Garren’s POV:
“Is this really necessary?” I asked seriously in the bathroom, then slowly turned and looked at Roxanne, who had her back towards me.
She was standing near the door, refusing to look at me just because I was bathing myself.
“It is,” she answered simply.
For a few minutes, I deliberately tried to get her attention, yet she couldn’t even glance at me. I had thought she would tend to me by going into the shower with me or helping me out of my bloody clothes. Sadly, I was wrong.
“I thought you had agreed to help me change my bloody clothes,” I whispered softly once I had taken a few steps forward to avoid the pouring water running into my mouth.
“I did, but that didn’t mean I was going to…,” she trailed off, then finished her sentence.
“Going to see you naked or help you bathe,” she answered in a low, crackly voice.
I smirked, then turned off the shower and walked to where she was. With each step I took, I could hear her breathing pick up, and that made me feel excited.
“Are you perhaps nervous right now?” I asked when I stood behind her.
She quickly shook her head without saying a word.
“How about you turn around and face me?” I asked with a smile.
I could tell what was going through her mind without me even asking. Her actions easily gave her away, and I liked that about her.
“I’m okay,” she answered in a sharp voice.
I grabbed her shoulders and turned her in a second before she could run away.
She quickly moved her hands to her face and covered her eyes, making me burst into laughter.
“Did you not see me naked back then in my castle? Why are you being so shy right now and hiding your face?” I asked teasingly.
“I’m not hiding,” she answered in a small voice.
“Yes, you are,” I said, then grabbed her hands and slowly moved them from her face.
Her eyes instantly met mine as her cheeks began turning red.
“Sooner or later, you will get used to seeing me naked because I take pride in my body,” I said proudly, then leaned in and kissed her cheek lightly before walking out of the bathroom.
I went to the wardrobe and pulled out a clean, dry towel, wiping my body.
“Are you going to stay there forever?” I asked loudly when I dropped the towel on the floor and grabbed a clean robe and put it on.
The bathroom door opened, and she slowly emerged.
I moved to the bed and sat down, facing her.
“Come,” I whispered softly, then patted my thigh.
She moved slowly and picked up the towel from the floor.
I watched with a raised brow as she walked over to where I was and stood in front of me.
“Sit,” I instructed.
“Excuse me,” she whispered, then began to wipe my hair.
I was surprised by her actions, yet very pleased. As I sat still, all I could do was breathe in her amazing scent.
I swallowed hard, then put my hands together, trying so hard not to pull her into my arms as Roman purred softly, feeling content with our mate’s actions and care.
“Did you used to dry someone’s hair like this?” I asked curiously.
“Yes, I used to do this a lot for my little brother when he was young,” she answered, then stopped when I grabbed her hand.
“Are you doing this because you think of me as you think of him?” I asked seriously.
She dropped the towel on the floor and moved to sit on my lap.
“I do this because I care for you. I don’t want you catching a cold,” she answered.
“How cute,” Roman said as I smirked, then moved my hand and trailed my fingers against her collarbone without much thought. She instantly took in a sharp breath and froze.
I smiled, then caressed her neck, gently trailing my fingers on the vein I could easily bite down on as I swallowed hard.
“Does it scare you when I feed?” I asked huskily.
She exhaled and then shook her head.
“I can tell. I can also see that you are very nervous,” I pointed out.
“Yes, I am,” she answered, making me drop my hand.
“But that’s not because of what you are or how you feed. I am nervous because you are my mate, and being next to you in a place where no one is around us gives me a lot of indecent thoughts,” she answered.
Most of the time she responded to my questions, I was either left amazed or stunned.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my head against her shoulder.
“I won’t do anything that you won’t give your consent to, so you don’t have to be very nervous around me. If it makes you feel any better, you can ask me anything,” I said calmly.
She kept quiet for a few minutes, then cleared her throat.
“Can you tell me a little bit more about your other self?” she said in a low tone, shocking me.
Of all the questions she could ask, she had to ask about Roman? Someone in her place would have wanted to know if I’ll ever let her go, forgive her father, or if I was truly in love with her.
“You mean you want to know more about my lycan?” I asked her, then sat upright just to make sure that’s exactly what she was asking about.
She moved her hand and rested it on my chest.
“Yes,” she answered as I relaxed.
“Mm, where to begin,” I muttered.
“The very beginning,” Roman whispered.
“Well, my parents were a disgrace to the coven because they were two different beings who wanted to be together. My father was a well-known elder vampire who was always against the rules of the coven. He was a stubborn man who they didn’t like but chose to ignore due to his strength and abilities,” I said, then continued.
“On the other hand, was my mother who was a white lycan that gave up her family to be with my father. Her pack banished her, and my grandparents disowned her according to what she told me. So she went on to be with my father, who was her fated bond,” I said sadly.
When she brushed her hand through my hair, I felt comforted, so I decided to tell her more.
“Although they both knew how much the coven hated them being together, they did their best to change their minds by working for them. The day I was conceived was the best day of their lives, but it also became the worst day for the coven elders because I was seen as more of a threat to them. They…” I cut my sentence short when she moved her hand to my cheek.
“You don’t have to tell me such a story, Garren. All I wanted to know was about your other self, not your parents,” she said in a low tone.
I knew that, yet Roman was right. She needed to know everything from the very beginning because that was the only way I could protect her from the terrible war that might come our way.
Me not wanting to hand her over was going to result in the elders of the coven taking action.
“I want to tell you everything, so please pay attention,” I whispered as she dropped her hand and nodded.