Grim Echoes

Chapter 89 - Ander

Crap. It was not how he wished for her to discover his strange eyes. When he changed clothes earlier, in haste, he took the contacts out and put them in the cleaning solution. He assumed she would not wake until tomorrow, and he would have them back in before she saw his actual eyes.

"I am fine. I just... over extended myself a bit." he glanced at Will and his vision returned to normal. Ander spotted two empty beer bottles and another of some hard liquor that was half empty.

Maeve's hand brushed his arm, neck, and then his cheek. "No, you're cold. I mean, you're colder than you usually are,"

"I am alright. I will recover. I just require rest,"

Not convinced, she opened her mouth to speak, but swayed and collapsed in his lap. He settled her back down and checked her vitals again. Her eyes closed and opened and then closed again. Ander finished monitoring her blood pressure, and she opened her eyes again, an otherworldly expression on her face.

"Your eyes are beautiful. I want to see them in the light,"

Ander sat back, her words unexpected. He had worn contacts most of his life. His Uncle Wyatt, who refused to pay for anything but what was required, purchased contacts for him. Ander concluded it was because Wyatt could not stand the sight of him otherwise. As a child, he had brown eyes. Later, he updated his aesthetic to include green and blue lenses.

Ander's eyes were heterochromatic. His left eye a deep, clear green that seemed luminous, the shade of foliage at night with moonlight reflected on the leaves. His right eye a bright cornflower blue ringed with thick dark green around the outside of the iris. The blue shifted lighter or darker depending on his mood. No one had ever told him his eyes were attractive.

Tremors from over exertion caused his hand to twitch when he put his stethoscope down, and Maeve stirred again. She peered at him with unfocused eyes and rolled her body toward him. With a lopsided grin, she lifted her hand under his shirt to his bare stomach. Ander sucked in air, confused by her action.

"You're still cold,"

"I will be fine," he told her in a soothing voice, and joined her.

"Take off your shirt," her voice was still sleepy.

Ander hesitated, concerned with Will's reaction in the morning. However, the thought she wanted him shirtless made his stomach flutter. He took off his scrub top and got under the covers.

"Mmm better." she rolled into his arms. "I accept you Ander, all of you." she burrowed next to his chest.

He fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

Disorientated he woke up, his pulse pounded in his skull. With watery eyes, he scanned the room, but attempted to remain still. Will still snored. The early morning light peeked through the curtains. He laid back on the pillow. Maeve stirred in his arms and put her warm hand on his bare chest. Ander held his breath, not used to intimate touches.

"You're still cold." she rolled back and stared at him. "Why are you still cold?" she drew her eyebrows together.

Disappointed when she moved away, an emptiness filled the pit of his stomach. "It is a side effect of spellcasting. At least for me it is,"

Maeve slid her hand up his body to his cheek. Ander held his breath again. If he was not exhausted, her touch might have been too much. He attempted to list the muscles in the human body, starting with the legs, and moved upward, but found he could not concentrate.

"Is that why your skin's always cooler?"

Ander had a lower body temperature, just below normal range, even as a child. Not dangerously low, unless he spellcasted too much. She lifted her hand to his neck and curled her fingers into his hair and played with it.

"Yes, and no. I tend to be a degree cooler than most humans, around ninety-six point two. Currently, I am around ninety-four,"

"Wait. Ninety-four? Isn't hypothermia ninety-five?" she gasped and moved her hand back to his chest.

Thankfully, Will did not stir. "Yes, but it does not affect me as it does others. I will recover with more rest," he was impressed with her knowledge of human body temperatures.

"Is that why your nose keeps bleeding?"

He grimaced. He did not want to discuss it, but found it impossible to deny her. "Yes. It is also why I have a headache."

Her eyes teared up before she took a deep breath. "I don't like that. I mean, I don't like what using magic does to you. I thought it was wonderful-amazing, especially the colors. And you looked so beautiful but," she slid her fingers on his chest and down to his stomach, blinking tears away. "I know you said you'd be fine, but it wasn't like this before back at Mason's. You didn't look like this and you weren't so cold," she cried.

Ander froze. Although Maeve spoke the truth, his paranoia Will would wake caused his body to lock.

"Ander?" her voice louder and high pitched.

He needed to calm her down or she would alert Will. He could not know the truth. He would never trust him again.

Ander took her hand and squeezed it. "Please do not cry. I have been in worse condition before and recovered." he spoke in a soft tone to calm her and stared into her eyes.

He did not want to describe the condition Will had found him at medical school. His physical form had deteriorated to near skeletal from lack of sustenance, abuse of chemicals and overuse of magic. His mental state worse and his soul had been so damaged he was near catatonic once the imbued magic left him. Will told him later he had been in a coma for weeks. Maeve's body relaxed in his arms while she stared into his eyes.

"How did you know about hypothermia?" Ander let got of her hand and brushed the hair back from her face.

Her dark eyes seemed unfocused. "A documentary I watched a couple weeks ago," her voice now calm and flat.

The surrounding air was heavy, but electrified. Her lips parted and her lids lowered as she tilted her head back. He cupped her face and angled his head toward hers. Her eyes slid closed. Will coughed behind them. Ander froze. Maeve remained motionless. Her moist lips taunted him. Will grumbled, moved, and snored again. Ander let out a breath as relief flooded him.

Maeve's eyes opened, and she blinked. Confused at first, but then she covered his hand with hers. "Don't use so much magic next time, ok? I don't like you in so much pain."

His throat constricted. She was so close to him. When he had leaned to kiss her, his body partially covered hers and her warm thighs pressed against his. With each breath, her soft, full breasts touched him. "Alright," he replied hoarsely.

Ander knew he should move, his behavior not appropriate, but his body refused to listen to his brain. Will moved again, and Ander held his breath as fear engulfed him, waiting silently to listen to Will's breathing patterns. Satisfied when it returned to normal.

"Will, he does not, he can not." Ander stumbled over his words. He did not want her to lie, but he could not allow Maeve to tell Will the truth.

"Will can't know like before?"

Ander nodded, hating he did it again. "Will understands I needed to use magic to destroy the child and the mother because they threatened your life, but he will accept nothing else. He has no tolerance for magic."

"I know how he feels about magic. Your secret's safe with me." she smiled and moved her hand back to his chest.

His hand covered hers before he rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. Euphoria from magic, excitement and adrenaline from her touch made his skin tingle. His head still throbbed, but it paled compared to the other sensations. She shifted closer to him again.

"I understand why he doesn't want you to do magic, though. I mean, if this happens every time," Maeve said with a yawn.

"I have not been in practice. Casting that much in one night drained me. It was worth it. You are alive," he told her; willing to suffer any amount of pain to protect her.

"Maybe we should just agree we don't like seeing each other hurt." she used the silvery tone he recognized before she turned her body to face him.

He automatically rolled to his side. They positioned themselves like puzzle pieces fitting together before they fell asleep.