After The Awakening | ONC 2023

Chapter Ten

Xavier felt the hard, cold surface pressed against his cheek and recoiled, but this only made him wince in pain as his wound resisted the change in position. His eyes popped open, and he was momentarily disoriented at the bright room. A duvet slipped off his shoulders as he tensed.

'Did you want some breakfast?' Ray asked.

He rubbed a hand down his face, wiping away the sweat. 'Where'd you find the bread?'

'Freezer. I thought they were unlikely to notice a few slices missing. It's been defrosting since last night.' She continued to watch the frying pan, occasionally whisking the eggs before they could burn.

He noticed the misshapen duvet laid out on the floor beside his chair. 'You explored the rest of the house?'

'I couldn't move you, so I made myself comfortable here, just in case.'

'Find anything?'

'Some clothes.' She pointed to her new jeans that still weren't a perfect fit but much better than the clothes she'd worn from the Bureau. 'There's a pile for you as well. Other than that, there's some jewellery in the master bedroom, and I found a few notes in an old purse under the stairs.'

'We'll take the purse, but the jewellery could be tricky to cash in,' he said.

She shrugged, already figuring that would be his answer. 'How are you feeling this morning?'

'I'm fine. A trip to the pharmacy probably won't raise any alarm bells. I'll get some proper dressings and pack it tight.'

'And what if it gets infected?'

'I have a contact that could help, but at this moment I'm not sure who to trust,' he admitted.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but he didn't seem bothered by their current situation, so she let it go. He'd already made up his mind.

She put two plates ready and dished out the eggs, before sliding it in front of Xavier.

'Not hungry?' He pointed to her much smaller portion.

'There were only three eggs, and you need it more than I do.'

With no words, he lifted his cutlery and dug in, and she followed his example.

He watched her discreetly as they both ate. She looked fine. Not a hint of purple remained. A hallucination, he wondered to himself. He had lost enough blood to make that a reasonable assumption.

And yet he couldn't dismiss it.

It was yet another unusual thing about Ray that didn't add up. The flask. The inconclusive test. Not to mention, the way she'd fought against the vamp. No human could have held their own against a vampire with just their bare hands and yet Ray had forced the vamp back enough for him to take a clear shot.

What do glowing purple eyes mean?

He had no answer to his unspoken question. Vampires had red eyes. Shifters had gold. Both were able to mask them in various ways but none, as far as he was aware, could change to purple.

They remained in silence until both plates were empty, but eventually Xavier broke it. His mental musings were getting them nowhere but there was one place that could hold answers for them.

'A library.'

Ray frowned. 'What are you talking about?' She took their plates and headed to the sink.

'Mari loved to read. She said the key to happiness is a library card. It was her escape when she lived with Katrina and Martin. In order to open the locker, there must be a key hidden in a library.'