Acadia smiled, having expected the question. She’d had to leave Kaj to attend her other duties while he slept, and it never failed, whenever she returned, he greeted her by asking a question.
“Thirteen,” she said easily.
“So why is it I’m not fully healed?” He grunted as he dropped his legs over the side of the bed.
That was a really good question. One she honestly didn’t have an answer for. Even by her calculations, he should’ve been back to full strength by now.
Acadia hurried over to assist. “You endured tremendous trauma to your body. It takes time to recover.”
“You said with your blood I’d be healed by now.”
She smiled, offering her arm as he pushed to his feet. “I said you’ll heal more quickly. As I am not a healer, I cannot gauge how long it will take a vampire to recover from the injuries you sustained.”
Sounded good, anyway.
He cut his eyes to hers. “I feel like an invalid.”
“Well, I can assure you, you are not.”
His response was a grunt.
“I suppose you are seeking a bath?”
Kaj shook his head. “I’d prefer a shower. I can’t sit for another minute.”
“I’m not sure that’s wise. You have not been on your feet for quite some time.”
“I’m taking a shower, Acadia. Argue all you want. I won’t change my mind.”
She suspected that was true. One thing she’d learned about Kaj was he was stubborn. Though he appeared appreciative, she knew he wasn’t keen on being taken care of. Perhaps that was part of the reason she enjoyed it so much. The surly vampire was a welcome distraction to her mundane life, and truth was, Acadia looked forward to every minute she spent with him. Even if he didn’t return the sentiment.
“Then I shall help you.”
Offering herself as support, Acadia assisted the vampire into the bathroom, then over to the shower. Thoughassistwas embellished a bit. The male was enormous, and she knew if he had truly utilized her as a brace, she would’ve folded beneath his tremendous weight. Even in his current condition, Kaj was far stronger than she. Which was saying something considering she had a wealth of strength thanks to her genetics. However, he outweighed her by at least one hundred pounds, and the additional weight was solid muscle.
Luckily, this guest room was one that had an open shower concept. There were no obstacles in his path, making it easier to get him where he was insistent upon going.
“Why don’t you use the facilities, and I’ll start the water.”
Another grunt.
Acadia smiled to herself as she left him to go into the water closet before she hurried over to turn on the shower. She knew he preferred hot water as opposed to lukewarm, so she ensured it was steaming as it came from the multitude of shower heads.
Though it should’ve been an easy feat to perform such a simple task, Acadia had to hold the flowing skirts of her dress up to keep them from getting wet. Why she bothered with her current attire, she wasn’t sure. She blamed it on simplicity. Her entire wardrobe consisted of floor-length gowns made of the finest fabrics. While she was most certainly cognizant of her appearance, she could not deny she was aiming for comfort mostly.
It also helped that she’d seen admiration on Kaj’s handsome face when she caught him watching her. It gave her a thrill to know he found her appealing to the eye, even if he didn’t say as much.
The sound of Kaj clearing his throat had her turning around. Acadia instantly looked away when she realized he was nude.
“You’ve seen me before, female,” he grumbled.
True, she had. But she tended to think of those times through the eyes of a caretaker, not necessarily a female. That wasn’t all that easy to do, either. Acadia was quite enthralled with the male. And yes, she was fascinated with his keen mind, but there was no denying his incredible physique played a large part in her fantasies.
Not that she would tell him as much.
“I shall get you some soap,” she told him when she was confident he could stand on his own beneath the shower spray.
She hurried to the tub, retrieved the bottles she’d kept there for when he bathed, and brought them back to him.
