Page 35

Evie rolled her eyes and left the room.

I fiddled with the covers and wished the first time I saw Ethan in months I wasn’t wearing bright yellow duck pajamas.

He walked into the room. My breath caught and held.

Ethan looked…

Like shit.

The male looked like he’d been hit by a truck and dragged underneath for a while on uneven concrete.

Heavy bags rested underneath his eyes. The fine laugh lines by his eyes were more pronounced now, as were the lines by his mouth. His hair was disheveled and not in a good way, more like he hadn’t brushed his hair in a week way. Ethan’s clothes were rumpled, the shirt he wore was filled with wrinkles.

I glanced down at his feet and sighed.

His socks didn’t match.

What the hell?

I stared at him, trying to squash the empathy welling inside me, but not completely able to.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, those midnight blue eyes taking me in. “You’re back.”

His voice was rougher than usual.

“Obviously,” I said.

Ugh. Why must I be so combative with him all the time?

His mouth turned down. “Right.”

“You can come into the room. I won’t bite.”

Ethan shoved away from the wall and walked over to the chair on the right side of the bed. He was a lean, athletic man, but he’d lost some of his grace over the last few months. His gait wasn’t as smooth, and he grunted when he lowered himself into the chair.

My eyes narrowed. “Are you alright?”

Silver and gold flashed in his irises before he brought his emotions under control. “I’m fine. You should be asking yourself the same.” His eyes swept down my body, lips twitching at my attire.

“I know what happened to me. What happened to you?”

Ethan scrubbed a hand over his face. “Moira,” he said with a sigh. “Can we—can we not battle with our words? Can we sit together in peace? For just a little while?”

I blinked, taken aback. “I—of course.”

The Shifter Lord closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and let out a bone-weary sigh.

“Ethan?”

He cracked an eye open and peered at me. “Hmm?”

“The sofa next to you has a bed. You can pull it out if you want and take a nap?”

His lips pressed together, but he glanced over at the sofa.

“How long has it been since you rested? Truly rested?”

“Months,” Ethan muttered. “I’m not sure what’s wrong, but I haven’t slept since—” His throat worked.