The next morning I made breakfast. I didn't do it to even the score or to continue on with our alternating schedule. I just wanted to do something nice for him. So I dug around in the fridge until I found some bacon and was delighted to find that he had enough basics for me to cook up some pancakes. I had really wanted to blow him away, maybe by making crab eggs Benedict or something else that took skill, but without a car I didn't have a lot of options. Besides, it's the thought that counts, right?
I fried up everything nicely and waited. I hadn't heard him leave last night and all of his vehicles were here this morning. I strained my ears, wondering if he was still sleeping. It seemed quite unlike him to sleep in past nine in the morning. He was the kind of all-business man who woke up at the crack of dawn and went to bed at the same time every night.
But, there was the soft sound of muted music and a rumble of bass that told me he was awake, just in a different part of the house. So I followed my ears to a small wing of the house I haven't been to yet. I vaguely wondered if I would ever make the time to explore this whole home and all of it's secrets.
The music led me to a single door at the end of the hallway and there was no answer when I knocked. Growing up with a little sister that was too curious for her own good, I didn't feel guilty when I pushed open the door anyway. Over the past week or so I had starting growing into a sense of familiarity with this house, no longer feeling like I needed to tiptoe around.
And when I entered the room the heavy bass of the music felt like it was hitting me right in the chest, but I hardly noticed it because my heart sputtered out of control when I saw Sebastian. He was facing away from me, but it didn't matter because he was gloriously shirtless and that was enough to stop me in my tracks. In each hand he held a heavy weight and he lifted them from his sides, moving them straight outwards, away from him body until his arms and shoulders made one perfectly straight line. And watching his back flex I felt like I was watching porn. He let out a breath and lowered his arms back down, finally seeing me in the reflection in the mirror. His cheeks glistened with sweat as he smiled at me.
"Hey!" he shouted over the music, then snatched up a small remote to turn down the sound system. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."
"All good," I replied, feeling my cheeks flame with embarrassment like I really had been caught watching porn. Apparently my mate wearing nothing but basketball shorts was enough to send me into a hot spiral. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
"I was almost done anyway," he assured and settled himself on a workout mat. There he began stretching his legs.
"I didn't realize that you worked out," I said dumbly. Did I think all of those muscles came from good genetics? That was impossible, though he did say that they had come with the curse of being Hades. "I mean, I didn't realize that you had a gym."
"Yeah, helps keep me in shape. I'm half concerned that one day I won't be Hades anymore and I'll just be a ball of dough beneath it all. Besides, being as tall as I am I have to work out my legs and my back if I don't want problems later on in life," he explained.
And his words were enough to make me snap my eyes away from his tight abs, up to the mirror so I could look at myself. Yes, doughy is exactly how I would categorize my middle section and legs. Maybe underneath there was strength but on the surface it was all soft. Yet another reminder that somehow, for some reason, I wasn't really meant for the task of being his mate.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Sebastian said quickly, though the confusion was clear in his voice.
"You didn't," I replied with a forced grin. And it was true, he hadn't, he had just made me notice yet again that I was mated to a man who may have been a literal god while I was this brown haired, average girl.
Sebastian looked like he was about to argue with me or maybe tease me about something. But that smile fell and his shoulders jerked, like his body was fighting itself. My eyes darted to his face and I gasped when I saw the glowing red I feared. He jammed his eyes shut, actively trying to fight the demon away, but it only seemed to speed up the process. With a strained grunt, Sebastian shifted into the black wolf with wild eyes. It was fast and violent, the wolf beneath not bothering to bicker with the human.
And I knew that he was my mate. I knew that he had told me he would never hurt me. But when he moved closer to me I held my breath, knowing that it would only come out in a scream. Then, he took off, moving for the door I left open.
And I was by myself, breathing hard and suddenly too sick to eat the breakfast I had made for us.
~~~Distraction Section~~~
I hope you are all doing well and the world is treating you nicely. For me, there are so many problems riddling the world it's getting a little overwhelming. I always go back to the basics and be thankful that I am healthy and safe and so is everyone in my family. If any of your are feeling overwhelmed I'm always here to talk.
Question of the Day: What do you wish your were really good at?
For me, it's a sport. Any sport really. I've always been average or the bottom of the barrel when it comes to physical activities. I played hockey for years and was mediocre. I suppose I was a decent horseback rider, but never amazing and could never afford to put as much time and effort into it as I would like. Being really good at something that people could just see and acknowledge would be pretty cool.