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I hesitated, as the floor looked appealing right about now. Then, with a tense breath, I found a small suitcase with my name on it. I shoved it against the closet, not trying to be quiet so he could see I was not happy with our arrangement. “When are they sending food?” I asked, my tone laced with annoyance.
“It won’t be long. I’m going for a shower.”
I searched for something sarcastic to say, but nothing good enough entered my mind. The whole arrangement pissed me off, but I guessed he was right. We did have to act like an engaged couple, and if this place was what he said it was, then having two rooms would seem suspicious to any who would typically go to the castle.
Sebastian closed the bathroom door, and I noticed a white robe hanging from the back of the closet door. I pulled it on, cuddling against the soft fabric. I hadn’t long closed the window and thrown myself on the bed when there was a knock on the door, and I was handed a plate of beef, gravy, potatoes, and green beans. There were no menu options, not that I expected one in a kingdom where mortals were thought about so little.
Still, I was starving and ate the whole plate, pausing for a little breath between bites. I’d barely finished when the door opened, steam pillaring out into the bedroom.
Sebastian walked out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water clung to his toned abs, carved by years of training. My gaze trickled over the sharp contours to the two V-shaped muscles running from his hips down to below the towel line.
I danced my finger up to my clavicle, running my hands over my skin, tilting my head when I realized I was staring. Then, quickly clearing my throat, I averted my eyes, catching a smirk as he turned to the mirror above the vanity.
My face flooded with heat, and I touched my bottom lip. That was embarrassing, although was it totally wrong to stare? Just because he was conventionally handsome didn’t mean anything. I was only looking, in the same way I’d watch the protectors work out at the guild, although a part of me wondered how it would feel to be curled up against him, wrapped in those muscular, tattooed arms.
I shook my head. Gods, it had been too long since I’d had any intimacy, and I was clearly losing my mind that I was even thinking of or considering a vampire. Being in this kingdom was messing with my head.
He dried his hair, and dark strands curled against his forehead. “See anything you like?” He glanced at me in the mirror, his lip lifting at the corner.
“I was just thinking that I need a shower too.”
He bit his bottom lip, licking over it after. “How are you feeling about tomorrow?”
“Nervous,” I admitted, bouncing my knee.
He turned, showing off his tattooed back. At the bottom right was a wide scar running toward his spine. Pinching my lips together, I flinched. “What’s that on your back?”
“The scar or the tattoos?”
“The scar.”
“It’s nothing.”
I raised a fist to my mouth, staring at the scar, wondering how it looked before it healed.“Sure doesn’t look like nothing.”
“It’s my death mark,” he said casually. “Because it was made as I was becoming a vampire, it’s the only blemish left.”
A lump formed in my throat. Every immortal I’d seen never saw a single spot, red mark, or scar on any of them. They were perfect, and every inch of him was, except for this. “Were you stabbed or something?”
He shrugged. My chest heaved, but I decided to let it go, running the back of my neck. He wasn’t the most forthcoming. “What time do we leave tomorrow?” I asked, changing the subject, catching myself glancing at it every few seconds.
“We have an appointment with the king at two in the afternoon, so we should fly out at ten.”
“What about our bags?” I eyed the small suitcase Sebastian had arranged to be brought here for me.
“We leave them. They only have necessities for one night. We can ask for anything we need outside of what’s been taken when at court.”
“So wasteful,” I mumbled, and I saw him look at me in my peripheral vision. “I didn’t ask, but how did the meeting with Velda go?”
He pulled on a short-sleeved top then searched in his suitcase until he found a pair of gray sweatpants. At least he wouldn’t be sleeping naked. My mind wandered again, and I mentally kicked myself.
“She didn’t suspect a thing.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He shrugged. “It was fine.”
I looked up. “Seeing her must hurt you.”
