Page 40 of Galen

“Bet you’re glad you didn’t run away now, huh?” Raiden plopped down in the recliner in the middle of the row.

I grinned and took the one beside him. “Yeah. Kind of.”

We watched a psychological thriller about detectives hunting for a notorious serial killer, then switched to a rom-com once it ended. His taste was eclectic. I supposed when you lived for as long as he did, you learned to appreciate all genres.

Around 1:00 a.m., I was lying in bed, tossing and turning, when I heard steps outside my room. The door creaked open and light spilled in from the hall. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep as I sensed someone approach me. They brought the blanket up farther on my chest and tucked it in around me before lightly caressing my jaw.

“I know you’re faking.”

I broke into a smile and opened my eyes. “What gave me away?”

“Your horrible acting.” Galen turned on the bedside lamp. “You also snore in your sleep, and you were way too quiet.”

“I don’t snore.”

He arched a brow as he sat beside me, his heavy body causing the mattress to dip a little. “Did you enjoy your time with Raiden?”

I nodded. “We watched movies.”

“Good.” His tone was soft, yet his expression remained hard.

“Is that blood?” I asked, alarmed. Red was smeared on the side of his neck, and I sat up to look closer.

Galen wiped at it and shrugged. “It’s nothing. Just a bite. The wound is already healing.”

“Were there many shades out tonight?” Still crazy to me how he fought them. The thought of ever being close to one again made me feel sick.

“More so than usual, yes.” Galen exhaled. “Phoenix is pissed that we didn’t hand over the ring.”

“Who’s Phoenix?”

“You’ve met him,” he said. “Auburn-haired demon. Smells like ass.”

I laughed. “He smelled more like woodsmoke to me.” I recalled the day the man came into my shop. “I knew there was something off about that guy. He made me uncomfortable. Reminded me of a comic book villain. He’s really a demon?”

“An upper-level one at that.” Galen rubbed at the back of his neck, and I noticed more blood on the inside of his bicep. Another bite mark. But he was right. The wound had closed and looked like he’d had it for a week rather than hours. He noticed the blood and lifted his shirt to wipe it off. The peek of his abs made my blood heat. “You can thank him for sending those shades after you.”

I shuddered at the memory of their hot, putrid breath on my skin and their revolting odor of burning flesh. “I’d rather not think about that, thanks.”

“Speaking of which…” Galen touched the bandage on my chest. “This should be able to come off now.”

Like the other times when his focus landed so intently on me, I became awkward. Nervous. I shifted on the mattress and released a shaky breath. “I’ll, uh, remove it in the morning.”

“Allow me.” He leaned forward and slipped his arms around me.

Heat slammed into the center of my chest at his close proximity. I tried to tell him it was okay and I’d do it myself, but the words wouldn’t come out. His eyes didn’t leave mine as he unfastened the wrapping and started to remove it.

My attention was momentarily diverted from him when the bandage came off and exposed the pink, scarred skin beneath it. I felt like Frankenstein’s monster with how big and jagged the scars were.

Galen’s brow pulled together. “Considering the damage done, I’d say a scar is a small price to pay.”

“Great. Just another thing to be self-conscious about.” As if my body didn’t give me enough insecurity as it was.

“Why are you self-conscious?” Galen asked.

“Well.” I averted my gaze. Being insecure about my body wasn’t something I wanted to talk to him about. Too embarrassing. “I don’t know.”

“Tell me.”