Page 26 of Destined Mate

My long ash-blonde hair was tangled, and my normally bright Caribbean-blue eyes looked dull. Add in the dark circles under them and the paleness of my usually sun-kissed skin, and I looked like an unhealthy version of myself.

My throat constricted. No wonder Bodey was concerned about me. I could pass as death walking—also known as vampires who usually kept to themselves and, despite what books and movies depicted, didn’t cause chaos.

I felt bad for the girl I reminded them of, especially if they remembered her likethis.

A closet behind me caught my eye, and I ran my hand along the granite countertop as I opened the door to find it full of towels. I snatched one up and went through the door that separated the toilet and shower area.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I began the struggle of getting clean with my injuries.

* * *

The shower hadn’t beeneasy, but it’d been so worth it. Washing off the sweat and slathering my hair in conditioner almost made me feel like a brand-new woman. It had taken longer than I’d hoped, but I was finally clean. Once I managed to get dressed and brush my hair, I gathered my dirty clothes and headed back to the bedroom.

Samuel was still on the deck, meaning I’d be alone with Bodey. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Spending time with him was making my brain fuzzy.

When I entered my room, my feet stilled. Bodey had set the lamp back on the end table and put new sheets on the bed, including pillowcases. Their fresh, clean smell hung in the air, matching their color—ocean blue. Though it wasn’t my favorite, it was still a color I favored.

I dropped my dirty clothes on the other nightstand and headed out. As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, the scent of steak and potatoes filled my nose. Though I hadn’t done a damn thing since getting here except sleep and attack the future king, I was famished. Shifters had healthy appetites, but this was extreme even for me. It had to be because I was healing.

Each step down the stairs was like a kick to the gut, but I held in any noises of discomfort as I reached the kitchen.

“Hey.” Bodey smiled as he put a big glob of sour cream on top of a loaded baked potato. “You look like you feel much better.”

Thankfully, he had a black shirt on now, so it was easier to focus on his words. “Showers and music are two ways to better my world.” Usually, I listened to music while I bathed, but I didn’t want to force them to listen to it as well.

“Music, huh?” He beamed. “Now that I think about it, you weren’t even aware of my presence this morning until I took your shovel away. You had earbuds in.”

I wrinkled my nose. “You’ve got me there. I’m not usually that unaware, but I was trying to focus on anything other than my…” I trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

We both knew what I was alluding to.

He snatched a bottle of water and grabbed some silverware, nodding toward the den. “Why don’t you eat there, and I can play you a song?”

“I’d love that!” I’d never heard anyone play music in person before, and I’d always wanted to experience that. I arched a brow. “You going to sing to me?”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “For the first time, let’s stick with just the guitar.”

He strolled into the living room and placed my food on the coffee table before scooting it closer to where I’d sit, and then he went to the corner of the room, where a black guitar case was propped against the wall.

I must have been out of it when I’d arrived because I’d completely missed that, along with a picture of him, a younger woman who had to be his sister, his dad, and his mother in the space between the deck and the television. He and his dad had similar features, but Mr. Valor’s eyes were jade green with crow’s-feet lining the corners of his face. Bodey had gotten his eyes from his mother. She had a heart-shaped face, strawberry-blonde hair, and a kindness that wafted from her soul even from there. The younger girl had Mr. Valor’s jade eyes and her mom’s strawberry-blonde hair and heart-shaped face.

Not wanting my food to get cold, I picked up my plate and sat in the same spot as earlier. As I got settled, Bodey brought over an acoustic guitar and took a seat on the other end of the couch. He strummed the guitar and tuned it, then slid right into playing “More than Words” by Extreme.

It was one of my favorite songs in the world.

I stopped eating, mesmerized by the song and how his fingers moved over the strings. At first, he didn’t seem comfortable, but after several chords, his gaze flicked to mine, and his eyes bored into me as if he’d chosen that song to say something to me that he couldn’t say aloud.

It was the first time I could ever remember feeling at peace.

* * *

I don’t knowhow long Bodey and I hung out together, but before I could stop myself, I yawned.

Of course, he noticed immediately and stopped playing. He grinned. “You’d better go lie down again. Your body needs more rest.”

He was right, even though I hated it. “Only if you promise to play for me again sometime,” I said, not wanting the evening to end.

“That I can do. No one else likes to listen to me play.” He winked. “It bodes well for me that I finally found a fan.”

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