Page 65 of A Shadow of Betrayal

“Good?” Creed asks, and I grin, looking at his back.

“Amazing. Thank you.” Creed shifts on the bed, getting more comfortable, but keeps his back to me, never once trying to look over his shoulder. “Creed, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course. What's up?” he asks, grabbing a pillow and fluffling it at his side.

“Why are you helping me? I mean, I know I helped you at my house, but you don’t have to do all of this. We’re good,” I tell him, worried he's only being nice because he feels indebted to me. Creed chuckles and shakes his head.

“Honestly? Your situation reminds me of when we first got here,” he admits, and I lean forward, propping my arms on my knees and watching as he reaches up and brushes some curls off his forehead. “The Seniorem needed a new Regalis Senior at the castle since the one before Nox died. So they sent us. We were attacked on our way over. More than a dozen men lost their lives when a Legion of Alpha-class Demons attacked our party at the base of the mountain. We were the only ones who survived, but we lost our brother, Archer,” Creed whispers, his voice cracking as he tells me his story.

“It was my idea to come here. Nox wanted to stay home, but I thought it sounded like an adventure. Besides, we already knew the Seniorem was acting shady, and I thought being on this side of the world would help us find what we needed to.”

“I’m sorry, Creed,” I whisper, my words echoing his own from earlier. I can hear Creed swallow in the silent room as he nods.

“Thanks, Lemon Drop.” Creed smiles and moves to look over his shoulder at me, then curses and stares at the wall again. I giggle, loving how authentic he seems and how oddly comfortable I am with him in the room with me. “Anyway, we were the ones who were new here. Nox had some potentially fatal injuries and probably would have died if Elaine hadn't saved our asses. She and a few other Hunters were coming down the mountain and stumbled upon us. They took out the remaining Demons there, then dragged us back up to the castle and patched us up,” Creed says with a heavy sigh, his hands twisting in his lap.

“That’s why Lennox owes her? She saved his life?” I ask, and Creed nods.

“There is more there than that, but yes. Elaine is a good person and one of the only people we trust up here.” Leaning back, I lower my hair into the water, letting it lap around my ears, and comb my fingers through it, trying to get out some of the snarls. The water slowly makes my body aches melt away, and I sigh in bliss.

“Oh, there is some shampoo on the right side of the tub, and there is a towel folded under it,” Creed hollers over his shoulder, pointing to his left. Looking up, I find a small white bottle on a little shelf beside the tub. Sitting back up, I grab the bottle, then lather a good amount into my hair before rinsing it clean. I let the water lap around me for a few more minutes before the temperature of the water drops, and I shiver.

“I’m getting out,” I tell Creed, looking at him to make sure he's still facing away before grabbing the towel and standing from the tub, letting the water run down my legs a little before I step out and dry off. Then, wrapping the towel around my chest, I frown, looking at the dirty clothes I had been wearing. “Shit, I should have grabbed clean clothes,” I mutter.

“You decent?” Creed asks.

“Yeah. I have the towel wrapped around me,” I answer, bending to pick up my loose black shirt. I bring it to my nose and cringe, making Creed chuckle as he slides off his bed and walks over to a dresser. He riffles through the drawers and returns with a pair of familiar blue sweats. “Are these sweats the only thing available up here?” I ask, eyeing the blue fabric with a huff. Not that they are bad or anything, but they are somewhat scratchy and way too thin to compete against the cold.

“Pretty much,” Creed says, tucking his hands into his pockets with another soft smile.

“Could you…” I trail off, and Creed turns on his heel but doesn't move from his position. I smirk, and let my towel drop, tugging on the pants first, then the sweater, just when a knock sounds at the door.

“Ah! That’s our food. You hungry?” Creed asks, clapping his hands and striding over to the door.

“Starved,” I admit, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching as Creed opens the door and mutters a few hushed words to a Ranger I have never seen before, then shuts it, holding a black tray with several dishes on it.

“I bet. You did well today,” Creed says, walking over and handing me the tray, which I take before he hops up on the bed next to me, crossing his legs in front of him, then holds his hand out, his fingers wiggling for me to hand back over our food.

The delicious smells of beef stew and rolls fill the room, and my stomach gives an embarrassing rumble of approval. Creed sets the tray down on the bed between us, then grabs one of the bowls and passes it to me before grabbing one for himself. He places a spoon and a roll in front of each of us, then gestures for me to dig in. Wasting no time, I take a bite of the stew and then moan.

“Damn, this is good,” I whisper, taking another bite. Creed’s eyes light up, his spoon frozen between his bowl and lips as he watches me, and I blush a little. “Try it. It's good,” I finally say, and Creed chuckles.

“So, are we going to talk about me kissing you? Or pretend it didn't happen?” he asks, winking at me as he shoves an overloaded spoonful of food into his mouth.

I inhale at his directness, which lodges a carrot in my throat, making me cough so hard my eyes water. Creed breaks out into peals of laughter, setting his bowl down and then pounding me on the back, trying to be helpful as I attempt to breathe again.

“Jesus, Creed!” I finally gasp, my face flaming hot as I look up at him. “Learn how to ease into a topic,” I grumble. Creed chuckles and picks his bowl back up, taking another bite. I watch him carefully, unsure how to continue with this topic.

“Do you want to forget the kiss happened?” I whisper, looking away from him like a chicken, spooning another bite of food into my mouth.

“No,” Creed answers so fast that I smile and look up at him through my lashes.

“Alright,” I agree, grabbing the roll and dipping it into the sauce.

“Yeah?” he asks, bouncing a little on the bed.

“Yeah,” I say with a shrug, trying to be nonchalant, but from the sly smile Creed shoots my way, I'm pretty sure I failed.

There is a moment of silence where we eat our food and smile at each other before Creed finally breaks the silence.

---