Unclaimed

Chapter Fifty-Four - Hospitality and Shit

Judas sat behind me in the tub, his butt on the edge and only his feet submerged as he washed my hair of the pond water. It was strange but nice, how he wanted to pamper me, to take care of me.

But from the mark I knew it was because he didn't want to let me out of his sight. Keeping an eye on me, literally, was his only way of keeping calm.

I told him about what Thomas and I had talked about as he washed and conditioned my hair. Carefully untangling it and apologizing profusely when he pulled too hard. Eventually by the time he was done with my hair, he moved to other parts of my body.

Ignoring my fidgeting to clean as effectively as he could. Lathering me up with soap and water to wash away any smell of the outside.

Wrapping me in a towel and carrying me down to the kitchen still in my towel. Iris and Val were in the living room by the time he brought me down.

"Oh my god!"

"Jesus!"

They both exclaim running over to us. Judas setting me down on the kitchen stool as he stood behind me, holding me in his arms as he inhales the scent of my freshly washed hair.

"Where were you?"

"What happened?"

"Where have you been?"

I stop them both, keeping my voice flat and monotonous.

"Keep the questions to yourself for now, I'm astonishingly hungry." I say and twist out of Judas embrace to raid through fridge.

Which is empty. Completely empty.

"Wow. I'm not home for two days but all my food is gone." I scoff slamming the fridge door shut. Looking at the three of them, Judas especially looking guilty.

"We-" Iris starts to explain but Val interjects.

"We were going to refill it but-"

"When?" I turn fast. The hunger making me agitated. Or hangry? Whatever, I just want food. "The whole fridge is empty, the pantry-" I open and find that completely barren as well. "Fuck!"

Slamming the door shut, the banging of the wood making the jump.

"Jesus Christ is this a punishment?" I look at the three of them in disbelief. "I get being anxious when someone just isn't around for a bit, but cleaning out my fucking kitchen of anything edible is-" I sigh unable to keep going as I feel exhaustion overwhelm me.

"I need food." I say after a beat of silence.

"Well get you take out or-" Iris says but I cut her off by laughing.

"I might as well go back to the spring and make do with the rest of the mushrooms." I scoff at her. "This is not how you treat someone's home!" I shout making them all jump. All eyes hit the floor except of Judas who just drinking in my anger with a guilty face.

"Take out." I snort, holding the towel up as I veer around the kitchen island and head back upstairs.

"Beau where are you going?" Val shouts after me.

I don't answer as I dig through my drawers for suitable clothes. Shrugging on a plain shirt and pants I head out to raid what I can from the crops. It's still daylight outside, maybe late afternoon, the mastiffs follow me on my trek there.

There wasn't even any bones for them in the fridge.

I need to hunt.

Like actually hunt.

I haven't had to in years, but I had no choice now.

I mean, where does one get the initiative to just do that to someone else's home! Is it entitlement? Did I make them feel too comfortable? Does hospitality just not suit a person like me?