Page 26 of Aine
I shrug, not really in the mood for pity. Alex seems to take the hint that I don’t want to talk about it and sets the clothing on the table. He opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something, but instead, he just sighs and heads out the front door.
“I’ll wait out here while you get changed.”
The door closes quietly behind him, and I excitedly rush to inspect the clothes. All the items he left are high quality and, conveniently, just my size. I grab the first long sleeve I find, glad to have something that’ll protect my skin from the sun, and search through the pile for bottoms.
As promised, Alex waits just outside the cabin door. He eyes me up and down as I exit, nodding to himself in approval before leading us back to the garden. We cross paths with a few beasts on the way, but once again, they barely spare us any glances.
“Are you okay picking weeds again today?” Alex asks as we make our way through the clearing.
I nod, more than happy to do that. Picking weeds is easy and makes the time go by quickly. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if I were tasked with that job every day.
I’m sure they’ll find something else for me to do in the winter, but I’ll worry about that when the weather begins to grow cold.
Alex points out the area that he wants me to focus on, and I stretch my limbs before getting to work. The weeds were relatively soft and painless yesterday, so I decide to skip wearing the gloves. All they did was make my hands uncomfortably sweaty.
Time flies as I work, and before I know it, the entire row is covered in removed plant stems.
I worry about why Damien wants me to go to his office when I finish up here, but from the few interactions I’ve had with him, I assume it’s to reprimand me in some way. He’s made it more than clear he’s not interested in engaging with me in any way that isn’t necessary, so a lecture seems the most likely outcome.
Still, I’m trying not to be too stressed about it. I’ve followed all the directions that have been given to me since arriving, so I can’t imagine I’ve done anything too upsetting.
Despite Jenna’s insistence that mates are an important thing in their culture, Damien hasn’t done anything to back that up. He doesn’t seem to have any interest in me, sexual or otherwise, and acts like I’m a nuisance to him more often than not.
“What’re you thinking about?”
The voice is startling, and I lift my chin to look at Alex.
“About how hot it is today,” I joke, wiping the sweat that’s accumulated on my face.
Alex’s lip twitches as he extends his arm and offers me a half-empty water bottle. I take it without complaint, eagerly gulping the contents. I’m sure the action is a bit desperate, but I’m too thirsty to care.
“You’re free to head out for the day,” Alex says.
I smile, happy to be excused. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s a beast, but his ability to spend all day in the sun without getting physically wrecked is impressive. After only a few hours, I’m about ready to pass out. It seems Damien’s blood is all out of my system because the slight soreness I felt yesterday is nothing compared to how I’m feeling now.
With a muffled groan, I stand and stretch my back, satisfied with the pops that emerge from my spine. Alex visibly recoils at the noise, his face scrunching in disgust. Ignoring his judgment, I turn to admire my work, enjoying the look of the newly cleared rows. I’d say I’m getting pretty good at this.
“Do you know where Damien’s office is?” I ask.
Alex nods. “There’s a small cabin behind his house he works out of.”
Oh. That must be the building I saw through his back doors when he brought me into his house to clean me.
Alex doesn’t seem concerned I asked, which I’m going to take as a good sign. He seems like a nice guy, and I’d like to think he wouldn’t lead me straight to a slaughter. I linger and kick at the dirt before finding the courage to leave. I don’t want to keep Damien waiting for too long.
I cross paths with a few people as I move through the woods, and I tentatively give small waves each time. This is a good opportunity for me to start over, and I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with anybody. Especially the beasts, who can shift and kill me at any moment.
They all smile back, and a couple even go as far as to wave in return. The children are almost always excited, their chubby hands lifting as high in the air as they can manage to get them.
Even the humans look happy, their facial expressions a drastic change from the bleak ones everybody had back in my old village. They’re always hanging off the beasts, too, their larger counterparts going as far as to carry them around most of the time.
It’s odd, and I can’t lie and say I don’t feel a bit annoyed they all got loving mates while I got stuck with Damien.
I debate running inside to change into clean clothes as I near my cabin but decide against it last minute. The sooner I meet with Damien, the sooner I can take a shower, shove some fruit and nuts into my mouth, and crawl into bed.
It’s hard to miss his office, the large building sitting in the middle of his back yard. It’s almost twice the size of my cabin, but I try not to let that upset me too much.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I will myself to remain calm as I push open the doors and step inside. It’s bright in here, sunlight streaming in through the windows. I expected Damien’s office to be dark and gloomy, but this is the opposite.