Page 33 of A Kiss From Death
Hade must sense my change in mood, because he hums to himself, clearly satisfied. My eyelids start to grow heavy from the strain of today’s activities and the gentle way I’m being taken care of for the first time in months.
“Does that feel good?” Hade prods. My only response is a soft moan at the fast-acting ointment. The outside world starts to fade as I happily seek out the peace my brain is desperate for the rare occasion on which sleep finds me. I don’t fight it right now, though. Right now, I surprisingly feel comfortable in Hade’s care. Add it to my long list of things I need to figure out for another day. Right now, all I want to do is sleep and fall into blissful nothingness.
“Are you still with me, Nyxi?” he asks softly.
“Mmmhhhmm,” I mumble.
My body feels like it’s floating off the bed towards a happier place, a dream. I feel Theo curl me into his chest, but instead of his usual scent of sunshine and fresh air, he smells like sandalwoodand smoke. I hear a blanket sliding down the bed as I nuzzle closer into Theo’s warm chest, cocooning myself so he can never leave me again. The mattress dips under me as I’m lowered gently to the bed, the blanket sliding over me like a warm hug. Theo’s hand, which is normally smooth, now feels calloused as he pushes the hair out of my face and bends down to drop a kiss to my head.
“Sweet dreams,Nyxi.”
Of course, even in my dreams, this saint of a man takes care of me. I feel his shallow breaths fan over my cheek, warming me from the inside out. “Thank you for loving me, Theo,” I mumble before everything fades to black.
Holy shit, I don’t think I’ve ever slept more sound than I did last night. I don’t remember falling asleep, or even getting into bed. The last thing I remember was Hade cleaning up my ear, and then it’s all fuzzy. Clearly, exhaustion took over, and I dragged my body up to my pillow and thoroughly knocked out. I do, however, remember a faint dream involving Theo and it leaving a warm fuzzy feeling behind. That is the only time I get to be with Theo now: in my dreams.
Morning sun streams through my window, which means I must have accidentally slept through the rest of yesterday, including bathing and dinner. It looks like someone attempted to bring me dinner—I spot a plate sitting beside my bed. My guess would be on Des, her nurturing personality always shining through.
My stomach growls in protest as I eye the plate and mull over how foul it would be to take a little nibble to satisfy the demon inside me before washing up. I reach to snag something off theplate, which releases a pungent odor from under my armpit, and I physically gag. Forgoing the idea of eating, I decide a bath is a better option.
I feel refreshed and in good spirits after a full night’s rest as I hop out of bed. The smell of old blood and sweat hits my nose, putting a halt to said happiness. I positively stink. I’m still wearing the sparkling bodysuit Des made me from yesterday, which surprisingly was very comfy to sleep in.
Gripping the zipper, I slid it down to my navel, exposing more of my cleavage. A knock at my door has my head snapping up as the handle twists and the door slides open. Before I can do anything to cover my body, Aeron waltzes in.
“Just came to see if our little sparring session scared you off, since you failed to show up for dinner last night.” He takes a step inside without even asking, and his eyes widen with shock, dilating with unguarded need as he takes in my cleavage almost exploding out of my outfit.
I immediately pull my arms to cover my chest the best I can, but it only shoves my boobs up further, making them appear to double in size.
If there are any gods up there listening, what did I do to deserve this? Haven’t I suffered enough in life as it is?
I awkwardly stand there as I track Aeron’s eyes moving from my eyes to my exposed cleavage, trying to decide what he’s more interested in.
I glare at him. “Ever heard of knocking?”
The side of his lip quirks up. “Technically, I did knock first.”
I roll my eyes. “Let me rephrase myself. Ever heard of asking if you can enter someone’sprivateroom before barging in?” I grit out.
“Hmm, let me think.” He taps his chin. “Nope.” He smiles and takes a step closer. “I think I much prefer walking in to find you in this tight little number acting all shy in front of me when in reality, I know the girl beneath begs to come out and play.”
I bite my lip at his bold accusation. I’m not blind, and I can admit Aeron screams sex appeal, and I’m sure he would be fun to play around with, though his cockiness only pushes me farther away from him. I live to knock men like him off the pedestal they put themselves on. It truly is my favorite pastime.
I take a step closer to him. “Is that so?” I purr. The gleam in his eyes indicates I have him exactly where I want him. I push up on my toes, leaning forward into his face. He leans in to match my pursuit, closing his eyes and licking his lips.
I hover my lips over his and whisper, “Aeron?” His responding yes is immediate, fanning across my lips. “Get the fuck out of my room so I can bathe,” I whisper as I drive my knee up, crushing his balls as hard as I can.
He grunts painfully and doubles over in shock. I take a step back and smile sweetly down at him. “Maybe this will teach you not to barge into my room next time. I really should have grown up in Enlightened Sector with all these lessons I’ve been teaching you.” I giggle as I stride to the door, gesturing for Aeron to get the hell out.
Aeron gathers his wits—and balls, checking to make sure they are still attached to his body—then stands to his full height and flashes me that vicious, shit-eating grin he loves to wear so often. Walking over to my door, he grabs my hand and plants a kiss on top. “You know it only turns me on when you’re feisty.” He winks and strides out the door, calling out over his shoulder, “It’s always a pleasure, Nyxi.”
I slam my door with extra umph, hoping Aeron hears it all the way down the hallway. Good riddance, if you ask me. I should have pummeled him harder, but my stench was starting to get to me, and even though Aeron annoys the shit out of me, I’d rather not have him smelling the awful odors coming off me. To be fair, part of the blood still splattered on my skin belongs to Aeron, so the stench ispartly his fault.
Discarding my suit, I saunter into my washroom and start the tub, turning it as hot as it can go. Vagrant has subpar plumbing, and most days, the best we have is water slightly above room temperature.
Steam billows from the tub as I attempt to run a brush through my unruly hair. The more I tug, the more it seems to tangle. Grunting, I decide to discard the brush, sliding into the now-full bath to attempt to detangle it in the water.
I hiss at the scorching water. After adjusting to the heat, I relax my shoulders as I slide lower into the tub until my chin hits the water.
I sit like this for far too long, my eyes closed and my mind racing like it always does when left in the quiet of my own thoughts. Physically, it’s silent, but inside my head, it feels like raging rapids that crash over boulders into giant, angry waves.
