Alaric

Nico snatched the key from the desk before I could even reach for it. "Fine. It’s just for tonight and just so you know," he turned towards me. "I am taking the left side. And if you breathe in my direction, Alaric, I’m kicking you out of the window."

I scoffed but said nothing.

"Gentlemen, please. Since you are both soaked to the bone, I will recommend our hot shower. Dry robes will be sent up to your room. And I’ll have the kitchen prepare some warm food. You look like you could use a hot meal."

"Clean clothes?" Nico muttered, finally looking down at his mud-stained hoodie with a grimace. "At this point, I’d wear a burlap sack if it was dry."

"I will also take the burlap sack," I grumbled, leaning heavily on the banister as we began the slow agonizing trek up the stairs. "It will be a great upgrade from this ruined silk," I referred to my clothes.

When we finally reached the room and shoved the door open, the scent hit us first. It didn’t smell like the rot of the jungle. Instead, the air was thick with the fragrance of fresh jasmine and wild lilies, a soft, floral perfume that felt entirely too romantic for the current situation.

The room was beautiful in a rustic island sort of way: polished wood floors, gauzy white curtains billowing slightly in the breeze from the balcony, and at the center of the space was a massive king-sized bed. It was covered in crisp, white linens and a heap of plush pillows. It looked inviting and I couldn’t wait to jump on it and sleep off my exhaustion.

"It’s huge," Nico whispered though his eyes had a mischievous intent behind them. "So like I said, the left side is mine."

I looked toward the bed and realized the left side was closest to the entrance while the right side was nearer the balcony.

I hated sleeping close to the window.

"The left side is mine," I countered. "I hate sleeping near the windows," I added, limping towards the edge of the mattress. "I need this side closest to the bathroom for my leg too."

"Oh absolutely not," Nico stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "I carried you three miles, Alaric. My back is screaming. Can we not argue right now?"

"But my leg? I am the injured one."

"You are the one who tripped! That’s a skill issue, not a priority pass!" Nico jabbed a finger at my chest. "I’m not waking up with your elbow in my ribs because you decided you needed space for your ego."

I let out a frustrated growl knowing that he wasn’t going to give up and neither would I. "Fine, how do we decide? Should we draw straws? Or perhaps you’d like to try..."

"Rock, paper, scissors," Nico interrupted, already raising his hand, his eyes flashing with that familiar competitive fire.

"Nico, if we play one more round of that..."

Nico burst into laughter. "What are you scared I might win against you in a children’s game again?"

I opened my mouth to deliver a scathing retort about his maturity levels but before I could utter a single word, a sharp polite knock sounded at the door.

"Room service," a muffled voice called from the hallway.

"Come in," I responded.

The door creaked open to reveal a young man holding a stack of folded fabric that looked like heaven compared to the cold clinging silk on my back.

"Clean robes, as promised," he said with a polite nod. "And the kitchen is finishing your meal now. It will be delivered in ten minutes."

"Thank you," I said.

The man nodded and as he turned to leave, Nico stepped forward, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "Wait. Do you have a first aid kit? Some bandages or a splint?"

"A first aid kit?" the man paused, his brow furrowing with concern. "Is one of you injured, sir?"

Nico didn’t look at me. He just jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing vaguely in my direction while he snatched the robes from where the man carefully laid them on the bed. "He is," he muttered, his voice flat, acting like it was the biggest inconvenience in the world to even acknowledge it. "He tripped over his own pride back in the mud."

I rolled my eyes at his words. Just when I had thought he wouldn’t be insufferable, he was still a jerk.

Nico didn’t add anything else and just headed towards the bathroom.

I stood there leaning against the bedpost for a second, thinking about how Nico had thought about my leg. Despite the shady comment, he asked for the kit.

A strange warm flicker ignited in my chest, spreading through me far more effectively than the amber light of the room.

I shook it off immediately because I was thinking of Nico when it had happened. There was no way I was going to let a brat like Nico get to me, even if he was currently acting as my self-appointed albeit grumbling nurse.

"The first aid kit would be right here in a moment," the man promised and then headed out. Then he paused and turned to face me. "There will be a light outage for two minutes soon. Don’t panic, the lights will come back on," he told me and walked away before I could ask anything else.

I let out a long weary sigh and sank onto the edge of the massive bed. The mattress was soft, dangerously so, and my body, battered from the crash and the hike, demanded I give in.

I laid back, staring up at the dark wood ceiling beams.

Then I remembered. The light.

I turned towards the bathroom. "Nico!" I shouted his name but the shower was already running and there was no way he could hear me.

I tried again. "Nico, the light will go out in..."

The warning was cut short as the room was plunged into an absolute suffocating void. The amber glow of the lamps vanished, replaced by a darkness so thick it felt physical.

For a heartbeat, there was only the sound of the rain and the shower, then a sharp thud came from the bathroom followed by a choked, panicked gasp.

"Nico!" I sat up abruptly, ignoring the spike of white-hot pain shooting through my ankle as I forced myself to stand.

I didn’t think. I couldn’t. I fumbled for my phone in my pocket, my fingers trembling as I flicked on the flashlight.

The narrow beam cut through the dark and then I raised myself from the bed. I began a slow agonizing limp toward the bathroom door.

Every step was a battle, my teeth gritting against the agony in my leg, but the sound of Nico’s ragged breathing was becoming louder and I couldn’t leave him like that.

"I’m coming! Nico, stay still!"

I shoved the bathroom door open, the steam hitting my face in a humid wave. My phone light panned across the tiles, reflecting off the moisture, searching for him.

"Nico," I slowly called out.

Suddenly, a shadow lunged from the corner and before I could figure out what was happening, a pair of arms slammed into me.

Nico collided with my chest, holding me desperately in a bone-crushing hug. He was trembling violently, his face buried against my shoulder as he let out a broken, terrified sound.

"I’ve got you. I’ve got you," I rasped, my own heart racing fast against my ribs.

Nico hugged me tighter and the force of his impact nearly sent us both to the floor but we didn’t fall; my phone crashed to the floor instead.

I instinctively reached out to steady us, my hands searching for leverage in the dark, trying to push him back just enough so we wouldn’t tumble over.

But in the pitch-black chaos, my hand didn’t find his waist. It slid down and closed firmly around the heavy, pulsing heat of his cock.

I gasped, my heart racing in shock at what I had just grabbed while Nico froze, his entire body going rigid against mine.

And then with a sharp humming vibration, the lights flicked back to life.

The sudden brightness was blinding. I blinked, the world rushing back in. The sight of Nico Park pressed flush against me, completely naked, made my eyes widen.

I was still holding him.

My fingers wrapped tight around him and I didn’t know why I slowly raised my head to face him. He was staring back at me with a look that sent my heart racing even faster.

What the hell just happened? I thought.