Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“Yeah. That’s why I was asked to meet with them.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“None of this does. I asked around to try and see how Abbot is doing, and no one knew anything. Oh shit,” he rushes out. “I have to go. Can you meet me in three days? Same place downtown as before.”
“You’re going to make me wait three days to dive into this?”
“Yeah. I’m in Nebraska on a job right now.”
“What are you hunting?”
“Ghouls.”
“No fair,” I huff. “Those are fun to kill.”
“For you,” he laughs. “I’m going to kill this number. Take care of yourself, Wren.”
“You too.”
The call ends and my chest feels tight. Suddenly this hotel room, which was meant to be a sanctuary is feeling like a prison. There’s nothing I can do inside here and the desperation to find out what’s going on threatens to put me in a panic.
“Get it together,” I tell myself and then unzip the bag, pulling out a pair of silky black PJ pants and matching button up shirt.
“Thank you, Mabel,” I say when I see a set of workout clothes and my running shoes. I grab the bag of toiletries she packed for me and then go into the bathroom, twisting my hair into a bun on the top of my head to keep it from getting wet in the shower.
I turn on the water, order a room service, and then get into the shower, washing off all my makeup. I stand under the water for a few minutes, eyes shut with my face turned up. Things have gotten so complicated. Being forced to marry Xavier was my biggest problem not that long ago and now it seems small in comparison. Probably because I see a different side of him than I did at first.
Actually, I think I see a side of him no one sees—not even his brother. There’s softness to him, and beneath the fangs and the muscle, he’s a kind and caring man who can love and take care of me. He holds the weight of his family on his shoulders, taking his loyalty to them seriously. But underneath it all, he wants someone to see him and love him too.
Yawning, I get out of the shower and get dressed before my food comes. I wheel the little table over to the bed, tuck myself in, and put on a movie as I dig into the food. I keep telling myself to relax, that there’s nothing I can do right now. This is my time to unwind and not worry or be responsible for anything.
There are mini bottles of wine in the mini fridge. Normally, I never touch anything in the fridge in hotel rooms because I don’t want to have to pay for it later. Knowing Xavier won’t care, I take two bottles out and twist off the cap of a bottle of pinto grigio. Not bothering with a glass, I take a drink right from the bottle and make a face.
“Gross,” I say out loud, though I don’t know why I expected anything better when the bottle had a twist-off cap. Nevertheless, I bring it back to bed and take another big drink. Consuming alcohol to calm your nerves is a terrible thing to do, I know. I hardly drink, not liking being incapacitated in any way. Seeing as I’m not going anywhere tonight…why not?
I already had one drink downstairs, I pace myself. Along with not liking losing my bearings, I don’t want to feel sick either. At least not from wine. I set the bottle down and take the lid off my plate, eyeing the grilled cheese, fries, and tomato soup. I would rather feel sick from gorging myself on food. There’s a slice of chocolate cake and tiramisu to eat after this, if I can stomach it.
About an hour into the movie I turned on, Xavier texts me, letting me know he’s getting in the elevator to come up and he doesn’t want me to get startled when the door opens. Seeing his words makes me smile. I put the cake in the fridge and take out a bottle of water, drinking half of it by the time Xavier joins me.
“You look comfy,” he says, taking off his suit jacket as he strides over.
“Is that code for I look like a bum now that I’m not in a formal dress with my hair and makeup done?”
He speeds over, kicking his shoes off and getting on the bed, moving his body over mine.
“Not at all.” He kisses me. “I prefer you without makeup. There’s nothing covering up the real you.”
“But what if I like wearing makeup?”
“Then wear it. I don’t believe there is anything you can put on yourself that would make me less attracted to you.”
“What if I wore a skin-suit?”
“Skin-suit?”
I raise my eyebrows and nod. “Mm-hm. Made from a mixture of human and rat skin.”