepped out too from the vehicle and adjusted his surly, and still-damp, grimy suit and yawned. "It's been a very trying day."

"I can see that, sir." Mr. Asher held the door open for them and made a gesture to a man in a suit behind the concierge desk. The man immediately circled from around the desk and headed for the elevator banks.

Ian held out his hand and Kai closed both hands around it. He held on to it, afraid he would get lost in the sea of people milling around in the lobby.

It was huge, like an upscale hotel. In the middle of the high ceiling an intricate and ornate chandelier was showcased. The floor was marble and buffed to a shine. Everyone talked in hushed tones. Music played softly in the background. It was like a hotel, teeming with biosterous activities.

Kai practically attached himself and stayed glued to Ian's side. "Woah. You live here?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Ian nodded shortly, striding confidently towards the waiting elevator car. Even in a ruined suit, Ian's bearing fit in with the other people. It was obvious.

He belonged here. Equally obvious, Kai knew he did not.

"One of the penthouse suites."

"Like on the top floor?"

"Not the top, but close enough." The door dinged open and Ian stepped in, pulling Kai in behind him.

The man also stepped in, swiped a card and punched the floor number. "Have a good evening, Mr. Brooks."

The door slid closed and the car started to move.

Kai looked at the number as it ticked off each floor. "How many floors are there?"

The realtors tell you there are fifty floors. Physically, there are only forty."

"How does that work?" Kai stepped in close to Ian. Being in an enclosed box and going high in the air wasn't his idea of comfortable. The rare times he visited the city was when he was much younger. It was crowded and loud then, too.

"Creative math. It has to do with the number of floors the lobby takes up, the ratio of how high ceilings were built versus how they define it. Add in a couple of skipped floor numbers in the scheme."

"Why would they do that? Isn't that lying?"

"It's perceived value to get the highest market price. And I agree, it is lying. It's also how things are done in business, Kai." Ian pulled his damp wallet and made a face. "The leather's ruined."

Fishing out his card, he swiped it again when the car slowed to a stop. When the doors opened, Ian led the way along a wide hallway. The carpeting was soft underfoot, like stepping on a lush grassy field.

Mirrors on the walls were interspersed with colorful pictures of outdoor scenes and flowers.

They came to a stop and Ian inserted his card into the slot and opened the door. "Home, sweet home."

The penthouse living room was larger than the entire cabin Kai lived in on the mountain.

Along one side of the room were windows. All windows, ceiling-to-floor, side by side. From where he stood, he could see the city extending to a large body of water. The ocean? A lake? He couldn't remember his geography very well. In any event, it was a lot of water. A long bridge extended in the distance.

The decorations were unreal to him. A long couch stretched out in front of an intricate rug and a low table polished to a high shine. The floor was made up of wood planks but, unlike at the
cabin, they fit together perfectly and were a deep brown color.

A few more paintings were on the walls that matched the colors in the furniture. Huge plush pillows piled in the corners of the sofas and chairs.

It was like looking at a magazine. Kai timidly stepped in, moving out of the way so Ian could shut the door and punch in some numbers on a keypad.

Ian stripped off his suit jacket and left it on the floor. "What do you think?"

Instinct kicked in and Kai rushed behind him to pick it up. "It's beautiful. Just like a museum."

"A museum?" Ian paused to look around. "I guess it is in a way. I paid quite a bit to get it decorated. I'm thinking about changing it up. It's boring now."

Kai was dumbfounded. "I think its beautiful." When Ian turned to stare at him, his cheeks heated. "I've never seen anything like it before."

After a moment, Ian nodded. "Then I won't have it redecorated."

"Kai," he reached out to take his jacket. "You don't have to do that."

Reluctantly, Kai let the jacket go. "I know."

"Mmm hmmm. Come on. Let's get you out of those wet clothes and some food in you. I'm famished."

When Ian beckoned, Kai followed, stepping quickly to stay close.

The apartment was so big, he was afraid he'd get lost in it. And if the living room was amazing, Kai was hardly prepared for the bedroom.

Where the living room was bright and open, the bedroom was decorated in rich, dark colors. If the living room was a forest glade, the bedroom was a luxurious den.

A huge bed, bigger than Kai could believe existed, was centered against the far wall.

Matching drawers and dressers lined along the walls. A massive closet was left open. How could one man own so many suits?

Ian gestured to a door. "Go in and have a bath. I'll find something for you to wear until the pack beta can get here with clothes."

It took a few minutes before Kai could gather his courage to move.

When he pushed the door open, which he assumed led to the bathroom, the sensory overload was too much.

It really was something out of the magazines. Tile that Kai suspected wasn't cheap extended floor to ceiling, arranged in a strange but pleasing pattern. The tub wasn't attached to the shower. The shower itself was encased in glass; gleaming chrome sparkled beneath the lights. The tub, set to the side, was white porcelain on feet fashioned after wolves' paws.

It was massive, large enough for two people. Maybe even three. Carefully, he stripped off his damp and dirty clothes and stepped into the shower. It took a few tries before he figured out how to turn the water on.

Instead of catching a stinging spray in his face, it was like rain falling on his head.

Steam filled the bathroom. Rapidly, the water grew too hot and he quickly adjusted the temperature. He was used to a very small water heater that took forever to heat up, and even then, the water was lukewarm at best.

A soft knock sounded on the door. "Kai can I come in? I won't disturb you long."

Kai blinked. Why would Ian ask to come into his own bathroom? Privacy was not something Kai was used to.

"Um, sure?"

Ian stepped into the bathroom with a towel and a robe. "You are welcome to use any of the soap you like."

"How long before I lose the hot water?" Kai closed his eyes and let the water rinse over his face. The feeling was amazingly soothing.

Ian's laughter filled the bathroom. "My dear Kai, you'll be in there a long time before you lose the hot water. Take your time."

When Ian drew the door shut again, Kai opened his eyes. This all had to be a dream. He'd wake up soon and he'd be back at the cabin again with Barry's rank breath and worse stench.

If that was the case, Kai was going to enjoy this pleasant dream for as long as he could.