Chapter Fourteen
Victoria
My days settled into a bizarre routine.
Having a stranger accompany me 24/7 should be harder to get acclimated to but I was used to rolling with the punches. Adapt and overcome, that was my motto. For example, when I woke up with my head on a firm pec on the fifth day of this bizarre adventure, I let myself enjoy it for a few minutes before I freaked out.
Matthias let me pretend we didn’t find ourselves in a compromising position as long as I didn’t acknowledge he was totally awake for those few minutes as well.
We still fell asleep separately but, inevitably, we woke up tangled together. It couldn’t be helped. Matthias’s skin was so cool! It was like a balm on my overheating skin, a warding charm against the warm summer nights, and I scooted closer on pure instinct.
The fifth and sixth days slinked by and, while Theo and Tristan visited when they could, they were busy remotely managing theSanguine and negotiating the deal. Most days it was only me and Matthias.
Well, and the shadow of Carl stalking after me, but we learned how to either avoid him or channel his ire to our benefit.
At the end of one of my shifts, Tristan came by to pull Matthias aside for a private conversation. They went outside and spoke in hushed tones but they didn’t account for how their words carried through the open window to the room I was cleaning.
I didn’t intend to eavesdrop but my head whipped around when I heard a certain very worrying word.
“…you can’t keep going like this, Matthias. I know you are hungry. You joined me and Theo straight after dealing with that werewolf gang and you didn’t have the opportunity to feed since then,” Tristan was saying.
“So what? I can keep going.” A peak out the window showed me Matthias stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.
Matthias was hungry? What was this about? I personally saw him inhale a good portion of our lunch. A lunch we prepared together. Maybe he needed a specialized diet? Something for all of those muscles? Oh god, were there medical reasons? Was playing bodyguard for me hurting him?
Speechless, I turned to Theo, who was left to keep an eye on me, and gesticulated wildly in the direction of the two men.
Theo grimaced.
“It’s not my place to say what this is about. BUT,” Theo interjected seeing my lips opening in a protest. “I think you should talk to Matthias about the issue. Tell him…” Theo hesitated but then his gaze grew steely. “…that he is allowed to share his secret with you.”
Before I could press him for more he made a strategic retreat just as Matthias came back inside. Theo left with Tristan and a heavy silence settled between me and Matthias. Thanking all thestars I was at the end of my shift, I took care of the last needed cleaning to get back to my room as quickly as possible.
As soon as the door closed behind us I advanced on Matthias.
“Whoa!” he yelped as I sandwiched his face between my hands and observed him closely. He seemed even paler than when we first met. His skin was cold. And his eyes… was it possible for the irises to change color? I swear his eye color was darker but now it looked like amber with hints of red.
Determined, I sneaked a hand under his shirt but what I felt were the fat and muscle I expected to find and not signs of an illness.
“Not that I’m not enjoying this, but what gives?” Matthias asked.
I pulled my hands away as if I was burned.
“Ah, sorry. I was a bit too focused…” I said with a blush.
“Focused on what?” the man asked with a roguish grin. “Feeling how sculpted my abs are? You should grab a hold of my pecs. Those are to die for.”
“I heard you and Tristan talking,” I blurted out.
His eyes widened and he took a step back before he tried to play at nonchalance.
“Yeah? Don’t pay attention to what he was saying. It was a load of bullshit.”
“Look me in the eye and tell me you are fine,” I demanded.
He did and growled, “I am fine.”
“Now do that without lying,” I snarled at him.