Turns out we don’t have to go far to get to his apartment. He opens the door and I find myself back in his living room. When I saw the closed door initially, I would have guessed it was a closet, not a soundproofed room of chains. My life has gotten so weird.
Passing by my rabbits, I see they are set up in a pen with a litter box, food, water, and treats. Am I in some kind of alternate universe?
Brexley leads me to his master bath. He points out the clean towels and extra clothes.
“I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” he says, heading toward the door.
“Don’t you need to clean up too?” I ask, sounding too earnest.
“There’s another bathroom downstairs.”
Panic rises in me at the thought of him going. I feel strange, anxious, and uncomfortable now that logic has returned to me. The things we did. . .
“Will you sleep in the bed with me?”
He pauses at the door, giving me a long, hard look. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but regret and shame swirl in me. I don’t want to be left alone right now.
“Get some rest, Red. I’ll wake you up in plenty of time.” The bedroom door shuts with a click, leaving me to my own thoughts.
Someone gently shakesmy shoulder and I open my eyes to a massive coffee cup from the Book and Bean. Brexley stands next to the bed with a mocha and a ham and cheese croissant. “Don’t worry, it’s decaf so you don’t tweak out. But it’s time to get up. Your test is in an hour.”
I fell asleep fast and hard and I feel like I got a full night's rest. My body is sore but satisfied.
Dressed in a tight black t-shirt and jeans, Brexley looks delectable. But his expression is closed off.
This is familiar. You are used to this. To being brushed off after the fact, so focus on you, that’s all you can do.
A strange calm comes over me as I revert to doing what I’ve always done. Throw myself into the parts I can control. I eat quickly, then borrow some more of Brexley’s clothes. My hair is only a third dried from last night, so I plait it into a braid.
I find my phone on the bedside charger. Thirty missed calls, mainly from Goldie and Cinder. When I open up my text messages, I see they’ve been freaking out at the news my apartment building burned down since early this morning. But I didn’t have any missed messages on my home screen because Brexley must have gotten my phone open and responded to both of them.
He identified himself in the messages, and that yes it was true my place burned down, he took me to his place, and that I was safe and resting. He assured them I would call them as soon as I was able.
My heart squeezes tightly in my chest. Not only did Brexley take care of my rabbits, but he also made sure my friends weren’t freaking out. I call Goldie and find Cinder is already with her, so I only have to explain things once.
I give them a brief rundown of escaping the burning building. I don’t tell them about the fire mage, or that I’m half werewolf, or how Brexley ‘took care’ of me last night. After agreeing to a girls night with drinks later this week, I hang up. None of us can afford to talk longer, we all have finals today.
As soon as I set foot downstairs, Brexley says something about having some work to do and calls his car service again. Tom, the kid from the night before, shows up to escort me to campus.
Before I get in the car, Brexley takes me by the shoulders. His touch no longer sets me off like before, but it does cause a warm coil in my tummy.
“Remember, you got this. You just need to relax and get out of your own way.” For a moment, I think he’ll kiss me, but he doesn’t. “After your exam, Tom will bring you back here until your shift. You’ll be safe, I promise.”
Then he takes off, leaving me no chance to respond. Not that I know what I’d say. Thanks for drugging me, chaining me up then giving me a hundred or so orgasms before giving me a cup of decaf in your bed?
The next few hours go surprisingly fast. I breeze through my first final, sociology with Goldie. But before I head off to my next final, she hugs me so tight and promises she and Cinder are here for me in whatever way I need.
Normally I'm a bundle of nerves, walking into Dr. Langley’s lecture hall. So eager to do well, while feeling like I’ve already failed. But as I take my usual seat, I can’t deny that I feel different.
The last several days have changed me, and I’m having an out of body experience. It’s as if I’m walking on air. Nothing is real, especially not the worries that weighed me down before. It doesn’t make a lick of sense, but Brexley helped set me free.
Right now, I suddenly don’t care so much about my performance. Dr. Langley passes out the test, giving me a nod. She’s waiting to see how I do, knowing what’s on the line. I realize the scary dragon doesn’t scare me anymore. Maybe repeating her class wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Guess I should have switched to decaf a long time ago.
Yeah, that’s why I feel like this,my inner voice mocks.
After I turn in my test, a heaviness returns with my every step as I exit the lecture hall.
