A Howling Heart
Chapter five

I lean into him slowly, his lips so close to touching mine, and feel the heat from his tongue.

It feels so right.

When I slightly part my lips to receive his gratifying warmth, he stops me with the hand on my chin and my eyes open questioningly. "Soon, animus meus."

He trails his hand up my face to stroke my cheek with his thumb.

"Soon enough."

What does that mean? Animus meus?

I'm too on edge from his rejection that I don't think I should ask as he releases me and steps back.

"What does that mean? Animus meus?"

He clenches his jaw as his eyes scan my face, and he cracks a grin that makes my insides flutter nervously. When he smiles, it's in a way that a predator would as he goads his prey. He's hauntingly beautiful but dangerous. "Come. We shouldn't waste more time."

I shouldn't be surprised by his unwillingness to divulge any information. He's not the type to be open but more the brooding and scrutinizing type the one who continuously learns all the ways of those around him to be one step ahead. I follow him back to the room we visited earlier, a bedside lamp illuminating the room just enough to get somewhat of a clear picture of his uncle, who's lying still atop the bed.

"I must go."

He nods to his uncle, who's asleep. "His medications are locked in the nightstand. The lock box for the keys is hanging on a wall in my office. If he wakes and is in pain, there's a PRN. It's in there."

Matias moves to me, arching a brow. "Do not hesitate to give him the pain med. Do you understand?"

The seriousness in his voice frightens me, and I find myself nodding desperately.

"People do crazy things when they are in pain.... Say crazy things."

I know that all too well.

I've seen my mother in so much pain that it was unbearable to watch. Writhing. Screaming.

The thought makes me shiver and wrap my arms around myself.

"I'm sure we will be fine."

"I will be back in a few hours, and then you can go."

I peer down at his Uncle, worry lining my eyebrows.

"Is there a number I can reach you?"

His nostrils flare as he hesitates to answer. "You won't need one."

"What? I-it's just for emergency purposes..."

Am I that pathetic that he's afraid I'll abuse having his number?

I clench my jaw in frustration, diverting my gaze from his to peer anxiously at the floor.

I was just taking extra precautions. It is his uncle.

He lets out a slow, exaggerated breath and moves toward me with his hand outstretched.

"Give me your phone."

He sounds thrilled... not.

I hand him my phone, which has been resting in the small bag hanging off my shoulder, and unlock the screen. He quickly adds his contact and slaps the phone into my palm. "Emergencies."

He glances at his uncle before he leaves me alone in the room without another glance.

I wonder where he gets that kind of attitude from.

I move toward his uncle's bedside and sigh as I place my hands on the edge of the bed and fix his blanket.

Maybe his father. Or his uncle. Whoever raised him.

I can't imagine how one comes to be so... forceful.

That word makes me shudder, the hairs along my body standing on end as a cold chill passes through me. My chest rises and falls dramatically as I take a couple of deep breaths.

Oh well. It's not like I'm going to bring that up to him.

He's clearly not the easiest to talk to. So forget trying.

My mind shifts back to whatever he'd uttered to me.

What was it again?

Animus.

With a resigned sigh, I move towards the chair beside the bed and lower myself into it, the warm glow of the light the only comfort in the otherwise dark and dead home. Even the sound of his uncle's breathing is so quiet it's absent from my ears, but every time I look at him, I see the struggle rise and fall of his chest.

I guess I prefer this over wheezing.

I take a moment to really look at his Uncle, biting back the shocked gasp on my lips at his disfigured face. Whatever ailment has him in its clutches, it's a brutal one. I shake my head and rest back in the chair, pulling out my phone and, temptingly, scrolling to the contacts.

All he put is 'M' for the contacts.

How personal. He doesn't have to worry.

I clearly won't mistake the nature of our relationship.

I let my fingers hover over his contact. I glance over to the door, my mind drifting to what he could possibly be doing out and about.

I wonder where he works.

He has money. He clearly takes care of things, considering his uncle is incapable of work. The house is a good size.

I decide against it. Something about Matias - I doubt I'd get away with it without him knowing.

He doesn't seem like the type to be oblivious.

He can tell every time I lie. It's almost creepy how correct and sure of himself he is.

I unlock my phone once again, and just as I go to scroll through social media, I hear it.

Wheezing.

I lift my gaze and yelp when I see his Uncle sitting up, a glowering hatred on his face aimed directly at me.

"You!"

I scramble out of my seat, unable to mask the startled look of horror on my face as he throws his blankets off with a strength I can't even believe and moves his legs onto the side. "You! You! You! You!"

Oh no!

I try to think of what Matias said earlier before it clicks.

Pain meds!

My eyes shoot to the bedside table.

Key in his office.

I hurry past the bed, thankful his uncle hasn't gotten up yet.

"It's okay, Sir. I'll get you your meds. One second!" I jog down the hallway, trying every knob, none of them opening. I groan, frustrated, as I move toward the staircase. "It's gotta be downstairs."

I could call him.

It dawns on me that I dropped my phone in the room, not to mention that it would look awful if I called him in the first half hour of her first shift.

He might know what to do, though.

I move back towards the room, and as soon as I step into the doorway, I peer at his Uncle, who's now leaning against the chair I was just in, my phone tightly clutched in his hand. Nope!

I'll handle this myself.

I hurry to the stairs and take them two at a time, down to the foyer until I reach the hallway between the stairwell and living room. I try the first door.

Locked.

I try the second, third, and fourth until finally, I stumble upon his office, hidden deep within the house past the kitchen.

Thank god!

I move towards the desk, eyes scanning the walls for something resembling what Matias was talking about until I spot a key lock on the wall.

Okay. Crrap, wait. What's the lock combo? Maybe it's in a desk drawer.

I move over to the desk, my hands drifting over the wood before my eyes drift to the vast window that peers out the backyard and into the woods. I blink a few times, convincing myself I'm not seeing glowing eyes and it's just the moon shining through tree branches.

A lot of land. A lot of woods. And he doesn't seem at all threatened by the presence of wolves.

I shake my head.

I don't know if that's brave or stupid.

I turn around to face the desk and scream when I see his Uncle in front of my face, his hands outstretched and circling my throat. I thrash and scream as pressure around my neck makes it harder to breathe.

Matias! Matias!

Oh my god!

His uncle violently shakes me. My head smacks against the wall, and my vision begins to fade into the black, but just before unconsciousness violently consumes me, I see a shirtless Matias emerging from the dark hallway.

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