“Get off me, miss. I’m mated,” Ethan slurred.
“Godsdammit, you stupid wolf, it’s me!” I said. I was about tired of this.
“No!” he cried. Again, he tried to push me off. “I love... Em... ma.”
“It’s very honorable you don’t want to cheat on me with myself.” Still, affection bloomed inside of me at his admission. He’d never said he loved me before. But I bet he’d forget he said that in the morning.
As stupid as this situation was right now, his actions were kind of sweet. Ethan was so drunk he couldn’t walk straight, and he was still intent on being faithful to me. Guess I didn’t have to worry about infidelity.
Ethan wretched. I ran to grab the trash can before he could hurl all over the floor. I caught his puke just in time, but he mostly threw up all over himself.
I sighed. Dammit. He was a sloppy mess. I got a wet washcloth from the bathroom and cleaned off his face, though I didn’t know what to do about the rest of him. I stared, looking at his ruined clothes.
What did I do? Ethan was filthy, but he hadn’t given me permission to undress him— and more importantly, he hadn’t given me permission to see his missing leg. He kept it under wraps at all times, and had been ridiculously secretive about concealing it from me. I didn’t even know how to get his prosthetic off without hurting him.
At the same time... I couldn’t let him sleep in his own puke. Sure, I’d seen and touched Ethan’s dick while we were fooling around the other day, but that was when he was sober enough to give consent. He couldn’t even function in this state.
While Ethan moaned on the bed, I slipped outside. Stefan was still waiting.
“How’s it going in there?” he asked.
“Bad. Do you care about dressing him?” I asked. “He’s covered in vomit.”
Stefan smirked. “Trust me, Em, Ethan and I have been skinny dipping since we were kids. I know what his package looks like, and it’s not that impressive.”
Okay, I knew for afactthat wasn’t true. I’d had to use two hands to get him off. “What about his leg?” I asked.
“I was one of the people who helped him learn how to use his prosthetic. I know how to get it on and off,” he said. “You forget I was there the day he lost his leg.”
Stefan opened the door with a sigh. “Wait here. I’ll clean up princey pie.”
Stefan slipped inside. The door closed— I bounced anxiously on my feet as I waited for Stefan to return.
“For gods’ sakes, man, pull yourself together,” I heard Stefan say. “Your girl’s not impressed.”
Ethan made a gagging sound. I cringed.
“If you puke on me, I will punch you in the face,” Stefan growled. “Lie down. This is thelast timeI’m taking off your pants.”
I giggled. Had Stefan taken off Ethan’s pants before? Oh, gods.
There was more grumbling from Stefan, until finally, he stepped out of the room. “Ethan’s dressed, and fast asleep,” Stefan said. “He’ll be okay for now, though he’ll hate himself in the morning.”
“Thanks, Stefan,” I said in relief. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“He’s my best friend.” Stefan frowned. “I’ll always be there for him. I’m just... worried about him. Don’t tell him that.”
I smiled. “I’m pretty sure he already knows.”
Stefan paused. He jiggled on the spot for a minute before he burst, “These late night rendezvous aren’t good for him. Don’t you think?”
I knew then what Stefan was admitting. He knew about the Phantom. And he was asking if I did, too.
Carrying this secret around by myself was way too exhausting. I couldn’t do it anymore. I needed to confide in Stefan. “I’ve tried to get him to stop,” I said. “But it’s hard when I can’t tell him that I know.”
Stefan’s eyes widened. “Why haven’t you told him? He’s been keeping this a secret from you for months, Emma. It’s tearing him up inside.”
“Believe me, I want him to know. But he can’t,” I pleaded.
