Page 40 of Hunted By Fear

I remain quite unsure what to say to that, and after a moment, he pulls me back into his chest, his hand on my lower back presses me into him completely, and there's no mistaking the feeling of his hard length against me.

Oh.Oh!

I wasn’t sure if that was what he meant, but I was even less sure how to ask.

He says something, but I struggle to process what it is right away.

“What?”

I feel his chuckle rumble in his chest before he pulls back to look down at me. “How about we go and get you cleaned up and get you something to eat?” he suggests with a smile that has me nodding in agreement even before he’s finished asking his question.

Bast, like this, is dangerous.

He moves without releasing his hold on me, pulling me with him as he climbs off the bed and into the hall without a word. I want to demand he take me back because I’m in no condition to be seen, but I’m too busy taking in the hall as he moves down it.

The room I’ve been in has dark, ancient gothic castle vibes, but still manages to feel welcoming now that I’m not terrified. The hall is no different; it’s still beautiful, maybe even more so. I have pieces of memories from what I assume is the grand hall where we eat, but the details are fuzzy. Even still, it doesn’t take a genius to see the similarities.

Reds and blacks.

I hadn’t been able to notice much before now. On the rare times I remembered anything, the pain was almost unbearable, and other than that, everything is a blur; all I knew was I wanted Rome.

The very thought makes my stomach turn, but it also makes me realize something.

“I didn’t dream last night.” Bast pauses as we walk into a room, looking down at me for a moment before he moves to set me on the counter. He looks like he might want to say something, but doesn’t. I watch as he moves over to what I assume to be the bathtub, though calling it that seems silly.

I could swim in it!

It takes up most of the room, situated under a dome of windows that resemble those found in an old church. Low light from outside is just enough to see by, but with a snap of his fingers, candles light up around the room. The back wall is entirely made up of floor-to-ceiling windows. Tall sculptures stand between each window: a centaur, a gorgon, a hydra, and a minotaur, all things I believed to be simply myths; perhaps I was wrong.

I’m so busy looking at the room that it takes me a moment to realize the tub/pool is already full and steaming.

“The castle is beautiful but also lonely.” Bast moves back toward me with a small smirk on his lips that makes me blush.

What happened to the quiet guy ‌I used to share an apartment with?

He still seems just as sweet, only bolder, and I’m not sure my cheeks can handle him without causing me to spontaneously combust.

“It doesn’t feel lonely to me,” I say, unsure what else to say as he moves to stand between my legs that dangle off the counter. I open for him, allowing him as close as possible, even as my heart attempts to beat out of my chest.

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t, but imagine being here alone for centuries.” His words bring images of Lucifer flashing in my mind. The way he looked at me last night when he promised to help me.

Before I can think too much about it, Bast once again interrupts my thoughts.

“May I?” he asks, and my confusion must be clear on my face because he moves his hand to the hem of my shirt as if to show me.

“Oh, um. You…you don’t have to. I can,” I say, stumbling over my words as his gaze pierces through me.

“I want to,” he assures me, holding my gaze and not letting me look away.

“I…” I fumble for something to say, but I can’t think of anything with his attention so fully on me.

In the end, all I can do is nod.

He moves slowly, as if giving me the chance to stop him, but I don’t. I’m not sure I could even if I tried, my throat feeling as though I’ve swallowed a boulder.

His fingers skim across ‌my stomach under the shirt someone had put me in. I’m unsure whose it is, but over the last few days, I’ve found comfort in the scent that seems to be embedded in it.

Rich and bitter like dark chocolate with a hint of smoke that I’ve come to realize might be from their demon side, as they all have a hint of it.