Chapter 18

**ERIC WOULD LIVE HERE?

ALEXIS CLARK'S POV

‘‘Mind untying me?’’ The guy sitting in front of me spoke, making me look at him awkwardly.

I made a mistake by hitting him with that bat and tying him to that chair like that. But was it okay to untie him?

What if he harms me for real? What if he attacks me as soon as I untie him? What if he has a grudge against me and takes it out on me as soon as I untie him? What if he's one of those vengeful guys who takes revenge?

‘‘Alexis, sweetheart. You already did him wrong when you hit him with that bat and tied him. Now are you gonna keep him tied forever? He came here to clean your house for you and what did you do in return? Hit him? Cut him some slack and see if his wound is healed or not,’’ Ariana said, and now that I think about it, I think she's right.

Sighing loudly, with Mark still laughing his ass out, I looked at the guy before untying the ropes.

‘‘Well, that's some great hospitality I received today,’’ he said, rolling his eyes.

‘‘Am sorry. Are you hurt somewhere? Is your wound healed? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?’’ I asked, concerned now.

‘‘No, I am fine. The wound has healed. I must say, for a girl, you hit pretty hard. By the way, I am Eric,’’ he said, flashing his dimples.

Now that he was untied and standing in all his glory, I looked at him yo and down, my eyes raking his body as if scanning him. And I must say, he was hot.

‘‘Would you like to talk to Mark? He is still on the phone,’’ I said, taking my mind off the gutter and handing him the phone when he said yes.

‘‘I’ll be upstairs,’’ I said before fleeing to go up to my room.

Entering my room, I was visibly surprised when I saw he was considerate enough not to enter my room in my absence.

And how do I know that? Because I could see my dirty balcony. Though the room was less dusty, thanks to the door I had locked properly. It was still a bit dirty compared to the rest of the house.

Changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top, I left my hair undone, liking the way they were bouncing with the small curls that were forming because I'd kept them in a bun for too long.

Applying a bit of mascara and lip gloss, I was ready to go in my favorite heeled boots.

‘‘Are you going somewhere?’’ Eric asked as soon as I descended the stairs.

‘‘Yeah, there's a bonfire party. I've promised my friends that I'll come this time. And yeah, I'll be going shopping too,’’ I said before taking an apple from the fridge.

Turning around, I looked at his awkward expression when he didn't say anything.

What is he waiting for? Mark asked him to clean the house and he did his job. Now what? Does he want me to offer him something? Should I pay him some money for the good work he did? But he's Mark's brother. He won't take money for sure. But what if he feels offended by my actions?

Can't he tell himself?

‘‘Well, the least you could do was ask him to supper,’’ Ariana said, making my eyes go wide. Yeah, that's right. What if he was hungry?

I mean, I did find him raking my cabinet.

Seriously, where are my manners? God, I've been living Alone for so long that I've forgotten the basic etiquette to treat a guest.

‘‘Umm…would you like to eat something? Well, I am going to a party, so I won't be eating at home. Why don't you come to the party with me?’’ I asked, hoping he'd decline because I'm not the social type. I still can't get the thing that I hit him out of my head.

‘‘Sure, I'd love to,’’ Eric said, his eyes brightening.

The bright look in his eyes when he said yes was so cute that I couldn't find an excuse anymore. Well, there goes my escape. I said before smiling at him through my teeth.

Is he deliberately using his charms to find his way through my heart and house?

‘‘Great, let's go then. Do you want to come dressed like this?’’ I asked, though there was nothing wrong with his clothes.

‘‘Oh, of course not. Give me a minute. I'll change quickly,’’ he said, confusing me.

Before I could say anything, I saw him rush toward my guest room and I couldn't help but squint my brows

‘‘Hey, I don't have any men's clothes here,’’ I shouted

‘‘That's okay. I've got that covered,’’ he yelled back.

Well, that was weird. What does he mean by that?

Walking toward the table, I grabbed my phone wanting to ask Mark if everything was okay with his cousin, but a message from Mark rendered me speechless.

‘Hey princess, I forgot to mention it to you. Eric will be living with you till I get back from my business trip and sort this mole in the council thing. He's a good fighter and will take care of you, and protect you while you're living in your forest house. I didn't want the rogue problem from the previous to happen again. I won't be able to sleep at night, with the constant fear of a rogue entering your house. I know that you have taken the security measures and you can handle everything pretty well, but still, for the sake of my heart, let him stay at your house, yeah? I'll be back in 45 days or so. Don't miss me too much

The message said

‘What is wrong with you, Mark? You are letting him live with me? A girl and a boy living under the same roof?’ I messaged Mark, not wanting to call him and hurt Eric with my mean words.

‘Well, we have lived together plenty of times. I don't see anything wrong with that. And besides, why are you talking like humans? Boy and girl living under the same roof? We werewolves see each other naked when we turn from a wolf to humans again all the time. And that to be when you don't even walk half naked in your home,’ his message came again

Well, he's forgetting that I'm not a wolf and no one has ever seen me naked. And besides, that's not even the point. Where is his brain today?

‘Mark, that's not what I mean. What if I fall in love with him? It'll break my heart,’ I messaged, playing the emotional card for him.

‘You didn't fall in love with me when I have been taking care of you for so long. What makes it different? Besides, we are the members of the council sweetheart. We don't have a mate. We chose our mate. You can fall in love with either my brother. However, I would still love to enjoy you before he does,’ Mark said, making me roll my eyes at his reply.

Can't this guy be serious for even a single minute?

I was about to reply to Mark when I heard the doorknob to the guest room click open.

‘‘I am ready,’’ Eric said, coming out of the room, making me cough on my spit.

What the hell?

Are my hormones going haywire or is he this handsome? There he was, standing in front of me, in ripped jeans, a T-shirt, and a black jacket.

Looking at his blonde hair, his blue eyes, and his dimples, I knew that these 45 days were going to be a hell lot of days.

Moin goddess, you break my heart with this mate thing. At least saved me from all these handsome men around me.

Remembering that I still needed to respond to Mark, I opened my phone again

‘Screw you, Mark!’ I replied quickly before smiling at Eric.

‘I am waiting for that day, princess,’ came the ever-so-lovely reply from Mark, making me roll my eyes.

Remember when I said my life can't be normal? Yeah, I'm sticking to that statement.