Eye of the Beholder by M.D. Grimm

Author:M.D. Grimm [Grimm, M.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-64405-123-8
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2019-02-08T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

LIPS KISSING my forehead woke me up. I jerked and popped my eyes open. Once again I found myself forgetting the rules of survival by staring directly into Cassius’s bold blue eyes. I pushed away and lowered my gaze. I felt his arms tense, but he didn’t try to hold me captive. I scooted toward the edge of the bed, putting some distance between us. I still wore his robe, and that was all I wore. I flushed and cursed myself. My mental barriers were up, and I didn’t feel any intrusion on his part, so my thoughts were once again secret.

Cassius propped himself on one arm and regarded me somberly. “You look better. How do you feel?”

“Alive.” I stared at his nose. “Thanks to you. You saved my life.”

“Of course I did. Why does that surprise you?”

I didn’t answer. I sat up and scrubbed a hand over my hair. Cassius let out a very small, very telling sigh.

“Did you find the pizza?” he asked.

“Yes. Thank you again.”

“You need to regain your strength, and I’ve yet to meet a mortal who doesn’t love pizza. I’ve watched you inhale an entire pie enough times to know that.”

I smiled at him. “I pity you for never knowing the pleasure of eating melted cheese, crispy dough, and steaming meat.”

He chuckled and rolled out of bed. It was amusing to see his clothes so wrinkled and his hair mussed. He was too often pristine and tailored, nary a hair out of place. I liked it when he let himself go.

I made sure the robe was securely closed and tied before standing and walking past him into the bathroom. When I came out, he’d left the bedroom. I hurriedly grabbed my now-dry underwear and slipped it on. I felt slightly better for having an extra barrier between my erection and his eyes. Then I entered the kitchen to finish the rest of the pizza. Meanwhile Cassius grabbed his tablet and began doing work on it. I assumed it was work, anyway. I smiled, still secretly amused to see ancient beings using modern tech.

“It knew me,” I said a few minutes later.

Cassius looked over. “Pardon?”

“The ghoul. He said, ‘Bye-bye, blacksmith.’ The damn thing targeted me.”

Cassius narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the tablet. “I will alert the duchess. You aren’t the only associate of the coven to be attacked. A few vampires have recently lost thralls to the ghouls.”

“What’s their end game?”

“I couldn’t say.”

I brooded over the pizza, and when it was finished, I couldn’t avoid the inevitable. “I should probably get home—”

“Don’t you want your present?”

I frowned at the cheerful tone. “Uh. Sure. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“You always say that.”

“And you always ignore me.”

He smiled and set down the tablet before walking into the other bedroom. A moment later he returned with a long white box tied with a red ribbon. He held it out to me and I took it, excited and anxious. Accepting gifts always made me feel awkward.

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