When he closed the door, I glanced down at the pile of shoes by the door. I’d never followed that unspoken rule on my visits, but his eyes traveled down to my black heels as if he were expecting me to take them off. Either that or he was admiring my red polish and toe ring.

“Naya! We’re in here,” Lexi called out from the dining room.

Their house had a cozy appeal, even though it wasn’t my style. Lynn had done an impressive job selecting the decor for each room and adding features like crown molding. Lord knows she’d tried to add a feminine touch to the otherwise masculine furniture. The living room had two areas: a stone fireplace straight ahead, and a seating area to the right in front of the television and stereo. In the winter, they moved chairs in front of the fireplace, but in the summer, they kept that area open. Farther to the right was a study and another small room they only used for parties. The hall to the right of the fireplace went straight to the back of the house. The dining room was on the right, and then you passed a hallway on the left before reaching the kitchen. Lexi had mentioned that the rooms in that hall were probably where the hotel staff slept.

To the left of the stairs was a spacious area that could function as a sitting room. But Lynn had just decorated it with a few accent tables and lacy curtains. I liked that she didn’t put furniture in every room, because it left plenty of room for social gatherings and events. Smart thinking on her part since Shifters loved peace parties.

Everyone slept upstairs. Well, everyone except William. He had the third-highest rank in the house below Austin and Reno. I liked William, and I suspected it had to do with the fact he’d traveled to different countries and didn’t originate from the South. He used to be Lorenzo Church’s second-in-command until he’d struck Ivy with his car by accident. Then he changed hands and joined the Weston pack. At first I’d thought Austin was punishing him by making him live in one of the small rooms off the kitchen, but Lexi mentioned William had requested that room above all others. Something about how he liked to raid the cupboards late at night.

My heels clicked on the floor when I entered the dining room. “Where did everyone go?”

Lexi stretched back in her chair with a bowl of pretzels in front of her. “Denver is getting ready for work, Trevor and William went to a club, Austin’s asleep, and I don’t know where the twins went. Jericho tucked Melody in and took off for a gig. Lately Maizy’s been wanting to stay up later than Melody, but she kept nodding off, so we sent her up to bed a little while ago. So… it’s just us girls,” Lexi said with an exaggerated smile, waving her hand toward Izzy and April.