Hunter: Gods & Monsters

Chapter 35

I knew I wasn't alone before I even opened my eyes. The presence was unmissable in the corner of the room, despite how silent the person was being. Slowly I rolled over and yawned.

"Watching me sleep. That's not creepy at all." I mumble, forcing my eyes open.

Warm, orange light from the sunset outside filled the room, which surprised me more than waking up with a visitor.

"I honestly only just got here." Cain defended, "I didn't realise you'd be sleeping and was trying to work out if I should wake you or not. Big night?"

"Apparently." I left out the part where I had disappeared before midnight. There was a faint memory of waking up a couple of times since, but they were hazy.

My mouth was dry and I still felt tired. Before he can say anything else I hold my free hand up for him to give me a minute while I drink some water. Cain remains lingering in the darkest corner as I stretch, trying to talk myself into waking up. I can feel the mascara clumpy and smeared around my eyes, my hair has come free in parts and I probably look as though I'm dealing with the hangover from hell despite not having drunk last night. I can't even be bothered fixing any part of me right now. I tap the bed beside me instead and flop back down. There's some hesitation as I feel him come over before he sits, and then lay alongside me. Thankful it doesn't last as I feel Cain let out a breath he must have been holding. He smells like the ocean and I yawn again as I'm cocooned within his arms.

"Are you alright?" Cain asks softly.

"Yeah. Tired. Everything has just been, a lot. What about you?" So much had happened since I left that afternoon.

It felt like months had passed, not days. I hadn't expected much but some kind of sign he had still been around would have been nice.

"I decided to get away. With everything that was happening here, I wanted to make sure there was no chance of being found."

"Good plan. Where did you go?"

"I went down the coast, a place my family used to holiday when I was a child. The shacks we'd rent were still there, though the colony of merfolk that have moved in nearby will make them harder to fill in summer."

"You hadn't gone there since coming back?" I yawned.

"No." He tensed slightly. "I never really had a chance to either, until now. My past, well, it's easier to pretend it didn't happen than dwell on it. Besides, it was a long time ago now. I had some time to waste. It didn't mean anything."

"I think it does or you wouldn't have gone there." One of my arms escapes over his shoulders, as I rub my nose against the roughness on his neck. I can feel the salty remnants of the sea water in his hair and on his skin. "Tell me about it."

My request keeps him silent, his body not as relaxed as it was a few seconds ago. I tilt my head back to look at him, finding the serious expression on his face that I was expecting. Slowly Cain's eyes seem to soften, and as I stroke the back of his head and neck, he relaxes once more, another pillow appearing behind him as he gets comfortable. He tells me about the parents he first knew, the holidays they would plan for in the summer. His father loved to fish and would hire one of the small wooden boats from the owners of the shack. They'd go out at dawn, drop nets for crabs that his mother would later cook up for lunch on the beach. The things he said painted such a picture in my mind, I felt like I was there with them.

"Wake up, Elise." Hearing my name has my eyes opening and looking around now, it's dark. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Maybe. No. Honestly, I've been feeling weird since I handed my sword over to Kara." I admit, rubbing my eyes. "It's weird."