Page 73 of Aberrant Monsters
“Love you,” she muttered before her eyes drifted closed.
I kissed her forehead and left the room, closing the door softly behind me.
“She’ll be okay,” Archie said, more to reassure himself than me.
“How long have you been in love with her?”
He blinked in surprise but recovered quickly. “Pfft, what? Ha, no way.”
“Archie…” I gave him my best cut-the-bullshit look.
“About two months now. Fuck, is it that obvious?”
“Not to her. But then she didn’t see your face when she was unconscious. You have to tell her, Archie.”
“Um, not likely. She thinks I’m a knob.”
“She does not.”
He arched a brow at me. “Puh-lease.”
I sighed. “Look, this shit can eat away at you. Best to lay the cards on the table and if she doesn’t feel the same way, then at least you know and you can move on.”
“That’s just it, Auggie, I know. She doesn’t see me in that way, and I get it. It’s fine. She’s not responsible for my feelings. I am. And telling her I’m in love with her will just make her feel bad. Guilty, awkward, whatever. I can deal with it.”
My heart ached for him. “You’re a good guy, Archie.”
He grinned, but his eyes remained dim. “Hell yeah I am. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a carton of leftover noodles in the fridge with my name on them.”
I gave him a quick hug before heading to my room to change out of my battle-worn and bloody outfit. My arms were all cut up. I needed to clean the wounds. Yeah, they’d all be gone tomorrow night when Telarion exited my body, but they still needed treatment.
I didn’t bother turning on the lamp in my room. The drapes were open, and the moonlight provided enough illumination to navigate the small space. I gingerly peeled my top off, wincing as the fabric stuck to the cuts.
Shit, that hurt. Slacks came off next, revealing bruises and more cuts and grazes. I padded into my en suite bathroom in my underwear, switched on the light, and stood in front of the mirror, hands braced on the washbasin.
I looked wiped.
Dark smudges decorated the space beneath my eyes. Eyes that looked dull and exhausted, a darker blue than usual. My face was scratched up too and smeared with dried blood. It was also in my hair.
Fuck it.
I switched on the shower and waited for the water to heat up before stripping off my underwear.
This was gonna hurt.
I stepped into the tub and ducked under the spray. “Urgh. Fuck.”
My skin stung like a bitch, burning where the water kissed my wounds before finally numbing. The exhaustion I’d been staving off punched me in the gut, making my knees weak. I pressed my palms to the tile and ducked my head, allowing the water to beat against my nape and shoulders and massage away the aches and pains.
“You could have died.”
I jumped at the sound of Telarion’s voice. My foot slipped, and I grabbed the curtain, tearing it from the rail hoops and taking it down with me as my ass hit the bath.
“Fucking hell! What the shit?” I gathered the shower curtain to me to cover my nakedness. “You can’t just come in here.”
He kept his eyes on my face. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“What? I don’t need you in the shower.” Did he just roll his eyes at me?
