Page 21 of Depths of Desire
She scowls but doesn’t argue.
A few minutes later, her exhaustion wins out. Her head starts to dip, her eyelids sink low.
I push away from the counter. "Come on."
She frowns. "I can walk."
I ignore her, bending down and scooping her into my arms.
She lets out a soft gasp, her fingers curling into my shirt.
"Nico—"
"Sleep."
I carry her up the stairs and down the hallway, nudging open the door to the bedroom next to mine. It’s quiet and dark, the ocean visible through the windows. I lay her down carefully and pull the blanket over her.
She shifts slightly, already half-asleep.
I watch her for a moment, then turn away. I should leave. Instead, I lean against the door frame, arms crossed, and watch over her. Because I’m not ready to let her out of my sight just yet. For some reason, I want to drink in the sight of her small head against the pillows. She looks so fragile. Looks can be deceiving. I smile. She’s not fragile, but she is in danger. I can feel it. Now I just have to figure out how to keep her safe. Somehow, I know that’s not going to be easy.
Nothing with Luna seems easy.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Igo back to the kitchen and open the fridge. I need to feed. I keep some bags of blood hidden in the back of the fridge, wrapped in plastic bags. Emergency use. This qualified. My body is sluggish. I feel sore. I should never feel sore. Within five minutes of any injury, no matter how catastrophic, I should be fully recovered. I used to be fully recovered. That’s the way it always was right up until I was given that fucking poison from the magickal realm when Leon Miller was trying to kill my entire family. Now it seems to take me much longer to heal, and I never quite feel as strong as I once did.
I take the bag out and slide it into the microwave for a few seconds. Warm blood is always better than cold. The microwave beeps, and I remove the bag, cut the corner, and drink deeply. As the blood flows down my throat, my stomach contracts, and then I feel a powerful surge in my muscles. My body instantly heals itself. No more soreness or stiffness. I am whole again.
I finish the bag and throw it in the garbage. I walk around the island, heading to my room. It will be daybreak soon, and I need sleep. Having to feed more often is becoming a big pain in the ass. Hiding it from my brothers is worse. I know they’re backto normal, but I’m not. It pisses me off more than anything else. I hate being vulnerable. I hate it even more that so far, there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do to fix it.
My cell phone vibrates in my pocket. I glance at the screen as I answer. “Esme.”
“Nico, are you okay?” Esme’s voice is filled with concern.
“I’m fine.” I try to keep my voice neutral.
“But you weren’t. I could feel it. The protection spells I put around you were shattered. What happened?”
Figures the witch would know. I should have known better than to think I could hide anything from Esme. “I was thrown off a catwalk and then blown up. I’m fine now, though.”
She snorts. “Sure. Fine. Uh-huh. I can tell that you’re still not at full strength. Did you feed?”
“Yes,” I ground out. “I know how to take care of myself.”
“Do you?” she shoots back. “Because being thrown off a catwalk and getting blown up doesn’t sound like you’re doing a good job.
“Hazards of doing business.” My voice is cold, and I know it. Esme doesn’t deserve my anger. I relent. “I’m fine. I’m going to get some sleep, so I should be good when I wake up.”
Esme sighs. “I’m still looking to find something to help you. So far, no luck. It’s hard to dig up any information without sharing what’s going on.”
“Esme, we’ve been through this. No one can know I’m not at full strength. If the wrong people find out I’m vulnerable, then I’m dead.”
“Which makes my job harder.” Her voice cracks. “There’s no reason why you should still be weak. None. It defies logic.”
I let out a chuckle. Since when did anything in the magickal realm follow logic?”
She let out another snort. “You’re right, I guess. It’s just frustrating. I want to help you, and I can’t seem to.”
