Inject Me Sweetly / Dusk Until Dawn

:Inject Me Sweetly: Chapter Fourteen

After typing out It's hot in California, I hit share, closing the Internet and shutting off my laptop again. Might as well go with the flow. I trudged back to the duffle bag, pulling out a pair of washed jeans and a tank top. For a few seconds I searched for a sweatshirt and eventually pulled out a cardigan. Shrugging, I piled it with the rest of my clothes and headed for the shower.

By the time I entered the kitchen, Sebastian was nearly finished cooking. Plates were already set out on the table, filled with burnt bacon, charred home fries, and slushy scrambled eggs. There was a small pop from behind me, causing me to start. Sebastian turned, his making a face at me.

"What?" I questioned, raising a hand to my face.

He came over to me, sighing lightly. "If you let your hair dry like that you'll catch a cold," he warned me, taking the towel that was around my shoulders and covering my head with it.

Before I could protest he started drying my hair, running the part in it I'd made earlier. When he finished I emerged from underneath the towel, pursing my lips at him. "What are you, my father?"

"No. But I'm old enough..." He furrowed his eyebrows. "Actually, I'm old enough to be your-"

"I don't want to hear it," I said quickly before he could continue.

He grinned, moving around me to the toaster, where he pulled out the first thing he'd cooked that didn't look burnt. With an arrogant look, he placed the two pieces of toast on a plate, gesturing for me to sit in front of it.

"This looks... appetizing," I said slowly, taking a seat at the place he'd indicated. "Thank you."

"Don't force yourself to eat it if you don't like it," he told me. "It might just kill you."

I laughed, pushing the soggy pile of eggs around my plate. "I think I'll manage."

He sat down across from me, smiling. "Very well."

A silence settled throughout the kitchen. Cautiously, I placed a forkful of the eggs into my mouth. He watched me intently, waiting for my reaction. I clamped my mouth down on the fork, tasting the eggs for the first time. After the initial shock of the taste of runny eggs, I managed to swallow, holding up my thumb. Relief flooded across his face.

I didn't have the heart to tell him they were undercooked and that I could catch salmonella.

"I should probably ask Vince to teach me how to cook, but he'd probably refuse," Sebastian suddenly spoke up, now putting some of his own eggs into his own mouth.

"You think?"

"I know," he corrected. "Vincent doesn't exactly love me. Not that I can blame him. He is put through a lot because of me."

I frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

"Whenever I do something I'm not supposed to, all the blame goes to Vincent."

"Why-"

"Because I'm the next King," Sebastian cut me off, looking aggravated. "I can't do anything that will cause problems for me when I later become King. When I mess up, Vincent is held responsible."

I gawked at Sebastian. "Wait, seriously?"

He nodded solemnly. "Which is why he hates me."

"Why would he hate you if there's just the chance? You haven't done anything, right?"

The corners of his lips pulled down and he stayed silent. "I have." His eyes met mine. "You probably don't know the whole story behind why Fiona's here?"