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All untouched.
There was more than enough food for one person, so if I’d been forced to guess, I would have said neither I nor Vaughn had eaten any of it. But again, I couldn’t be sure because I couldn’t remember drinking the chocolate milk the previous night when Vaughn had brought it to me.
I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I knew I needed to eat something because if I hadn’t eaten whatever Vaughn had offered me, it meant the last time I ate actual food was the morning at the restaurant when I’d had two orders of grits.
That had been almost forty-eight hours ago.
But one need was more pressing than food. I shifted my body so I could look over my shoulder at Vaughn to see if he was actually asleep or not.
He was.
And he looked exhausted.
Even in the dim light, I could see the dark circles beneath his eyes.
I glanced around the rest of the room but it was empty.
Did that mean Con and Luca had left?
It didn’t seem likely since Vaughn had seemed certain that Luca would call for reinforcements the second he got the chance. But Vaughn was also sleeping, which didn’t seem like something he’d do unless he felt safe.
I was about to ask him if it was safe to leave the room, but when he snuggled up against me and let out a soft sigh, I held my tongue. But my bladder refused to be ignored, so I carefully lifted Vaughn’s arm from my waist and slipped out from beneath the heavy weight. I replaced my body with my pillow and smiled when Vaughn accepted it. The fact that he hadn’t woken up was proof that he was as exhausted as me… more so, probably.
I went to the bedroom door and found it locked.
So Vaughn wasn’t feeling completely safe.
I unlocked it and left it open so Vaughn would be able to hear me if I called for him. The bathroom was just down the hall so I hurried to it and locked myself in, then took care of business. Vaughn’s shirt was lying folded on the counter. It looked dry and clean, and when I picked it up it smelled laundered. I was both disappointed and relieved at the same time.
I glanced at my reflection, hoping to find some stain on my own shirt so I’d have a valid excuse to put his back on.
I didn’t recognize myself.
I looked pale, gaunt and very sickly. My skin had a gray tint to it and my hair was all over the place.
No wonder Vaughn was always looking at me with concern.
I looked like one of those dead people who came back to life on Dante’s favorite TV show. I personally couldn’t watch it because it was too violent for my tastes, but I’d caught glimpses of it now and again.
A zombie.
That was the word.
Dante would be so disappointed in me.
I needed to call him… even if it was just to tell him I was okay. He and Magnus had to be worried sick that I hadn’t checked in.
But did I want them to come get me?
I didn’t even know where I was. I hadn’t been paying close enough attention on the ride from the first house to know what state we were in.
First things first. I needed to take care of myself so I wouldn’t worry Dante and Magnus when they saw me.
Or Vaughn.
I cursed myself for that silent addition to my thoughts.
I went back to the bedroom to wake Vaughn up but when I saw him hugging my pillow, I kept my mouth shut. I considered the food on the dresser. I didn’t care that it was cold, but I knew the meat and mashed potatoes would be too much for my stomach and would likely just make me sick again. I needed something light. Dante had always given me toast or crackers when I hadn’t been feeling well at home. Maybe I could find something like that downstairs.
If Luca and Con were still here, surely they were asleep. And if not, I wouldn’t go to the kitchen… I’d get Vaughn. But if there was no reason to wake him up, I wouldn’t… after all, I knew how to be invisible.
I left the bedroom and quietly padded down the hall to the stairs. The house was quiet. There was no TV on and I couldn’t hear anyone talking. I took my time making my way down each stair, prepared to flee back upstairs at the slightest sound.
But there was nothing.
Maybe the men had left?
There were a few lights on downstairs. When I made it to the front entryway, I could see that the kitchen was empty. To my left was the living room and I could see Con propped up in an armchair by the fireplace. He was asleep.
