Page 81 of His to Hunt

I sigh as I sink into the water. Much better.

I relax and just soak for a while. It seems to restore more energy than sleeping and I don’t start washing myself until I’m beginning to prune. Instead of rinsing, I just start the shower so I can wash my hair. When I’m done and I step in front of the mirror, I’m surprised to see that I look radiant again. I look as vibrant as I did during the frenzy, though the gold in my eyes is gone.

“Huh,” I mutter, reaching for my toothbrush. I’ve always heard a nice bath can rejuvenate you, but I didn’t realize it would make me feel this good.

I feel better than ever, so I find some normal clothes to wear. I’ve been mostly naked since the frenzy, so it’s nice to be dressed again.

Victor is still sleeping, so I tiptoe to the bed and sit down carefully. I watch him sleep for a few minutes. He doesn’t look angelic, like he says I do. He looks more like a slumbering wolf between hunts. My affection for him grows by the day, so I can’t resist leaning down to kiss his cheek.

He stirs immediately, his eyes opening and blinking several times.

“Wow, you look like a brand-new woman. More beautiful than ever.”

“I feel better, too,” I admit. “I guess I finally got plenty of sleep, and my bath was amazing.”

“Good,” he smiles, sitting up. “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, I’m famished again,” I answer.

Victor orders some food and he doesn’t have to feed me this time. I eat more than I’ve eaten in one meal in a while. Victor eats what’s left of mine after he’s done with his meal. We drink while we eat, so by the time we’re finished, I’ve got a pleasant buzz.

We talk late into the evening, and I even get my mate to smile and laugh a few times. Everything he told me about the book and the rituals still lingers in the back of my mind, but I don’t want to bring it up. Not yet. I’m enjoying my time with him too much to disturb it.

He must feel the same way because he doesn’t mention it either. He asks a lot of questions about my life, and I ask about his. We get to know each other like we probably should have done before we were intimate, but we were under the influence of the mating bond from the moment we met. Now, everything just feels peaceful.

When we get back to the bedroom, I pick up my phone for the first time in days and see messages from everyone in my life. Even a few friends I haven’t kept up with.

“Damn,” I sigh, sitting down on the bed with my phone in my hand.

“What’s wrong?” Victor asks, stripping down to his boxers before climbing into bed.

“Some of my friends haven’t heard from me in a week,” I say. “I better respond to Shana and Madison before they send a search party or call the cops.”

“You don’t have any messages from Frank about your job do you?” he asks. “He shouldn’t need anything from you.”

I look through my texts and see that I do have one from Frank. I click on it.

Frank: Hey, I just wanted to say thank you. I wasn’t sure about Victor, but things are already turning around at the diner. I think he’s a keeper.

“Um, I have one from Frank, but he seems happy,” I say, glancing at Victor and smiling. “What did you do, exactly?”

“I hired a restaurant consultant from New Salem,” he explains. “Someone to help him turn his diner around and actually make some money for a change.”

“Oh, wow, no wonder he’s happy,” I laugh.

Shana and Madison have heard about the mystery man, likely from Frank or Melinda. I don’t tell them everything, but I let them know I’ve met someone, and I like him a lot. I have a message from Val asking how I liked the wax warmer. I hate to admit I haven’t opened it yet, so I just tell her I’ve been too busy to enjoy it yet. That feels like an understatement, but it’s the truth.

“Okay, I think that should take care of my life for a while,” I say, putting my phone down.

“Your life?” Victor chuckles. “Your old life, maybe.”

“Yeah,” I sigh, snuggling closer to him. “I miss my friends, but I definitely don’t miss that basement.”

He pulls me against him and I fall asleep in his arms.

It’s becoming one of my favorite things to do.

CHAPTER 24