Page 124 of Hide And Seek

Rhys chuckled softly. “You really think I didn’t plan for that?” he said. “I’ve been setting this up for months, so I’ve got food caches stashed all over the camp. Enough to last as long as I need, and enough to share.”

“Oh,” I murmured.

“Did you actually think I was relying on Knox, Jasmine, and you to bring me supplies?”

I didn’t answer.

“That was just convenient,” he went on, the faint edge of amusement still in his voice. “I never needed it. Like I said, this was all planned well in advance.”

“You didn’t plan for me,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

“That’s true.” He moved even closer; close enough that I could feel the faint heat coming off him and smell the metallic blood still clinging to his skin. “You were a real curveball, baby. But I’ll find a way to make it work with you.”

That didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, it made everything worse.

“So whatisthis plan of yours, anyway?” I asked in a low voice. “You might as well tell me now that I’m stuck here.”

“We can talk about that later,” he said. “Right now, we need to wash all this blood off. The shower’s big enough for two.”

My heart skipped a beat. “You want me to shower with you?”

“You really think I’m letting you out of my sight?” He tilted his head slightly, like the answer was self-evident.

I didn’t respond. Just glared at him, though I wasn’t sure how much he noticed, given how dim it was in the cabin.

The bathroom was a little brighter than the main room, the small window letting in a thin wash of moonlight that painted everything in pale silver. Rhys reached past me to turn the shower on. The pipes groaned before water began to spill out, and steam started rising almost immediately, fogging the mirror in slow, creeping clouds.

“Clothes off,” he said, already pulling his shirt over his head. “Now.”

I quickly stripped, knowing it was pointless to argue. His eyes moved over me, and even in the low light I could see the glimmer of approval in them before he stepped past to test the temperature.

He got in first, and I followed.

As the hot water hit my skin, the dried blood began to loosen and run, thinning to nothing as it spiraled down the drain. I watched it go and tried not to think about whose it was. Tried not to think about anything.

“You're shaking,” Rhys said.

“I’m cold,” I muttered.

He let out a soft huff. “You’re not cold.”

He was right. The water was hot enough to sting. His hand closed briefly around my wrist; not restraining, just stilling me. “Hey,” he said softly. “You’re safe.”

By the time the water ran clear, my skin felt raw and my legs had mostly stopped shaking. Rhys reached past me and turnedthe shower off, then stepped out first and handed me a towel without being asked.

I wrapped it around myself and finally looked at him properly.

The moonlight coming through the small window was falling directly across him. He was drying off with his back half-turned to me, and the silvery light caught the line of his shoulders and the shift of muscle as he moved.

He was still the hottest man I’d ever laid eyes on, and I hated him for it. Hated myself for noticing, too.

“I'll wash your clothes and hang them in here to dry,” he said. “You can wear one of my shirts for now.”

The t-shirt he gave me fell to just above my knees, the fabric soft and warm and smelling faintly of him. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him gather our dirty clothes from the floor.

“So what happens now?” I asked.

“Now we sleep,” he said, not looking up. “Or at least you’ll sleep. I have to wash these clothes first.”