Ten
ARTEMISIA
I awoke with a start.
My eyes darted around the room as I tried to recall the reason my heart was thumping fast.
I was aware I had a nightmare. But, just like every other night, I couldn’t remember what I had dreamt about.
Sighing, I gripped my phone that was underneath my pillow and checked what the time was.
I noticed it was only a few minutes past 10 which meant, I had slept after lying on the bed and it was only for a few minutes.
“Geez.” I groaned whilst rubbing my tummy as it grumbled. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since after the wedding was done today.
I had been thinking of what to do to get me out of the situation I was in, to think about food.
I stepped out of the room to the kitchen which was together with the living room. My hand found the switch on the wall, light flooded into the room as I clicked on it.
My eyes dimmed and I blinked several times before they got accustomed to the brightness.
I gripped one of the handles of the cabinet, opened it and noticed it was stocked with varieties of groceries.
Perhaps, Sin had gone shopping before the wedding. But, he didn’t strike me like someone that would be in a grocery store with a cart in his hand. I giggled as my head conjured a ridiculous image of him walking about in the middle of the store with a chef cap on. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I grabbed one of the spaghetti and walked to the gas cooker to prepare it.
Considering how ravenous I was at the moment, that was the only food that could get ready real fast.
Besides, I wasn’t a heavy eater and I was far too hungry to prepare food that would take me close to an hour.
“I see you are getting used to living here.”
I jerked at the sound of Sin’s voice. Then turned to glare at him.
Moreover, I noticed he was without a shirt.
“What are you staring at?” A smirk appeared on his face as he stared at me.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, flushing.
“That didn’t seem like nothing to me.” Sin asserted.
I stiffened when I felt his presence behind me. His woodsy scent infiltrated my senses and I could not think of anything except for his sinful lips which had brushed my cheeks earlier.
“I wasn’t staring at you. Even if I was, it doesn’t mean I was admiring you.”
“Who said anything about admiration?”
I could sense the smirk that appeared on his face again. Shrugging, I clutched a spoon and stirred the spaghetti as it began to boil before looking at him.
“I thought you said I shouldn’t wait on you. Why did you change your mind?”
“I didn’t change my mind,” Sin said, stepping away from me.
He wrinkled his nose and shoved his hands into his hair as he walked towards the bedroom door.
“I didn’t want you to miss me too much.”
“I wasn’t even thinking of you to miss you,” I replied.
“Anyways, you should be glad I’m home now. So, you don’t need to miss me anymore.” He said, walking into the room.
“Who said I was missing you?!”
I wonder if he didn’t understand the meaning of I wasn’t missing him or he was just trying to rile me on purpose.
However, I guess it was the latter since I believed he had heard me perfectly well.
“I wonder if all husbands act this way.” I sighed.
************
I sat on one of the dining chairs and placed the food on the table in front of me. The spoon was halfway to my mouth when I heard the first howl.
Shrugging, I gripped my phone and glanced at the screen.
“Emma,” I mumbled as I noticed I had missed a call from her.
The howl sounded yet again, followed by several scratches on the door.
My brows creased as I wondered who was outside by this time of the night.
“Sin?” I inquired whilst walking to the room.
I saw him sprawled on the bed fast asleep. I walked back to the living room to finish my food.
“Perhaps, I was hearing things,” I said to myself.
I heard the sound yet again as I prepared to take another bite from my food.
“Okay, maybe I wasn’t hearing things after all,” I said walking towards the door.
Slowly, I clutched the doorknob and held my breath. I dread if someone would shriek when I open the door.
I wasn’t a fan of horror and I loathed being startled or when someone walked up on me unannounced.
Emma was good at that. She had once said because I refused to give her the attention she desired, she has often used it in disrupting my peace of mind.
Sin also had done it twice today and we had only known each other for a few hours.
“Okay, I only need to twist the handle of this door to see whatever or whoever is out there.” I inhaled, then let it out slowly.
My hand trembled and I shut my eyes whilst counting to three.
“Don’t.”
I lurched, whilst clutching my heart as I shrieked.
“Sin!”
“Don’t ever try to open the door at this time of the night,” He rasped, ignoring that he had frightened the living daylight out of me.
“Why?” I asked, still panting.
Sin halted in his tracks. I glimpsed a tattoo I hadn’t noticed on his back.
It was a wolf with the inscription Blue Moon written underneath. It was large and it covered half part of his back.
I wonder why I hadn’t noticed because he was shirtless earlier.
It was because you were busy ogling him! Inner me jeered.
I rolled my eyes and gazed back at him.
“In as much as I detest you. I don’t want to be blamed for your death. Also, you need to do as you are told without questioning me.” He grunted, walking away from me.
He loathed me!
Only the first sentence of what he had said I could think of.
Though I hadn’t done anything to him, he said he detested me. I wonder why.
I knew even if I asked for an explanation since we barely knew each other, he wouldn’t provide one.
It would have been better if my parents had given me the chance to make a choice. At least, I knew I wouldn’t be here.
I stayed by the door after he left, but I didn’t try to open it like I had wanted to do earlier.
The howling had ceased as well as the scratch sound and I walked back to my seat to finish my meal.