A Slave to Broken Hearts (A Slave to Love Sequel)

Chapter 59: Romantic Lighting

Blade POV

Mazey was stretched across my bare chest, her own personal ice pack, as I debated just how long I could stay in bed without getting a drink. It was hot for me, I could only imagine how bad it was for her and even Kiana, and I had no desire to get up and move around. Not that that was any different from any other day of the week, but it was made worse by the heat and the curtains being drawn, my room darker than ever to keep out the blinding sun and keep things as cool as possible. Plus Mazey was sleeping, so I legally wasn't allowed to move anyway. 

As much as I didn't want too and couldn't move, had almost drifted off to sleep, my phone went off and Mazey jerked awake from her midafternoon nap, claws sinking into my skin, prompting me to hiss at the tiny pinpricks in my gut like I was the cat, not her. 

"Mazey," I groaned, one hand stroking her back to hopefully soothe her enough to retract her claws, the other blindly reaching for my phone on my nightstand, a clatter telling me I knocked something off the surface but I couldn't be bothered to check, nor could I get up with Mazey literally stuck to me. 

It was a picture from Kiana, of both her basil plant and the parsley I'd brought her, both of which were looking about as miserable as I felt.

Kiana: help!

Blade: I told you so

Kiana: are you going to help me or gloat? Their blood will be on your hands if you dont

Blade: It's just the weather. Give them some extra water than usual and move them somewhere less sunny till the storm breaks the heat

Blade: if not, I'm taking back the parsley due to child neglect and endangerment.

Kiana: take it to the courts, youre not taking my baby away

Kiana: (how much extra water is too much extra? i dont want to drown them)

I'd barely set off a reply when a call interrupted, taking over my screen. Rolling my eyes, I answered. "Hey."

"Hi?" she said, only it took me a second to realize it wasn't Kiana calling. Glad I'd stopped at 'hey' and didn't add the 'I forgot how impatient you can be' I'd been thinking about. "You sound good."

"Uh..." I floundered, mentally shifting gears. Mazey stretched, her tail swishing into my face as she did, kneading the flesh of my stomach with her tiny claws, and it was not helping me think. "What?"

"You sounded in a better mood than usual, I mean," she said with a chuckle. "Sorry, I've gotten used to your doom and gloom so this is a change."

Right. "What's up?" Finally finished using me as her own personal play-doh, she stood, picking her way across my bed and the mess of blankets till she reached the edge.

"Just wondering what you're up to, especially what has you so chipper."

"Not much. Just...harvesting some plants," I said, wincing as I pressed my fist to my forehead. Why would I assume that Kiana would bother to call me? Especially as I had sent my text when she called. We weren't in the habit of calling anymore. Just because the texting thing had somewhat come back, didn't mean everything else would too.

"Harvesting plants?" She echoed. "I thought I caught the scent of earth and plants on you some days, but I figured that was just from being outside in the woods."

"Sort of," I hedged. While I had originally curated my greenhouse because of her, at least the first part of it, I hadn't told her about it. It seemed wrong now, after all this time, especially as I'd forgotten the original reason I'd started in the first place, had since turned it into something for me and me alone, grown it into something better and happier. It was a safe haven, my own personal Eden. 

"I didn't know you had a green thumb, though it explains why you were covered in dirt the other day. I figured you were hunting and a deer outsmarted you. Or you were grave robbing."