Lowe and Gray: The Atavistic Box

Chapter Thirteen - The Sanguine Squad

AURORA AWOKE TO the sunlight and stretched her stiffened muscles. She winced with every movement and Jace rushed in, dressed in dark jeans, a black shirt in his hands. Aurora's eyes ran over the light muscle on his bare torso.

"What are you doing? Slow movements, here let me help." He threw the shirt to the side and supported her as she sat up. He picked up his shirt and pulled it over his head. He cupped her face in his hands, forgetting to hold back. He brushed against her cheek lightly.

"Not bad," Jace murmured, his eyes resting on the deep blue bruise under her eyes. "How's your head?"

"Fine," she said. Her eyes were wide and she shook her head like it was nothing - trying to be as casual as possible.

He dropped his hand to her side and Aurora let in a sharp intake of breath. She hoped he didn't notice. "And your side?"

"Only hurts when I breathe," she replied.

He smiled softly. "Not much you can do about that," Aurora set her hand over his, realising there were only inches between them, then Jace slowly withdrew his hand. "Jensen called," he said, "he's on his way over."

"You told him?" Aurora groaned.

"I had to. You were hurt, and he's your mentor. Everyone was looking for you. Be lucky I convinced him not to come last night."

Jace helped Aurora stand up, and he passed her a towel. "You go and have a shower, let the warm water loosen you up, and I'll make breakfast. Do you like eggs?" Aurora nodded. "Great."

Aurora stood in Adrian's contraption of a shower, and decided to press all the buttons and allow the several scented foams and bubbles to spray out at all angles. She sighed as her muscles relaxed, and she slowly stretched her aching bones. She could have stayed in there much longer, but she decided she had taken long enough - breakfast was probably ready.

She changed into a loose t-shirt and jeans. The t-shirt hung off her shoulders but she didn't think she'd be doing much work. She towel dried her hair, leaving it to dry down her back and applied a little bit of makeup and went downstairs to the kitchen where she found Jace at the island, surrounded by cartons of eggs, saucepans, fruit and odd plants she had never seen before.

Aurora laughed. "You told me you were making eggs. I thought that meant scrambled."

Jace smiled. "I made avocado toast with poached eggs and smoked salmon topped with lavender from the Faerie Court and a small bowl of fruit salad."

"Lavender from the Faerie Court?" Aurora raised her eyebrows.

"It has healing properties. Adrian has a whole cupboard of Faerie food. It's quite surprising really - Faerie food cooked wrong can have odd effects. Anyway, sit down and tuck in."

He pulled out a bar stool for her to sit and placed the plate infront of her. It was presented beautifully - warm seeded toast topped with sliced avocado and two poached eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper with smoked salmon pieces on the side. Jace had laid two sprigs of lavender on the side of the plate. It looked lovely, with an odd sense of familiarity.

"Is something wrong?" Jace frowned.

"No, no, it's just... Adrian used to cook this exact breakfast for me when I was sick," she said quietly. "It looks lovely though." He sat beside her as she took a bite. "Tastes lovely too."

"Were you close with him? Your brother?"

"We were when we were younger. After he left school and got rich, we drifted apart. I guess that was when he got into sorcery. And then he died."