He’d put some lavender oil in the tub, which was seriously helping me to breathe.
“Now behave. Don’t make me come in there,” Ethan said playfully as he shut the door with a wink.
“If only you would,” I said back through the door. He didn’t reply.
I stripped, and sighed as I sank down into the water. I took my time bathing, staying in the water until it began to cool.
I noticed Ethan was quiet. I bet he was jacking off out there. Kudos to him for being a gentleman and not taking a peek.
I wrapped myself in a towel. I was in the mind to drop the towel and dress in front of Ethan— you know, because what girl wouldn’t— but he beat me to it when he entered the bathroom, carrying a stack of clothes.
His eyes roamed up and down my form, covered up by only the towel, before he placed the clothes on the counter.
I caught sight of the blue underwear on top and snickered. “You went through my panty drawer.”
He frowned. “Don’t be like that. I had to.”
“You didn’t. You could’ve let me dress in front of you.”
His mouth twitched. “I hardly think that’s appropriate, giving the situation at hand.”
“You’re no fun,” I pouted. I coughed a few times, and it sounded horrible— Ethan frowned.
“And that’s why,” he said. “I’m not giving into temptation. You need your rest.”
“Damn you, Ethan Nowak.” And I meant it.
After I got dressed (out of his sight, sadly), we cuddled on the bed for a couple hours and watched a movie. By the end of it, I was glad we hadn’t messed around, because I was ridiculously tired. Which was stupid, because I hadn’t done anything all day, but fighting off this virus was taking a lot out of me.
“I think I need to walk around a bit,” I told Ethan as the movie ended. “Just to get a little exercise.”
“I’ll come with you.” Ethan was hovering like a guard dog as I walked to the door. I did a quick loop around the Rec Room— it took all my energy, but Ethan was there every step of the way just in case I stumbled.
When I was about to return to my dorm, I saw Stefan. He looked pissed off— not a good sign. Once he saw us, he made a beeline straight to me.
“Trouble on the slopes?” I asked, figuring drama had gone down while skiing.
Stefan scowled. “It’s Irena. Something’s wrong with her.”
My worry peaked. Delmare was in some kind of trouble? That couldn’t be good. “What do you mean?”
“Well... we were skiing, and this woman showed up. She was being obnoxious with her boyfriend,” Stefan said. “Irena wouldn’t tell me anything. Kiara said it was her mom.”
Oh, no. If Delmare’s mom had been there, it had set her off. “What happened?”
“Uh... I don’t really know.” Stefan scratched the back of his head. “Irena looked at her, then she looked at me, and she burst into tears. I tried to help, but she ran away. She’s locked herself in her dorm and refuses to come out.”
How awful. I wish I had been there. Maybe I could’ve calmed Delmare down.
“Emma, can you talk to her?” Stefan asked. “I feel helpless.”
“Emma’s sick. She can’t do anything right now,” Ethan said.
“It’s fine, Ethan,” I said. “It’ll only be a few minutes.”
Ethan’s gaze was firm. “Hurry right back.”
Geez, he was overprotective. It was over the top. And very, very cute.
I strode to Delmare’s dorm and knocked on the door.
Her voice came out muffled. “I said Fuck off, Stefan!”
“It’s me,” I called. “Let me in.”
There were footsteps, and the turning of a lock. Delmare opened the door— she stepped aside. By the tear stains on her face, she’d been crying.
It scared me. Delmare was tough. She didn’t cry unless something really bothered her.
Delmare’s dorm was beautiful. It was decorated in shades of black and red. Countless sketches, paintings and artworks lined the walls. Sculptures were placed on top of her desk, along with pages of poetry and novel manuscripts she hadn’t yet finished. The smell of sandalwood and sage burned throughout the room. Art supplies, such as coloring pencils and paint jars, were scattered on the floor.
A sketch of a black dragon hung directly above Delmare’s desk, and it looked recent. It was a perfect portrait of Stefan in his shifter form.
I sat on Delmare’s bed. She turned to me. “I heard you were sick.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “Ethan’s taking care of me. I’m concerned about you.