Chapter 26

My body is like a tonne weight, and very aware that I have had a physical assault. I wake up with a pounding headache and a sore face and slide out of bed with a groan. It’s still dark, and glancing at my bedside clock tells me it’s four a.m. I sigh heavily. We came home, and I did exactly what I was told and came to bed, not feeling like being around Carrero after that weird moment between us, even if sleeping was not something I wanted to do. I can handle him being his usually obtuse and stubborn arsehole self, but the softer glimpse threw me. I didn’t know how to deal with him being different, so I avoided him and decided to sleep this off. Except I can’t; I need aspirin and a drink to clear the horrible metallic bloody taste from my mouth. I feel like I have the king of hangovers, and even my body hurts in places that Demagio didn’t even touch.

I pad out into the apartment in nothing but my nightdress, pulling my hair up messily into a bun on top of my head with one hand a