Page 49 of Redeem Me
“Axel is kind of an ass.”
He let out a laugh before he said, “Shhhh. I’m sure he can hear you all the way over here.”
“I hope he can.” I cupped my hands around my mouth. “YOU’RE A SWOLLEN ASSHOLE AXEL.”
He leaned over at the waist and choked on a laugh. “Swollen?” He let out a wheeze.
I shrugged. “I don’t like the word fat.”
He continued to laugh. “So you call him swollen? That is rich.”
His laugh was infectious and eventually I was doubled over with him as we poked each other and giggled like maniacs. The best part of it? We weren’t broken up by a stupid guard and we were allowed to live in that moment.
Lucas had left for breakfast already when a knock on the door woke me up. I was enjoying the ability to sleep in, especially with the wolfsbane in my system. It made me even more sleepy than usual. I rolled out of the bed and landed on the balls of my feet. I flopped my hair away from my face. I pulled the dark wooden door open and came face to face with Damian. He looked uncertain as I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it.
“Hi,” I breathed out behind my palm. I still hadn’t brushed my teeth and was sure my breath was nasty.
He smiled softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
The soft tone of his voice made me nervous. He had been on edge lately but this was different. Damian was usually confident about everything he did, but today he didn’t seem as sure of himself.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m up now, what’s up?”
He looked down at my silk nightclothes and a blush tinged his cheeks. An actualblush.I cocked my head as I scrubbed a hand down my face. It was all I had to wear to bed. I imagined this had been one of his personal quarters at one point, meant to occupyfemaleguests, judging by the clothing that was kept here. It was barely my size but I made it work. Poor Lucas had to have his clothes delivered every morning and I hated the commotion that happened with that. There was no point in making more trouble. I crossed my arms over my ample chest, self-conscious now.
“I was going to ask if you would come take a walk with me?” He ran a hand through his dark hair and for a moment, he was so breathtakingly handsome I couldn’t stand it.
I nodded my head. “Yes, I would like that.” Even though I wasn’t so sure if I would like it. The thought of him this nervous made my insides feel weird and not in a good way.
My movements were jerky as I yanked on jeans and a black t-shirt in the bathroom. My fingers were a bit more steady as I braided my hair over my shoulder. It was strange looking at myself without makeup. It had been weeks since I had worn it and I didn’t really miss it anymore. My green eyes were brighter than they had ever been, even though the wolfsbane flooded thickly through my veins. My skin had never been clearer either.
Damian was rubbing his hands together when I walked into the hall. I didn’t bother with locking my room. There was nothing in there that held any importance to me. I didn’t have personal belongings or items that gave me nostalgia. All of that was at my home. My parents had called after the explosion and I tried to sound as calm as I could manage while we were all being herded into a new home. They didn’t seem concerned as the connection kept cutting out anyway. The only thing that held importance to my life now was that phone and it was tucked safely in my back pocket.
Damian kept a good foot of distance between us as we walked down the heavily decorated halls. I had been stunned when Lucas and I had been led to the room we now shared. I hadn’t expected to be kept in such lavish quarters but Damian was stretched thin as it was. It only made sense that his two most valuable assets were close to him. The rug that ran all the way down the hall was a deep burgundy that reminded me of spilled blood and the edges were decorated with gold tassels. On the walls, every few feet, were massive portraits of what looked to be important people. They were all dressed nicely and as we continued farther, I noticed the style of clothing changed drastically too.
“Did you know them?” I didn’t know how long witches would live but I imagined it would be similar to a werewolf’s life span.
He shook his head before he smiled ruthlessly. “No,” He cleared his throat and reminded me of why he was the villain. “They were some rich snobs that stole from the poor, especially the witches in the coven nearby. I killed them nearly a decade ago and took this castle for myself before I really started to put my plan in action.”
“They were human?”
I couldn’t help but think of what Tracey’s mother, Vivian, had told us. We were the guardians over the humans. We were here to help protect them against themselves and the other supernatural races that would do them harm.
He ran his tongue over his teeth as he looked at each painting we passed. “Deliciously so.”
“I didn’t think witches bothered with humans or eating them. I thought that was a wolf and vampire thing.”
Damian laughed. “No, it’s definitely a thing for every race. Supernatural or otherwise. The blood holds power that a witch can’t get from anywhere else. It’s rich inlife. I only tasted it when I killed the people that owned this estate. It was the best experience of my life.” His eyes flicked to mine. “I wish I hadn’t poisoned my father and tasted his blood instead. The blood holds many secrets, as well as power.”
