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4. VANYA: HOME SWEET HOME

Vanya

"I think you should come home while you heal."

"I'm fine."

For as long as I don't move too fast, or try to tie my hair or bend down to pick something up. Every sudden movement pulled at the stitched which made me feel sick. I didn't have high pain tolerance, but I guess I should be thankful that the knife hadn't fully penetrated me and that I only had a few stitches, right?

"Would you like some coffee?" I asked my father.

He lowered my bag to the floor and slowly straightened. I watched his face twist in dismay as he glanced around my apartment. He wasn't very happy with what he was seeing—that was clear by his expression. My father was used to wealth, and even though I had grown up around it too, but my apartment didn't show it.

When I moved out of my parent's house, I had left all the luxuries behind me except for some of my clothes and other necessities. Every single piece of furniture was bought with money I had earned from my job at the library.

My eyes darted around my one-bedroom apartment. I tried to see it through his eyes but failed. There was nothing wrong with it; it was a lot better than our cold and mostly empty family home.

"Another time," he said. "I have a meeting with—"

"Of course you do," I interrupted him. "Another time then."

With a kiss on my forehead and a promise to call him if something happened, he was gone. I stared at the door for a few seconds before I turned around and slowly trudged into the kitchen.

I switched on the kettle and made myself a cup of coffee which I carried over to the window seat in the living room. The doctor had told me to take it easy along with a whole list of care instructions. He didn't say anything about not going back to work so I would be returning to work tomorrow. Nothing was going to stop me.

After finishing my coffee, I got up and washed it before making my way back into the living room. On my way there, I grabbed my phone from the island and then took a seat by the window again. I carefully leaned back against the pillows and sighed.

For a few minutes, the dark thunder clouds that were rolling in caught my attention. Rain would break the heatwave, but too much rain would cause problems. I shivered just thinking about what happened to Lara and Obsidian at the cliff. They both could've died, but thankfully Obsidian had managed to save them just in time.

What happened to them was the reason I avoided the cliff at all times, but not everybody had the same commonsense.

Shaking away the troubling thoughts, I dialed Betsy's number. As usual, she answered on the first ring. There was no need to explain what happened since she already knew. I had forgotten that everybody knew what had happened to me.

"I'll be there tomorrow. Betsy," I told her.

"No, no, dear," she exclaimed. "I'll be fine. You take some rest and heal. I'll find a volunteer to help me out."

"There's really no need to do that." I sat up when movement from below me caught my attention. "I'm cleared to go back to work," I lied. "I'll be there tomorrow. Betsy, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, dear. Have a good night's rest."

I hung up and threw the phone aside. Sitting up on my knees, I pushed the window open and leaned forward to get a better look at the alley behind the building. Whatever I had seen moments ago was already gone. It was probably somebody's cat.

Ever since the attack a few nights ago, I've been paranoid, but it had worsened when I learned that the man who stabbed me had gotten away. My father hadn't told me much, but thanks to the gossiping nurses, I was up to date on everything that had happened since that night.

The man had a fright when I just showed up where he had dumped the body. If it wasn't for Ezra, I was sure that I would've been another body added to the long list of unsolved crimes on the island.

I shook the troubling thoughts away and closed the window.

Picking up the bag my father had placed on the floor proved to be a challenge. Just bending forward a little made me hiss in pain.

"Stupid bag," I sneered down at it.

My pain meds were inside it, and I needed to take them before I climbed into bed, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep.

With my hands on my hips, I glared down at the bag as I tried to think of a way to pick it up without bending forward. The only way I could think of was squatting, but I had no idea if that was going to hurt.

"Only one way to find out."

Shit! It hurt way more than bending forward. My thigh pressed right against the stitches.

"Son of a—"

"A foul mouth on a lady isn't very becoming," someone suddenly said from behind me.

I screamed and lost my balance, making me fall forward. On my hands and knees, I crawled forward and away from the intruder until I reached one of the couches, and then spun around and dropped to my ass. My mouth dropped open and then slammed closed again when my eyes fell on him.

"Jesus," I breathed, pressing a hand to my chest. "You scared me."

"What did I just say about cursing?"

My eyes narrowed on him as he moved around my apartment. He picked up one of my ornaments on the shelf and inspected it silently before placing it back in place.

The man made no sound when he moved which confused me because he was a big man—a lot bigger and more muscular than Ezra and Devrim.

"W-what are you doing in here?" I questioned when he said nothing else.

His eyes shot over to me but immediately darted away again. "Why are you sitting on the floor?" he asked instead of answering my question.

I bit my lip as I debated my answer. In the end, I decided to tell him the truth instead of lying. "Well, some bastard scared the shit out of me, and since every movement I make hurts, I can't get up."

Was it my imagination, or did his lips twitch? Was he laughing at me?

He walked back and stopped in front of me. The man was towering over me and watching me with dark eyes. It felt like he was staring right through me instead of at me.

My eyes darted over him as he continued to stare at me. It shamed me to say this, but he was maybe even a little sexier than Devrim and Ezra.

He took a step closer, making my eyes drop to his crotch which was almost eye-level.

I've never been curious about a guy's dick before, but I was curious to find out if his looked the same as a human's.

"Keep staring, darling," he rasped. "I might let you have a little taste."

Colour flooded my cheeks, and my eyes quickly darted away.

"Are you in pain?"

"Y-yes."

"Pain is good. It makes you remember that you're alive."

He moved too fast for me to comprehend. One second I was sitting on the floor, and the next, I found myself on my feet and glued to his front. The feel of his hard body pressed to mine was doing strange things to me. I blinked up at him as I tried to catch my breath.

Obsidian was staring down at me with narrowed eyes. My eyes darted away from his to the scar on the one side of his face that ran over one eye. How his eye wasn't damaged from it completely baffled me. It looked like it had been painful.

How had he gotten that scar?

Without meaning to, I reached up and traced the ragged line with my fingertip. His lips parted and his eyes fluttered closed, but his reaction didn't last long.

He suddenly growled and pushed me away, making me stumble backward. I almost tripped but managed to regain my balance before I could fall.

For the first time since I've been around him, fear filled me.

His eyes had changed colour—almost the same colour as Ezra's—and his fists were clenched at his sides. I took note of his erratic breathing. Was he going to pass out? Was he about to have a panic attack? Could they even have panic attacks?

"O-Obsidian?"

I took a step towards him with one shaky hand outstretched. Just before I touched him, he flashed sharp lethal teeth at me before storming out of my apartment. I jumped when the door slammed shut behind him.

What did I do?

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