"There are, sweetheart."
Felicity moved through the ground floor, counting rooms, mapping the layout. Kitchen at the back and stone counters, a massive old stove that probably hadn't worked in months, but the plumbing fixtures looked functional. A pantry. A basement. And beyond the kitchen, a door that led outside to a cobblestone courtyard and, beyond that, stables. Empty stables with hay still scattered in the stalls.
Ash appeared in the kitchen doorway, leaning against the frame with that lazy, shadowed grace of his. His gaze found Casper, who was examining the stove with a critical frown.
"You and your brothers could stay in the stables," Ash said. His voice was perfectly deadpan. "Plenty of room even fresh hay."
Casper didn't even look up. He just reached over and backhanded Ash across the chest not hard, but with enough force to make a solid thump.
"Ass," Casper said.
Ash's mouth twitched. The closest thing to a smile he ever gave.
