“Both would be great, if that’s possible,” I say. Frustration mixed with some other emotion crosses his face, but I can’t place my finger on it.
I run back to the shower before he changes his mind and before I gawk any longer. I close the curtain, take off my bloodstained clothes, and scrub them with my hands under the icy water. The thin material tears under the strain.
Dang it. Now what?
Unsure of what to do, I call for Cole. I turn off the freezing water and stand shivering behind the curtain.
“Now what do you want?” he asks from the other side.
“Do you have a towel or another pair of scrubs by chance?”
“You’re in luck. I just got another pair.” His hand reaches past the curtain and holds out a folded pair of blue scrubs. I take them and put them on. The fabric sticks to my wet skin, but I know it could be worse.
“Thanks,” I say, but he’s already left the room.
I push the curtain aside and am surprised to see two containers of chalk sitting against the wall. One is colored and the other is white. Sweet! I open the colored container and grab the purple. Turning it over in my palm, I marvel at the small things that bring me so much joy.
A noise that sounds like a foghorn bellows from Cole’s room. I almost drop the small piece of chalk. At the same time, Zeus storms into the hallway, looking over his shoulder. Cole’s in his shower, singing some weird song I’ve never heard before.
“What was that?” I ask Zeus. It happens again but louder this time. Zeus runs into my room as a foul odor drifts by. “Was that a fart?” I laugh. “Oh my word, I can’t believe you’re afraid of your own fart.” I’m laughing so hard I snort. It’s a small reprieve from the violence and stress. I’m on the floor, doubled over, when Cole walks in with a towel wrapped around his hips. Everything else is bare, steaming flesh. And I pry my eyes away.
“What’s so funny?” he asks.
Oh my God, does he have to keep doing that?
Everything within me wants to stare so I tuck my face in my shirt.
“Zeus farted and he came running in here with his tail between his legs… It scared the crap out of him.” I continue to laugh in hysterics. Cole laughs with me. “Is that why you chose him? Because he scares people with his ungodly odor?” I wipe the tears that are streaming from my eyes and gasp for breath.
I keep my head down and try not to ogle him. It’s hard, really freaking hard. He has the most defined chest, arms, and abdomen I’ve ever seen. Until this moment, I thought of him only as my guard, but seeing him standing there half-naked makes me extremely uncomfortable. I stop laughing and squirm under the weight of his eyes.
“I’m going to change and get some sleep,” he says.
“Yeah, me too,” I say, eager to get out from under his stare.
“I’ll see you first thing,” he says as he walks into his room.
“See ya.” Confusion takes over. At first, he seemed stoic and cold. But now, he seems… human. Guards aren’t supposed to be human. They’re supposed to suck the life out of sinners and enforce the laws of the commander. And yet he already saved my life twice. Even if it’s his job, it seems hardly worth the trouble. I shake the thoughts from my head.
I just can’t win. For one, I can never be alone. But the second reason, the one I don’t want to admit, begins to torture me more…
Sleep eludes me. I need a release, so I pick up another piece of chalk.
CHAPTER 5
The screaming sound of the alarm wakes me. How long have I been asleep? The light filters through the window and I rub my eyes as they struggle to adjust. An instant burn shoots through my shoulders as I prop myself to a sitting position. I should’ve known I’d feel like this.
Two knocks bring me to my feet.
“Are you decent?” Cole peeks around the door.
“I guess so,” I say while throwing my hair into a messy ponytail.
Good thing because he certainly didn’t give me any time to get dressed.
I’m shoving my shirt into my pants when he struts in, staring at me. He gives me a sly smile that melts into complete shock when he focuses on the walls of my room.
“What the hell is that?” He points at my wall.
“What?” I play ignorant.
“You know exactly what.”
“Oh, that. I could’ve sworn I told you I wanted to decorate.”
“I didn’t think you’d actually draw on your freaking walls,” he says.
“Do you have a better idea?” His face remains hard. “Don’t worry. It washes right off.”
Please don’t make me.
He pauses, tracing the wall with his fingertips. “So you like the forest and the beach?”
“Not just any forest or beach. That’s the forest I grew up in before moving to High Society, and that’s the beach I was named after—Lexington Bay.” I avoid eye contact and point to the beach. “But this one’s definitely my favorite. The turquoise water is crystal clear with bright, beautiful fish and soft, powder-white sand that goes on for miles. It’s breathtaking, don’t you think?” I ask, getting lost in my memories.
Cole stares with his mouth slightly parted and his top lip curls up slightly at the corner. He probably thinks I’m a lunatic.
“You’re telling me a place like that really exists?” He cocks his head and puts his hands on his hips. “Where I come from, we have mountains stretching for miles, but never have I seen a beach like this.”
I smile. “It’s farther south somewhere. My parents went there for their honeymoon and it’s all they talked about for years. So you can imagine why I have such a detailed picture tattooed in my head. My father said when I was born he looked into my eyes and was lost in Lexington Bay.”
“Leave it… for now. Who taught you how to draw?”
“Myself.”
“Huh?”
“You asked me how I learned to draw—I taught myself.”
“Oh, right. Really? Damn, that’s pretty impressive. You’ve got talent.”
“No. Not really. Just a good memory, that’s all.” I don’t take compliments well. I never have and especially not from a guard.
“We have to leave in about ten minutes. Think you can be ready by then?”
I spin around. “I am ready.”
He rubs the back of his neck. “No. Mentally ready.”
“That’s impossible. Death waits for me everywhere I go. The only reason I’m still alive—if that’s what I am—is because of you.”
Looking a little uncomfortable, he clears his throat, quickly diverting my attention to the bag in his hand. “I brought bagels.”
This time we eat facing each other, but there’s little conversation, which is fine. I find myself enjoying the quiet yet still appreciative of the company—weird, I know. The tendons in his jaw flex as he chews, and I watch a glob of butter land on his chin. I’m hoping Zeus will come and lick it off because I’m definitely not pointing it out. The last thing I want to do is embarrass him—if he even gets embarrassed. Whenever he glances up, I lower my eyes. Sometimes I think he’s staring at me. Then I hear a sigh, and he continues eating.
“Why do you do it?” I’m afraid of his reaction, so I avoid eye contact. “Risk your life to protect a sinner? I don’t get it. I don’t get you… I know—you have orders and you follow them, but seriously, you could’ve died yesterday. And for what? Me? Don’t you think that’s an odd assignment for them to give you?”
“Stop asking me that. It’s getting on my nerves.” His fist slams down on the table, causing my glass to wobble off the edge and shatter.