Page 28 of The Sins That Bleed
I lock the door behind me, take off my shoes, and scan my apartment, everything is in its place, neat and orderly, how I like it. Not that there is much here, I spend so little time away from work, I’ve never really seen the point in furnishing it properly.
I head to the kitchen that’s attached to the lounge, all open plan and decorated in plain cream colours. Not something I’d choose, but I don’t have time to redecorate even if I wanted to. I grab a glass of water and down it, thirsty from the pizza and beer, before refilling it and heading to bed.
I place it on the coaster atop my nightstand and undo the buttons on my shirt, peeling the fabric off and folding it neatly on the bed. My pants are next, and I place my socks on top. I wouldn’t normally wear this to work but sometimes you’ve got to play dress up and hope it helps get some answers. For all the good that did for me today.
I sigh heavily, tiredness creeping in after what has felt like the longest day ever. I decide to have a quick shower and get straight into bed. I carry the worn clothes with me as I head into the bathroom, placing them in the hamper and turning on the shower to warm up.
It’s not long before the steam fills the room and I discard my boxers before stepping in, instantly groaning as the hot water massages my muscles. I let it run over me for a while before lathering up my body wash and scrubbing myself clean.
I shut the shower off, using a squeegee to clean the water from the tile before it leaves a mark. I step out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my waist. This room is pretty small, like the whole of my apartment, so I only have to take a few steps before I’m in front of the mirror.
I’m about to use the squeegee to clear off the condensation but freeze. A heart has been drawn through it with a V in the middle. Valeska. I’m about to storm through my apartment and prove to her that my threat wasn’t a bluff, but I realise it hadn’t been drawn today.
The way the condensation isn’t clean-cut tells me she must have drawn it another time, and I’ve only now seen it since I’vebeen showering at work most of the time after hitting the gym we have there.
I run my hands through my wet hair and smooth my moustache. She’s not here. I’m annoyed by the disappointment that follows the realisation. I clean the condensation off the rest of the mirror but can’t bring myself to remove the evidence she left behind.
I leave it, enjoying the personality it adds to my bland bathroom and my bland life, and discard the towel for the laundry basket. I finish getting ready for bed and shut off the light as I go, heading back into my bedroom to crawl under the sheets and sleep.
I climb under the cover and flick the bedside lamp off. I contemplate looking at my phone again for the millionth time to see the picture of Valeska, but I stop myself. I roll onto my front and shove my hands under my pillow to stop the urge.
I lay there for a while, forcing myself to relax and try not to think about everything else that’s going on in my life. I eventually drift off with thoughts of Valeska, contemplating having fun with her, as Nico said I should.
CHAPTER 14
The Lovers
VALESKA
Istay pressed to the wall, blending in with the shadows as I watch him sleep.
Rai lays on his front, hands tucked underneath the pillow his head rests on. His back is on full display from where the sheets have slipped down, and I admire the hard lines of his exposed muscles. He’s magnificent in the low light of the room, my vision heightened by the beast I’ve become.
I shouldn’t be here, but I couldn’t stay away from him.
I want to trail my fingers over his skin as the burning warmth of life that thrums beneath his flesh attempts to warm up my frozen hands. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, I stalk closer without making a sound until I’m standing beside him.
I extend a finger and gently ghost it across every line, curve, and dip I can see. His skin is soft under my fingertip—it makes me wonder how it would feel to be pressed up against him. To be caged inside his large frame and be held.
Would he be able to thaw the frozen wasteland of my soul?
It’s been a long time since I’d been wrapped up in the arms of a lover, since I’ve had a true connection with someone. I think back to the times when my now-dead husband would hold me and quickly erase the thought. I was a possession to him,something to be owned and controlled. My body was an object to be used when he commanded it and nothing more.
My idea of love was killed the day Kian asked me to be his wife.
It could be why I long to be a hopeless romantic, no matter how futile it is. To be considered worthy of a love so true that the very essence of my other half will bring me comfort and love, their aura wrapping me in a blanket made from their soul.
I sigh, knowing that kind of relationship isn’t in the cards for me, it’s not in my fate. I am cursed to walk this existence alone, my cold and bitter heart nothing but a hardened lump in my chest.
I move to the other side of the bed and crawl on, laying down next to him so I can see his enthralling face as he rests. He doesn’t stir, and I enjoy the quiet moment to take him in. The lines of his face smooth as he sleeps, none of the thoughts that plague his waking hours anywhere to be found.
“Sleep well, mon chéri.”
The words are so quiet, he wouldn’t have heard them if he was awake. We stay like that for a while and it’s peaceful, his masculine aroma swirling around us as I breathe him in, relishing the notes of rosewood and cinnamon. His bodywash mixed with his natural scent and the sweetness of his life source.
Bloodlust is threatening to pull me under, but I made sure to overindulge before I came to him tonight, not wanting to take the risk of falling into a frenzy and draining him of his blood. I suppress the feelings and trace a finger down the bridge of his nose.
I freeze, locking my entire body into place as the sensation of my touch has him stirring. I wait to see if I’ve woken him up or if he’ll fall back to sleep. He surprises me by shifting over, forcing me to roll onto my back.
