The Daemon's Disguise (Sequel to He Was A Dog + previously Out There)

Out There (Sequel to He Was A Dog) - Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Blue:

The roar of the waves made it hard to sleep at night, and the creak of the wooden walls made me wonder if the house was about to collapse there and then. Every sound, every squeak made me jump. It was doing nothing for my nerves, and the cold was doing nothing for my mood. At the very least, Isaac could have arranged a safe house on a tropical beach instead of some dreary wooden shack on the South coast of England.

Beside me in the bed, Elijah hummed in contentment. At least someone was enjoying the weather. Having grown up in the city, Elijah had never actually seen the beach before, so the days were spent on the sand, building castles with his tiny bucket and spade.

From the living room, I could hear Marshall snoring, no doubt lapping up the heat in front of the fire. If he had wanted to know more about Elijah’s father, he hadn’t made it obvious. After the initial shock of him and Bruno coming face to face, the two had said very little to each other. I had gathered – therefore – that Isaac had given him a rather clipped version of events, something that I was thankful for.

Sighing, I rose from the bed silently, crossing the bare wooden floor and slipping into the hallway. There was something eerie about the way that cabin was built, something chilling about each squeak of the wood – but at the same time, we were all wonderfully shut off from the world. Civilisation could have ceased to exist, and we would have known nothing about it.

So in that respect, maybe it was the safest place to be.

I made my way into the kitchen, flinching at the cold flagstones beneath my naked toes. It may have been safe, but that didn’t make it warm. My fingers found the light switch, immersing the tiny room in light as I made my way towards the kettle. Sleep was beginning to become a foreign concept, and it was definitely starting to have an effect. I didn’t need to see my reflection in the window to know that there were dark circles beneath my eyes, or how papery my skin was beginning to be. The sooner all of this was over, the better.

“It’s three in the morning.” The mug I had picked up slipped from my hand in shock as I jumped, whipping around to see the owner of the voice. The china shattered, sending shard skittering across the floor and towards the feet of Bruno, who was rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I hissed, snatching up the brush and starting to seek out little sharp remnants of mug. “And watch your feet!”

He remained still as I swept around him, giving me a chance to take in the tanned expanse of leg. He stood there, in his boxers, in all of his glory – smooth planes of muscle, the soft jut of his hips just protruding, before disappearing in the “V” of h-

Cheeks reddening and silently berating myself, I straightened up, looking him in the eye.

“Sorry,” Bruno said, stifling a yawn. “Heard you moving about. Trouble sleeping still?”

In all fairness, he was taking the whole thing remarkably well, and I was rather sure that Isaac had done some magic on him to make him more susceptible to the idea.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, putting the broom behind the door. “Tea?”

He nodded, resting his body against the wooden countertop, his eyes never leaving my face. As I bustled about making tea, I was suddenly very aware of the lack of clothing going on here – pyjama shorts and a t-shirt had been thrown on without much thought, but now, without a dressing gown or something to cover up with, I was feeling very exposed under his gaze.

“Have you…been in touch with Ingrid?” I asked lightly. It was a loaded question; if she had called Bruno, it would help us find her.

However, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.