Colour Me Red

Chapter 23: Ellie

Chapter 23: Ellie

I woke up the next morning with a heavy weight draped across my waist. I peeled my eyes open and craned my neck to see a sleeping Dune lying comfortably behind me. I turned my body slowly so that I didn't wake him and took my time to appreciate his blessed features. His long lashes practically brushed his cheekbones which were high and defined, his unruly hair seemingly always perfectly styled. His jaw was covered in light fuzz even though I'd seen him shaving only yesterday.

"Oh Dune, why are you so beautiful?" I murmured softly, gently brushing a curl of hair from his face.

"Hmm?" he replied sleepily.

My face reddened with a steady blush as I begged silently that he didn't hear me. Luckily, his eyes stayed glued shut so I could only assume that he hadn't caught my words.

"You know," Dune's smooth voice flowed. "When you say things like that it wounds my man pride."

I gasped and his eyes flickered open.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, embarrassed. "I didn't know you were awake."

Dune grinned at me before leaning over and pressing a feather-light kiss on my forehead. I groaned as he drew away from me and climbed out of bed in nothing but a pair of three-quarter length joggers.

"Where are you going?" I protested, trying not to stare at his bare chest too much.

"To get dressed," he replied nonchalantly, his muscles flexing as he pulled a tee shirt over his head.

"But it's only half seven," I whined, glancing at the clock on my bedside table. "Surely you wouldn't make me get up at such an unearthly hour."

Dune turned to grin at me from where he was rummaging around in a set of draws, for what I could only guess was a pair of jeans. But when he turned to face me fully, he held up a pair of leggings and a sports bra which only baffled me further.

"Training starts today, doll face," he said with a smirk.

"Huh?" I replied unintelligently, pushing myself into a sitting position. "What are you talking about?"

"If you're going to help me kill people then you need to be in good shape, both physically and mentally. I'm going to train you, the way my father trained me, to be a deadly opponent."

I snickered a little and Dune's eyebrows rose.

"Sorry," I coughed. "I just wouldn't exactly describe myself as deadly."

"Not yet, but you certainly have potential," Dune said, tossing me the sports gear. "For starters, you're practically invincible as you said so yourself; any injuries that you obtain will heal in the time that your rival may try to escape. You've already proved to me that you have a certain fire in you that will allow you to use violence," he smirked and I blushed, recalling the amount of times that I'd punched or kicked him.

"So all I need to do now is train you," he finished simply.

We seemed to stare at each other for several seconds, in some sort of unspoken battle, until my dry eyes could no longer stay open to lock with his and I was forced to blink, soothing my arid orbs. Dune smirked at me and headed towards the door.

"Get dressed," he said. "I'll be waiting for you in the kitchen when you're ready."

"No need to be so bossy," I grumbled, rolling out of bed.

I shuffled towards the set of draws on the far side of the room and pulled out some fresh underwear before throwing on the sportswear that Dune had given to me. I raked my hair up into a ponytail and splashed my face with cold water to wake me up a little more. I gave myself a once over in the mirror, briefly noting on how the bags underneath my eyes had faded since I'd received the antidote from my father. I felt entirely normal, as normal goes, and was hopeful that I would stay that way. The fear that my father had done something to the antidote, somehow managed to postpone its true purpose, almost consumed me when my thoughts were left to wander aimlessly. I could only cross my fingers and wish that nothing would change.