Page 78 of Colton

“Not angry,” I breathe out. “More like… you’re such an accomplished person, and I can’t for the life of me understand why you’d be with me.”

Colton’s eyes harden, and he grips the fork with too much force. “I never want to hear you speak about yourself in such a manner again. Do you understand me, Avalon? Never again.”

His voice is icy, and it cuts through the thick tension like a knife. My breath hitches, and I swallow a knot that forms in my throat because he isn’t angry with me — he’s angry at himself that I even thought like that.

“Okay.”

“Good,” he nods, his shoulders relaxing a little. “Now, eat before the food gets cold. Emiliano will scold you if you don’t eat properly, then he’ll scold me for not feeding you enough.”

A small laugh comes from me, and I shake my head. Emiliano truly seems to care about this family, which is heartwarming. I look down at the plate: roasted chicken with cheesy sauce on top, and a small bowl of salad next to it. The portion is enough to feed Grace and me at once, and I think Emiliano has severely overestimated my eating habits.

Though I won’t complain too much, it’s delicious as hell.

30

The morning filters through the curtains, and I yawn, slowly sitting up. The sheets pool around my waist, and after a couple of minutes just trying to wake myself, I finally glance around. Colton’s not near me, but his spot in the bed is still warm.

My hand reaches for my phone, and I unlock it with ease. It’s only a little past eight in the morning, and at this rate, Colton will really fix my sleeping schedule. I’ve been going to bed at a reasonable hour here and waking up on time.

A text pops up from Grace, and when I open it, I’m frozen from shock.

“Breaking news, Sophia and Soren fucked.”

It takes me too long to comprehend what she meant. I blink, thinking my mind’s playing tricks on me. But when I open the text, it’s still there, staring right back at me. What the hell has been going on in the past forty-two hours that I missed that much?

FOMO hits me, and I sigh, locking the phone and deciding to deal with this issue later.

I get out of bed and into the bathroom to do my usual morning routine, letting my hair fall down my shoulders. Last night, before bed, I inquired about the timetable of his employees around the castle, and Colton promised I wouldn’t see anyone before ten in the morning, as they’re all in their designated working places and wouldn’t be just loitering around.

His shirt falls to my knees, and it’s very comfortable to sleep in. I make a mental note to snatch a few and bring them back to the academy with me, and make sure half of his perfume is wasted on each one I steal.

I put on the slippers and head outside. From my memory, I follow the path I think leads me to his office, enjoying the morning silence. It’s getting colder and colder outside, though the inside walls are just as warm as they were when we got here.

When I spot the door to his office, I knock twice, and silence greets me back. Then, after what seems to be minutes, his voice echoes from the other side.

“Enter.”

I push it open, stepping inside, and closing the door behind me. Colton’s sitting behind his desk, dressed as professionally as always, and my God — he has glasses on. He looks too good to be real.

“Morning,” I say, a small smile on my lips.

“I’ll call you back, Artemis,” he says, shuts off his phone, and sets it aside. If he were talking so often with another woman, I might worry. But it’s Artemis, and I know for a fact Colton would rather chew on glass than ever be romantically involved with that devil. “Good morning,” he says, patting his knee.

I walk around his desk, straddling his hips, and burying my face in the crook of his neck. His scent brings me peace at once, and my whole body relaxes. His arms wrap around me, slowly stroking my back in soothing motions, and I melt against him.

“Did you sleep well?” He murmurs against my hair before kissing the top of my head.

“Yes,” I mumble. “You weren’t there when I woke up.”

Colton chuckles. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I had work to finish, and I thought you’d be sleeping for a while longer. You’re up early.”

“It’s not that early,” I say, slowly pulling back. “Besides, I missed you.”

He smirks. “Yeah? You missed me?”

I’m not sure why, but the teasing tone of his voice makes my cheeks heat up, and I fucking can’t decide if I like his teasing or not. I clear my throat and try to avoid the burning sensation slowly spreading through my body.

“Anywho, what did Artemis want?”