[Ryder]
I draped a robe over my shoulders, hanging the talisman around my neck. My eyes shifted to the grandfather clock—it was late, but not even midnight yet. With a deep sigh, I tightened the belt on my robe and stepped out into the hallway. Save for the faint creak of the floorboards beneath my feet as I stepped out of the room, the house was silent.
Elvis was waiting outside my door, standing as still as a statue. His arms were folded, his face as calm and impassive as ever and his eyes shut behind the pair of glasses. The man could probably stand in a storm without flinching.
"You're still here?" I asked, my tone clipped.
"Standing by," he said simply. As though guarding my door through the night was just another item on his to-do list.
I raised a brow. "Standing by in case I
