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.He tilted his chin. That s my girl. I m not your girl. Chapter 16Six hours later I took a long, hot, blissful shower.Today s attire would be casual jeans and agreen shirt with my laceless sneakers.I entered a dining room just off of the main hall and nearlychoked with laughter.There was a heaping pile of ribs with Justus parked in front of them.What had me absolutelytickled was not the ungodly amount of meat that was spread before him, but Justus wearing his napkintucked in his shirt like an adult bib.He was ready to chow down with those hungry eyes alreadyfeasting.I slid into my chair, snatching a few ribs and rolls for my plate. Homemade? His fingers were laced together hiding a smile. I don t cook.That s what you re here for. I m not your slave. No, Learner.That you are most definitely not, he mumbled.The moment I tucked a piece of bread in my cheek, Justus dug in.His whole body seemed toripple at the joining of meat to his lips and I watched in awe a man who had the table manners of atroglodyte.His teeth gnawed into a rib smearing a streak of sauce across his cheek and his entirebody sighed in satisfaction.My mind floated back to my ex, Brandon, who once ran a finger full of tomato sauce over one ofmy favorite tablecloths because he was mad at me and trying to provoke a fight.He challenged mewith the look in his eye and all I could do was sit there and watch.He liked instigating things. Something bothers you. I shook out of my past and flicked my eyes up to his.I could tell he was considering whether ornot to pursue the comment. I can t cook, so you re out of luck, I lied.I buttered my roll with a dull knife and took anotherbite. That s alright, I prefer my women barefoot and pregnant. I knew that was intended to be a joke, but it struck a nerve.Justus looked up and his smile lowered. What is that look, did I offend you? I tapped my knife on the table and just spit it out, something that had been bothering me for acouple of weeks since I missed my period. I might be pregnant. My panic turned into a wave of anger when he began to laugh uncontrollably.I grabbed for aplastic container and threw it as hard as I could at Justus.He ducked as it smashed against the wall,sending a thick splatter of yellow potato salad sliding down like a horrendous display of artwork.He sighed in disgust. You will control yourself, Learner. That is not a funny joke. You are not with child. He smirked and reached around, scooping up a finger full of the potato salad that still clung tothe wall and put it in his mouth. What makes you so certain? A Mage cannot have children.Females do not menstruate.I d actually prefer not to discuss thistopic over my meal, he said with a mouthful. Are you sure, I mean what if I was before? He considered that a moment. Were you? No, but the man who attacked me, I uh&.I don t know what happened after You are not pregnant.Males are not& He ended the topic gnawing on a bone and I watched a dribble of sauce run down the edge of hishand.Thank God.It was something I could hardly discuss with Adam but when my period never came,I was scared and hoped that maybe stress was causing it. So, Justus& Ghuardian. What? That s what you call me, Learner.You cannot address me by my name while you are under myGhuardianship. Yes master, I said sarcastically.He licked the sauce from his thumb, tongue slowly curling around the knuckle. Master.Now, Ikind of like that. has a ring to it. You are so obnoxious.Why don t you have any clocks or windows? My eyes scanned theroom. Or electricity? I chewed on some baked beans and washed them down with a can of soda,watching the shadows dance across the table from the candles.The only time I ever ate by candlelightwas when the power went out after a tornado hit a few years back, knocking out the power lines. I prefer candlelight, it soothes the mind.And you will not have need for clocks. Elaborate? You can sense time as accurately as an atomic clock in most circumstances. Does my body know when it s daylight savings? Ignoring me, he continued. What time is it now? Don t guess&.feel. I set down my rib and licked my fingers as I tried to feel.But I didn t know what I was feelingfor.So, I guessed. 2:30? You re guessing. He reached over the table and grabbed a roll. Soon it will come natural toyou. As we sat quietly, I noticed Justus had changed into a tight black shirt.I wondered if he bought ita size small intentionally to attract women, or if the fabric simply shrunk in fear of him.Did he workfor a living? Clearly, he did well for himself.Hell, just look at that car.When my eyes bumped into his, I noticed he was staring at me& staring at him.I dropped myeyes to my plate and picked a few pieces of meat free from the bone.I could still feel him looking andhe had even stopped eating so the silence was a banging drum. Do you live here alone? No one comes here. I arched a brow. So, no girlfriend? I have no need for ties to another.This is my home and I enjoy the peace. If that were true then why exactly was I there? What are we doing the rest of the day? I relaxed when he commenced eating. You will study.Much to learn. There was little conversation as we were still getting used to one another s company.At onepoint, he nodded back at the crime scene on the wall and said, You re going to clean that. Funny, I thought you might save me the trouble and lick it up
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