Chapter 3 #2
Since Ji-Su liked it, Raul topped three more crackers with the cheese and ham and passed them over one by one for him to eat.
By now the color had returned to Ji-Su’s face and the dazed, glassy expression was gone from his eyes.
Still, Raul wanted to get a little more food in him. “Can you do one more?”
Ji-Su nodded so Raul prepared another cracker.
Their fingertips brushed as Ji-Su took the snack from him.
For the first time, it hit him that the lovely human that he’d been instantly and intensely attracted to was there in his home.
He couldn’t think on that attraction now however.
Right now, he needed to aid Ji-Su in recovering from Cedric’s cruel treatment.
He was about to move on to taking care of his feet but a question from Ji-Su stopped him.
“Maybe one more?” he asked with a hopeful expression.
Raul smiled again, glad that Ji-Su had a healthy appetite after his ordeal. “Of course.” He prepared a last stack of cracker, ham, and cheese and handed it to him.
Ji-Su took it, chewing with a happy, content air. “That was good. Thank you.” He sighed and relaxed back on the couch.
“You’re welcome.” Raul put the platter back on the tray. Ji-Su had eaten nearly everything on it. Now, he looked tired. Raul needed to take care of the first aid so he could let him rest. “Let me look at your feet.”
He lightly grasped Ji-Su’s right foot and brought it up to rest on his knee.
The bottom of it was dirty, a few small pieces of gravel stuck to it, and there were several tiny cuts in his skin.
The other foot was worse. There was a long, deep gash on his heel, crusted over with dried blood.
He must have stepped on something big and sharp.
Seeing the damage that Cedric’s words and actions had led to made a growl of anger rise up in his chest. He had to press his lips tightly closed to hold it back. Ji-Su didn’t need to witness a vampire’s aggression right now.
“It’s not too bad but you do have a few cuts. I’m going to clean them for you and then apply medicine to make sure they don’t get infected. There’s no telling what nasty germs you stepped in on that highway.”
Ji-Su shook his head in protest. “You don’t have to do that.” His toes curled as if he were trying to hide his foot.
“I know I don’t have to,” Raul said as he met Ji-Su’s dark gaze. “But I want to help you. Will you let me?”
Ji-Su was silent for a moment. “You’re very nice,” he finally said.
“I’m nice when I want to be nice.”
That made Ji-Su laugh. Hearing that sound caused Raul to go still and simply stare at the human’s delicately handsome face. His lush lips were curved with a smile, and amusement twinkled in his dark, pretty eyes.
“Okay. Thank you for being so kind.”
Raul shook himself out of his freeze to set about washing and drying Ji-Su’s wounded feet.
Throughout the process, he tried not to notice how small and cute those feet were.
But he failed when he looked down at the fine-boned foot he held in his big hand.
His chest warmed with an emotion that he couldn’t quite identify but he managed not to say anything aloud.
Finished with the cleaning, he picked up the antiseptic ointment.
“Sorry, this might sting.” He squeezed some of the ointment onto one finger and carefully applied it to all the cuts. He was careful as he smoothed an extra amount of the medicine onto the large cut on his heel, but Ji-Su still winced. “Sorry,” Raul quietly apologized.
“It’s alright. I was more surprised at the sting than in pain.”
“When was your last tetanus shot?”
“Two years ago.”
“Okay, then. You should be good. Let me know if it starts to really hurt,” he said as he applied a bandage over the cut. The first aid done, he wiped his hands and finished up by helping him into a pair of warm socks. “There you go,” he said as he placed Ji-Su’s feet on the floor.
“Thank you. I really appreciate all your help tonight.”
Ji-Su glanced over and looked at the clock above the fireplace mantle. Raul followed his gaze. It was a little after five-thirty in the morning.
“I should go once my car is back. Or call an Uber maybe.”
Raul was absolutely not letting him go back to Cedric until he’d sorted out whatever had happened and made sure it was safe for him to return. But he didn’t want to scare Ji-Su and make him think he was being held against his will.
“I think it’s best that we get this situation with Cedric straightened out before you go back. The sun will be up in a couple of hours and Cedric will no doubt be asleep soon. Why don’t you rest here for the day? Relax, and then you can see about going back in the evening. Does that work?”
Ji-Su looked out the window as he considered. It was currently dark, but the far-off tweeting of birds signaled that the sun was close to the horizon. “He does fall asleep pretty early.”
Raul wasn’t surprised to hear that. Cedric was a young vampire and wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to rest that came once the sun fully rose.
Ji-Su nodded. “All right, I’ll stay.” He hid a yawn behind his hand. “And honestly, I’m probably too tired to make the drive back. I need to let a few people know I’m okay first.”
“Good.” Raul stepped away to give Ji-Su privacy as he pulled out his phone. He listened to the sounds Ji-Su’s cell made as he typed out his messages. Letting people know where he was for the day was a smart move and Raul approved of his decision to do so.
A few minutes later, Ji-Su finished sending his texts and went to stand. Raul turned and sped over to him before he could rise. He slid an arm around his back and the other beneath his legs and lifted him from the couch.
“I feel okay to walk,” Ji-Su protested.
“I don’t want you putting pressure on your feet yet. And the guest suite is a bit of a distance from here.”
The protectiveness Raul felt for this young human he barely knew was so strong that he couldn’t stand the thought of him experiencing even the smallest amount of pain on the walk up to the guest room.
Thankfully, Ji-Su silently acquiesced to being carried, settling into a comfortable position in his hold.
He rested his head on Raul’s chest, his soft hair brushing Raul’s chin as he carried him out of the great room, up the long staircase, and down the main hall to one of the spare rooms. His bedroom was on this same hall, so he would be nearby if Ji-Su needed him.