She was still arousing to be around, both visually and olfactorily, but seeing her in those pajamas had been especially enticing.
“Well, I got the job done,” I admitted, still facing away from her. “Although, I probably shouldn’t tell you anything about it, in case you’re ever questioned. It’s best if you don’t have to lie about knowing.”
“Oh.” She nodded, her expression serious as she walked closer. “Yeah, that makes sense.” She then abruptly stepped behind me and wrapped her arms around my still exposed torso. I shivered as I felt her hands run along my stomach and chest, forcing my skin to gray again. “Let’s go inside,” she whispered.
Sighing, I reached up with my hands to cover hers. “Alright…” I agreed quietly. “But, I don’t think I can do anything right now. I really need a shower. I feel dirty again, like last night.”
She nodded, kissing me softly on the back of the neck. “That’s alright. I understand. I’ll let you take a shower while I make lunch. Then, we can just talk for a while.”
“That sounds really nice,” I admitted. “Although, I’m kind of surprised you want to eat after all this.” Granted, I was honestly kind of feeling hungry myself.
“Well,” she began, kissing me on the back of the neck a second time, causing a chill to run down my spine. “I think it’s because the guy was a murderer. I don’t feel bad about it at all. I mean, if anything I’m relieved knowing I’m finally safe for real this time. I strongly doubt there’s a third party involved.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “That’s highly unlikely. But even if that were true, I’ll come to your rescue no matter what. I promise.”
She buried her forehead against my neck. “Thanks, Kai. I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I whispered, feeling like that statement was significantly more meaningful now.
After a deep sigh, she finally let me go, only to grab my hand, intertwining our fingers, and lead me into the house. True to her word, she gave me a short kiss on the cheek and then let me go upstairs to shower while she started on lunch.
It was really strange having her cook for me. I was so used to doing all the cooking for my older sister, and now I had a hot goddess taking care of me like I’d always done for Serenity. Honestly, it was kind of a nice change of pace.
I did love cooking, but what guy wouldn’t want such a fucking hot woman doting on them?
Once I was in the shower, I discovered that I didn’t need to do nearly as much scrubbing to feel clean again — a sharp contrast to last night. I suspected that the difference was due to Gabriella’s opinion of me. Or, more specifically, the fact that she wasn’t ashamed of my actions. Having her approval, as well as her acceptance and forgiveness, after what I’d done when I got hurt, all seemed to help alleviate my conscience more than I’d expected.
I honestly wasn’t sure what would have happened to me if my first time getting seriously injured had been before I met her, but I doubted it would have turned out well. How would I have coped without someone knowing about me and accepting me?
I shivered at the thought, knowing I would have absolutely refused to open up to anyone after that. I would have been far too afraid of rejection if they knew the truth.
Granted, I probably never would have gotten shot in the first place if this particular situation hadn’t developed. After all, most people seem to go their entire lives without getting shot.
Sighing, I turned off the water and got out of the shower. My body looked normal again, so I could see more clearly that there wasn’t even a scar from the bullet. The rapid healing made me wonder what would happen if I resisted the bloodthirst. Would I uncontrollably seek out the nearest source? Or would I be able to stop myself before hurting someone I cared about?
For obvious reasons, I’d been pissed at the bastard, which I felt like was a major contributor in me giving into the impulse and losing control briefly, but it was hard to say. Honestly, as I thought about it, I realized I’d probably do it again — rip his throat out.
It was much more cathartic for me, in a strange way, compared to stabbing a knife in the other guy’s chest. I felt like the fucker got what he deserved.
But still, that left the scary question. What would happen if I resisted indefinitely? Would I heal normally if I ate regular food and just toughed it out? Was it a requirement I drink blood? And did it have to be human blood?
Lots of questions, all of which were significant.
I needed to test it out sometime in a controlled environment. I could probably steal some human blood from a blood bank, or something, and then intentionally hurt myself to see how long I could resist the urge. It was far too dangerous for me to not know what would happen in the worst-case situation.
And if I ever hurt Serenity or Gabriella…
I’d never be able to forgive myself. Never.
Gabriella’s phone rang downstairs in the kitchen, snapping me out of my thoughts. Focusing on her, I listened for any signs of distress as she answered. However, surprisingly it seemed she was really happy.
Her tone was cheerful. “Hi, Serenity! Are you on break?”
“Yeah,” my sister answered. “Just checking in on you two. Is Kai’s phone off? I tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail.”
“Oh, I’m not sure, actually. I don’t think he ever plugged it in last night, so it might be dead. I’ll ask him when he comes downstairs. I’m making us lunch, at the moment.”
“Oh, alright.” My sister then sounded playful. “Trying to impress him?” she wondered.
I heard Gabriella’s heart skip a beat. “Umm, well, maybe,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure what he likes, but I know he at least loves meat, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong if that was an ingredient.”
Serenity laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. He’s not a picky eater anyway. I’m sure he will love whatever you make.”
“Thanks, Serenity,” Gabriella replied sincerely. “I’m really glad I met you, and not just because of your brother. There’s nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate the people in your life. So, thanks for being my friend. It really means a lot to me.”
“Aww, you’re so sweet. Ugh, you’re going to make me cry again.” I heard my sister wipe her eyes over the phone. “I should probably get off. But I want to try some of your cooking when I get home, so save me some, okay?”
“Sure, of course,” Gabriella replied cheerfully. “See you in a few hours.”
After she hung up, I focused on getting dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. Once I was done, I headed downstairs to meet her in the kitchen. She was just pulling lunch out of the oven. Based on the aromas in the air, I was pretty confident I already knew what it was.
“Enchiladas?” I assumed.
“Yep!” she announced, without looking at me. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised you knew right away. I had a couple of different ideas, so I just searched around to see what ingredients were available. The only thing you didn’t have was cilantro, but it should still taste pretty good.”
“What are you going to eat?” I wondered, staring at her tight ass squeezed into her faded jeans while she scooped out a couple of enchiladas for me, placing them on a plate. It was undeniable that the dish had chicken in it.