Paranoia (Zayn Malik) (editing)

Chapter 42: Scarlett Red

LUNA

I stand behind Zayn in a long hallway in the large country house he took me to as he searches through keys on a silver ring. The room we stand at the door of is one of four rooms on this floor. I've seen pictures of houses like this, ones that span so far, you can refer to different wings of it, but I have never been in one. Zayn's house was big, but this is grand.

"It's called the Brandy Boarding House." Zayn explains, still flipping through keys "It's designed to have the Jefe's main team under one roof. For now, it's just me and you. I'll give you a tour tomorrow."

He finds the right key and unlocks the door. He pushes it open and steps aside for me to step in.

The walls are a warm cream colour, like someone dropped a splash of orange into an off-white paint mix. It's inviting, drawing me in further to the large double bed in the middle of the room, bright puffy white sheets tucked neatly like you would find in a hotel, at least like I imagine you would find in a hotel, adorn the bedding. Two washed wood cabinets sit either side of the bed, open centres stacked with vinyl covers that I recognise. My tattered black vinyl player sits in a nook in the corner on a low wooden table with two white padded chairs.

"Are those mine?" I point to them.

"Yeah, I grabbed a few things I thought you'd like when I moved your family out of your old home." He points to a set of double doors "I packed your clothes away in the wardrobe there. If you want to get rid of anything I can organise that."

I look to the other side of the room, spotting an open door that leads to a dark grey tiled bathroom. Then I inspect the chest of drawers, seeing my socks and underwear neatly folded in the top drawer, organised by colour.

"You're a bit of a neat freak aren't you?" I scrunch my nose at him, thinking back to his bedroom and garage at home, everything purposefully and perfectly in place.

"A little." He winks.

"Was this my mother's room?" I ask, weary of her legacy leaking out even into my new space.

"No, actually. She never kept a bedroom here. Occasionally slept in a guest room on the ground floor, but she generally always went home to you lot." He leans against the chest of drawers on the wall that leads back out to the hallway.

"Did you live in here, in this house?" I raise a brow at him.

He sucks in a breath "No. I had a house in the housing district. I prefer to live alone, generally."

"Had a house? Is it not yours anymore?"

He cracks his neck "I burned it down after Lila died. Long story."

I puff out "God, you're a mysterious man."

"You don't seem the most curious of women." He adds - accurately - and presses his hand back on the door handle "So, tomorrow you have a meeting with Harry at 9AM. Then a tour of the realm with me following that, and then a formal introduction to the coven. Your family will be here around 3PM. I'd get some rest, it's going to be a hectic couple of weeks."

He opens the door and I frown. Words fly from my mouth before I have time to authorise them.

"Where are you going?"

"My bedroom is on this floor. The last door on the right." He nods in a direction down the hall.

"You set yourself up a bedroom?"

"Yes, down the hall."

I look to my feet. I chew on my lip. I hesitate over a sentence. I don't say it.