The Deal Changer (Book IV)

Chapter Seven - Trust Issues

                                                             Chapter Seven

                                                              Trust Issues

MATTHEW WAS RIGHT.

On the third day he was walking on his own, the fourth he got his strength fully back, and the fifth no one would ever be able to tell anything had happened to him. Every scar on his body was fully healed, not even a pink mark left behind. It amazed me because I honestly thought he would have to deal with those injuries for a long time. I didn't know how quickly vampires healed, but apparently it's rapidly. Matthew had told me the older the vampire, the faster the healing rate.

While I still haven't forgotten or forgiven Matthew for the deaths of those two maids, we have been on much better terms. In fact, we were back to how we were before everything had happened.

"I have to leave on Monday to go to New Mexico to check in on things with Daven," Matthew murmured as his fingers ran up and down my arm in a petting motion.

I pushed the hair from my eyes, barely awake to comprehend his words. "Leave? Are you sure it's safe? I'd hate for you to lose an arm or something this trip."

His lips pulled into a sleepy smile. "It's safe, I promise."

My arms stretched out wide and I let out a loud yawn. "You'll have the entire world managed by March at the pace you're going. Ugh, I need a shower."

"I wish it were the case."

I slid out of bed and felt the cold air bite at my body. "While you're gone, can I spend my time at my house?" I grabbed a blanket from Matthew's chair and wrapped it around my body for some form of warmth, gathering my clothes from the floor to throw into the hamper. "I want to live somewhere that isn't below freezing."

Matthew slid out of bed and walked towards the fireplace, not bothering covering up or even shivering in the slightest, and began to start a fire. "If you promise to not injure yourself from doing something silly."

My eyes met his and narrowed at him. "I'm not the one who has recently been injured. I've gone without an incident for, like, six months."

"One month because you sliced a finger open trying to cook, which is something you can't do."

I couldn't argue there. I'm not an accident prone person, but I'm highly careless when it comes to safety. "It was a small cut, not my entire right-half shattered."

"Either way, no crazy ideas while I'm away, okay?"

"Aye, aye, captain."

I slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Showering was always something I preferred to do alone, mostly because Matthew hogs the water and makes fun of the way I shave my legs. Doesn't everyone smack their foot on the wall above their head and shave down? By now Matthew knew it'd be damaging to interrupt my time in here, so I enjoyed the quiet.

It was pleasant to stand in warmth, especially after spending a whole day next to Matthew. I turned the water as hot as it would go and let it burn my skin. My head fell back and I enjoyed the water warming my chest and my toes. Part of me wanted to just spend the rest of the night this way. I would have, if my phone wasn't buzzing on the counter beside the shower.

Quickly, I shut the water off and wrapped a towel around my body, my hair dripping down my back as I ran towards the phone. I nearly slipped and fell at one point, which would have been a tragedy to be found dead on the floor in only a towel. When I lifted the phone I didn't bother looking at the caller ID because I knew I had about one more ring before it went to voicemail.