Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Kainda
W aking up next to Elijah for the second morning in a row felt too nice. Can’t get used to this, chickie . He still slept, his breathing slow and deep. His nightmare last night had rattled me. No one liked waking up to screams and your bed buddy thrashing around like a feeding alligator. He’d scared the shit out of me. Feeling how fast his heart beat and the sound of him hyperventilating between his screams. The sounds still played on a loop in my head.
I’d never seen someone sweat so much. Thankfully, the spell had taken care of the smell. Checking my phone to see the time, it was still early, so I didn’t have to wake him yet. He needed the sleep, and I wasn’t ready to face the awkwardness of last night. Kissing him hadn’t been the smartest thing I’d ever done. Ha, what would you consider the sex then? That little voice in my head could fuck right off.
Finding the coffee pot I got it going needing the caffeine jolt to function. I watched Elijah sleep from the corner of my eye as I checked my phone for updates from my team. Nothing waited for me, so I checked in with some of my contacts to see if they’d heard anything that might prove an attack by Uttu. The demon’s activity had slowed down considerably since Elijah’s rescue, unnaturally quiet in fact, and it worried the shit out of me. Why in Gaia’s name had her pattern changed? What about Elijah had caused this? Not that I wanted her out killing people, but something didn’t feel right.
“If you made enough for both of us, I will absolutely worship the ground you walk on.” He sat up on the edge of that old fold out couch, looking so groggy. His voice hoarse from all his screaming. Him chanting your name as he orgasmed didn’t help, either. I could strangle that voice. He really needed some mint tea, but no way did this cheap hotel have it.
That had not been the words I was expecting to come out of his mouth. He gave me a half awake smile, looking hungover from too much sleep, though in his case he could blame the lack of sleep. I snickered. “I think we can pass on the whole worshiping the ground I walk on. We’ve already established we are a bad idea.”
“Are we back to that same old argument? I thought we were passed that after last night.” He just shook his head, making those dark, shaggy strands swish around.
When I didn’t say anything, he thankfully let it go, and I poured him a cup of coffee, handing it to him and crossing back to the other side of the room. Being close to him asked for trouble with him sans shirt and that dark stubble covering his lower face. Go take a shower, Kainda, anything to escape the temptation of him. My hormones and my magic didn’t give a damn. Said magic continued rubbing the inside of my skin like a cat in heat. It wanted Elijah. If I were honest, I wanted Elijah just as badly.
“I’m going to get in the shower. You might want to call down to the front desk and have them send up some more towels. I’ll grab breakfast and something for you to wear while you’re in the shower. If that crystal screams, shit is going to hit the fan, and you tell me.” I pointed, jabbing my finger in the direction of the crystal still on the nightstand.
He just nodded, drinking his coffee. The man had enough sides to make a decagon jealous. Honestly, it had me spinning in circles. Though, to continue with that honesty, I hadn’t seen a side of him yet that I didn’t like. Honesty was for the birds, normal or otherwise.
After my shower I set up an old school calling crystal. An old spell my mother’s coven used, since they believe in only minimal modern technology on coven grounds. The magical equivalent of the Mennonites, sans the old-timey style clothes. I left one with him while I headed out, the other tucked in my pocket. If anything happened, and he needed me, he could reach me using the crystal. It reminded me to get him a cell phone to use. Burner phone to the rescue.
A small bakery and a twenty-four-hour department store within walking distance would get me everything I needed. It also meant I could leave my car here in case he needed to escape from anything before I made it back. I’d hit the bakery on the way back so I could have hot coffee, the stuff in the hotel room, only slightly better than hospital and gas station coffee. I got him clothes to get him through a few days, some personal hygiene items, and a prepaid cell phone with card. Juggling the three bags, a carton with two to-go coffees, and a baker’s box, no easy feat. But I managed
I walked in just as he stepped out of the bathroom, hair still dripping, a towel around his waist. Holding the towel with one hand, he took the coffee from me, putting it on the table. That hotel soap smelled ten times better on him than it did on me. He smelled better than the coffee and donuts combined. Shoving the bags of clothes at him with one hand while putting the donuts on the table next to the coffees. He needed to put those clothes on like yesterday.
“Thanks, Kainda.” He left the room and I finally felt like I could breathe again, strange I don’t remember when I stopped breathing.