“Lock it, Liv,” he growls.
I let out an exasperated sigh before turning back to the door and flipping the lock. “Happy?” I shout back.
I can barely hear his grumbled answer through the door, but I swear it sounds like ano.
I turn back to the room and take in the space. It’s small but in a cozy and quaint kind of way, not claustrophobic as I’d first assumed it would be. The bed is big enough for one person, maybe two if they squeeze tight. There’s also an overstuffed chair in the corner beside a wardrobe and an attached washroom with a bathtub that’s calling out to me like a siren song.
Before I can even take a step towards the tub, there’s a knock on the door. I spin around and open it to see a clearly angry Bastian.
“You’re only supposed to open the door for me,” he grits out.
“And here you are at my door, so isn’t that exactly what I did?” My frustration ramping up with every word.
“But you didn’t know it was me. Check first.”
I lean my hip against the doorframe and cross my arms across my chest. “Did you need something?” I ask, annoyed.
“Your clothes,” he thrusts the bundle into my arms, and I have to scramble to unfold them to grasp the pile before they tumble to the dingy floor.
Right. Those are probably important…
“Is that all?” I ask with an eyebrow raised.
“Helena is bringing our food to my room so come across the hall once you’ve bathed.” I can still see the tension rolling through him even if his words come out unemotional.
I tilt my head. “Are you trying to tell me I smell?”
His eyes flash with irritation as he takes a deep inhale, almost like he’s holding himself from biting my head off. He opens his mouth to reply but shuts it with a shake of his head before turning and slamming his bedroom door behind him.
I retreat into my room, and I’ve barely shut the door before I can hear his shout, through two sets of doors no less, to lock the damn door.
“As you wish, master,” I grumble, locking the door and heading to the tub.
I find a small bottle of bath salts perched on the lip of the tub, so I make quick work tossing them into the quickly filling hot water. I snag the bottle of soap off the sink and set it nearby so I can easily reach it from inside the tub.
Sinking into the warm water I let out a soft groan of pleasure as it wraps around my sore and aching muscles. I sink down until the water reaches to just below my chin, submerging my full body. Leaning my head back against the edge of the tub I let my thoughts drift as I breathe in the floral scented steam filling the room.
The longer I soak, the more my anger and frustration melt away. I don’t even knowwhyI was acting like such a bitch. I’m never like that. And yet, there was something that triggered me and flipped some sort of switch. I think I’m still frustrated about the failure to access my magic.
It wasn’t Helena. I mean, maybe it was, but it certainly wasn’t because I was jealous. It’s rude for them to be flirting right in front of me. She doesn’t know our situation. What if he and I were together?
I definitely wasn’t jealous.
I don’t even like him.
I find him maybe, a little, somewhat attractive is all.
He’s nice to look at.
But his personality is atrocious. He’s an asshole and he knows how to get on each and every one of my nerves… except for when he’s not.
Like when he comforts me after a nightmare.
Or when he saves my life when it was definitely easier to let me die.
Or when he talks me down from the mental spiral over my magic.
“Ugh!” I groan out loud.
