Shadowburn (2)

Chapter 7

 He'd gotten so used to her sleeping next to him, that he almost missed her that night when he'd gone to sleep. Almost. Andreas' large twin bed felt oddly empty. It wasn't a thought he ever considered having. He'd spent countless nights with countless women, many whose names he couldn't even remember, and yet now, now he'd actually want one to stay the night.

When he awoke the next morning, he pulled his fingers through his dark hair as he got into a sitting position, trying to gather his bearings. He'd had a deep, dreamless sleep that night, most likely due to exhaustion. He leaned back against, sighing deeply. He and Sin had practically been going at it since the moment she stepped into his home. And though he wasn't exactly complaining, he had things he needed to do. He hadn't decided to come back to Eerea for no reason, after all.

She was distracting him from his goals. He needed to focus.

Perhaps it was good she'd found somewhere else to rest last night. It gave him some much needed time to think.

For ten years, he hadn't been able to get close to John. He knew exactly where to find the bastard. But he couldn't get to him. There were wards, protective spells, and every other method known in their world placed on the Argeno estate specifically designed to keep people like Andreas out. He had paid the place a visit -- shortly after Dylan's death -- but left immediately. It took too much energy to even move. It was like what he'd experienced on the Nox, only ten times worse.

He needed to find a way to drag John out. The question was simply, how?

Andreas rubbed his temples absently. He needed food. This kind of thinking was better done once he'd gotten some fuel into his system. He didn't bother to pull on a shirt before he flashed himself to the kitchen.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he surveyed the room. He could easily just manifest himself already cooked food, but... cooking helped him think. He sighed, resigning himself to the work.

He pulled out two pans and set them on the stove, igniting the fires with a look. Beside the stove, a plate full of uncooked bacon appeared on his whim, with a couple of eggs next to it. He took a couple of bacon strips and laid them onto one pan, listening as they sizzled from the heat. Once the pan was completely covered, he cracked several eggs into the other pan.

After a while, he flipped the bacon around, and then did the same with the eggs. His thoughts remained focused on the task at hand, not once drifting to what he should actually be thinking about.

He was just about to flip the bacon again, when he sensed her presence in the room. He didn't acknowledge her -- she was probably still mad at him for the previous night. She didn't say anything, and he finished flipping the bacon.

Just when he was about to move on to the eggs, he felt her walk up right behind him, her body pressing up against his as she snaked her around his waist. His movement halted and she stuck her head under his arm, bringing her head close to his chest as she leaned forward to smell the food. "Bacon..." she said, her voice sleepy.

He stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment. The way she was holding on to him made it very difficult to move, let alone finish cooking. Plus, he was surprised by it, by her. She had been mad at him the previous night, he was sure of it. Yet, here she was... affectionate. He didn't know what to think anymore.

"Uhm, Sin... if you don't mind, you are making it rather difficult for me to finish cooking over here."

"Mm?" she murmured in surprise. But then released him, spinning around lazily to lean against the counter right by his side, still touching him. She snatched a piece of still undercooked bacon. "Apologies, Sir Chef. Continue," she said in a sleepy, teasing tone, her eyes still heavy with sleep.