The Damned Holies (The Fallen Wars 1)

Chapter Four

I rarely got the chance to sleep on a nice mattress that is dressed in 1000 thread count sheets. I wasn’t going to waste the opportunity. I dreamt of nothing, gladly. Sometimes I’ve dreamt about things my father has done.

Xavier didn’t even have to touch me to wake me up. The minute he stepped into the room, I woke up, my eyelids snapping open. He tossed me a duffel bag. “Everything you need is in here.”

“Mind if I take a shower?” I asked, stretching and pulling the soft covers away from me.

“Take a left, down the hall, last door on the right.”

“I remember.” I stripped out of my clothes and set them on the bed. I did a few more stretches in only my bra and panties.

“What are you doing?”

“You should know that I’m not shy.” I murmured and winked. I moved closer to him and looked up. He was really tall now.

“Oh, Aimee. Am I your latest conquest?” He swooned, wrapping his warm arms around my waist and trying not to wince as his fingertips came into contact with the puffy scar tissue.

I stood up onto the tips of my toes. “Come closer. I have to tell you something.”

He, all too eagerly, leaned down a bit. His lips were so close to mine. I could feel his minty breath on my face and see the rough stubble that spread across his chin. We aren't children anymore. He wasn’t a little boy anymore.

“No,” I said loudly, laughing.

“Damn it.” He muttered.

“After all, I’m too crazy and dangerous for you. Not to mention, I’m definitely not a team player.”

“Says who?”

“Me.” I kissed his nose and danced away from him to the bathroom, hair dye in hand.

From the room I had slept in, he called, “Maybe you’re just right for me!”

I paused at the door to the bathroom. That was farther than we’ve joked before. I shook it off and yelled back, “Computer nerds aren’t my thing.”

“Oh, well... Maybe you aren’t just right for me.”

I laughed as I turned the shower on and took off the few remaining articles of clothing I had left. I quickly applied the dark hair dye and waited. Wait over, I hopped in. Instead of taking a quick shower, it turned into a long one. I enjoyed the sensation of the scalding hot water cascading down onto me. It felt good. It loosed up my sore muscles, which were always very tense. I washed my hair, aware that I had to rinse all the dye out. Finally, I realized I needed to leave so I gathered the courage and hopped out. The cold air blasted against my skin and goosebumps broke out over my body. I shivered and grabbed the towel, quickly wiping away the water that still clung to me. I towel dried my hair and ran my fingers through it to dispel the tangles. My hair was so different this way. I wrapped the towel around me and yelled out the door, “Xavier, did you get me any clothes?”

I heard him walking around on the first floor, most likely doing something in the kitchen. “Yeah! One second, I’ll get them.” He started running up the stairs and I took that chance to quickly put on my bra and underwear. He knocked on the door and handed them to me with a smile.

“Thank you, darling.” I inspected them, reading the price tags. “Oh, fancy. Woah, expensive.”

He shrugged and walked away while I put on the designer jeans and blouse. “Rich bastard,” I mumbled under my breath.

“What was that?”

“What? I didn’t say anything.” I contained a smile. I followed him down the stairs into the kitchen. He made dinner and a pot of tea. We played catch-up while we ate and waited for my now dark hair to dry. He frequently checked the gold watch on his wrist to keep track of the time. Our flight will be leaving later in the evening and, because of the time difference, we’ll arrive around eleven in the morning.