Page 46 of Vows of Betrayal

Fuck, that bothered the shit out of me. Knowing she'd suffered and gone hungry just so I had enough to eat.

Fuck.

That could never happen again.

And I'd see to it.

She finished eating her toast and packing up her lunch. Then she brought me a fresh glass of water and set it on the crate beside the bed. “Drink, okay? It'll help you get better.” What she did next surprised the fuck out of me. She leaned over and kissed me and said, “Thanks for last night, honey. It was fun.” She giggled in the most tantalizing way. My cock pulsed underneath the sheets, wanting to start something up with her.

My hands cupped her face. “You did most of the work.” I gently touched my lips to hers, giving her a sweet but memorable kiss. It was all I could give her before she started her hellish workday. I fucking hated feeling this powerless to save her from this shitty life.

She straightened up, grabbed her bag as she slipped on her shoes, and then rushed right out.

Leaving me alone.

Again.

13

Stefan

Iwoke up sometime later. I wasn't sure of the time, but the sun was fully up, shining through the window.

I tried to sit up but had a whole lot of fucking problems doing that.

For one thing, my chest was on fire. As was the rest of my body. I touched my forehead and sighed. “Fuck.” I had a fever. Even I could tell that. And it wasn't just a small one. My head felt like the top of a fucking stove.

When I finally managed to sit up, the whole room moved, and I felt like I was going to vomit.

I pushed to standing and grabbed my cane that was propped against the wall. I hadn't needed it for a while. But I sure as fuck would today.

Somehow, I made it to the bathroom and back. Then I decided to take Francesca's advice and drink something. Maybe that would help. The lukewarm water still felt cool going down my parched throat. I gulped down half the glass before setting it down again.

Fuck.

I felt like shit. I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. After I surfed around, I found a channel with the time. It was one in the afternoon. Christ, I'd been asleep for hours. That couldn't be a good sign. Neither was the fever.

Or the fact I was fighting not to hobble to the bathroom to eject the water I'd just had.

Suddenly, just like the gods had heard, Francesca walked through the door. “Hi, I—” she started to say before her eyes landed on me and the smile on her gorgeous face fell right off. “Oh, no.” She shut the door quickly and came to my side. She touched my forehead and winced. “Crap. Lay down. Let me look at your wound.” She helped me lay down and then opened my bandages. “Crap, crap, crap. It's infected.” Her eyes stared into mine. “You need to go back to the hospital. They'll give you antibiotics for this.” She carefully closed up my bandage and sighed. The look of disappointment on her face broke my heart.

“I'm fine. I'll be better later. I just need to get some sleep,” I tried to reassure her that I was fine. That I would be fine. Soon.

She shook her head. “This is a big deal, Stefan. You need the proper treatment. You can't fight this on your own,” she said in a calm, cool voice.

“I'm not going there again,” I told her the truth. I wasn't.

She grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I have to go back to work right away. I just wanted to check on you.”

Her lips felt cool on my hand. “Give me Giselle's number, honey. I'll call and she can send the guys over to help take you in. You don't want me to call an ambulance, do you?”

My already hot body grew even hotter. “You're not calling anyone. I'm going to be fine,” I gritted out.

She shook her head and set my hand down. “You have to go in. You're really sick. If you don't get this taken care of right now, you could take a turn for the worse.”

Anger boiled inside of me, thinking about Carlo and Nick inside Francesca's apartment. Trying to help me.

“Fuck, no. You're not calling anyone. I'm not leaving. Grab me some pills from the pharmacy. I don't give a shit what you get me. But I'm not fucking going back to the goddamn hospital!”

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