Page 31 of Beasts

I pass by Reyes, Byron, and Hunter's room. The door is slightly ajar, but I don't dare peek in for too long. From the soft, steady breathing sounds, I can tell they are deeply asleep, likely lost in worlds of their own making. As a warlock, Byron's dreams must be vivid and full of magic, I muse.

Continuing my nocturnal exploration, I find myself drawn to the living room. The space is grand, yet it holds a certain warmth. The large couches are plush and inviting, positioned around an ornate fireplace that's currently dark and cold, and possibly fake. The mantelpiece above it is lined with various trinkets and old photographs.

As I sit on one of the couches, my gaze wanders to the large windows. That's when I notice it – a message appearing on the foggy glass. "Hello, Amelia!" it reads. My heart skips a beat, but I quickly realize who it must be.

"Hello, Ivan," I say aloud, a small smile playing on my lips. The ghostly resident of our home has always been a quiet presence, watching over us. "How are you tonight?" I ask, my voice soft but clear.

On the window, new words form: "I'm as well as a ghost can be. And you?"

"I'm... confused," I admit, hugging my knees to my chest. "About Oliver."

"Love is a complicated, even without the fangs." writes Ivan. I wonder what Ivan knows, or saw. I'm going to choose not to think about it too hard.

"Do you think it's possible for us? I mean, with him being a vampire and all?"

The window remains blank for a moment before Ivan's response appears. "Love finds a way."

"I hope you're right," I sigh, feeling a little comforted, and perhaps a little embarrassed to see the word 'love' written on a window.

"Have faith, Amelia. Good things take time."

I chuckle softly. "You're quite the philosopher, Ivan."

"Death brings perspective." he replies, and I can almost hear the amusement in his ghostly voice.

Sitting there, in the silent living room, talking to a ghost through window writing, I realize just how unusual my life has become. And I'm loving it.

Chapter nineteen

No Pain, No Gain

As I open my eyes, I sit up immediately, glancing outside the window. Kane isn’t out in the pool today. For some reason that’s a relief. I’d hate a repeat of what happened yesterday. As I walk around my bedroom, I stop in front of the mirror as I can see myself from head to toe. I do have a lot of issues with what's going on with me today. Around my forearms and my legs there are bruises covering me and some are much darker than others. I look back out the window and I can see how hot it's going to be today. I guess I won't be wearing shorts. There's a knock on the door and I scramble to try and find something to cover up my legs with, but fail to see anything immediately. So instead, I jump back under the covers.

“Come in.” I say. I'm relieved when Oliver pops his head through the door and closes it behind him.

“Hey, sorry if I woke you.” He smiles at me. I flip the sheets off of me and walk over to him.

“No, I was already up. I was kind of worried that Kane was out having another swim this morning.” The faint smile that Oliver was wearing disappears immediately upon looking at me. I look down at myself and I can see that he must feel I would have been ashamed by what's happened.

“You should have told me.”

“Told you what?”

“That was hurting you.”

“But you weren’t, at least not that I felt at the time.”

“You seriously didn't feel that?” He questions pointing down at my thighs which have the biggest bruises on them. I can certainly feel them now, but I definitely didn't yesterday, so I shake my head and shrug my shoulders, trying to reassure him.

“I'm seriously fine. I don't feel anything. It looks a lot worse than it is.” He rubs the back of his neck and contemplates his next words.

“I just can't believe that with this little power as I had yesterday, I did that to you.”

“But I heard bruises were kind of normal. Has it happened with any of your previous girlfriends?”

“I haven't had previous girlfriends. In case you didn't notice, I am a vampire. The fact that I'm as close to you as I am is a miracle unto itself.”

“Wait so yesterday was a first for you as well?” He seems a bit sheepish, but he nods anyway. “You seemed way too experienced for that to have been your first time.”

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