Page 5 of Beauty's Monstrous Demons

“I do have a lot of hair, but I’ve figured out how to take care of it without inconveniencing anyone,” I explain. “I do have some, um, quirks?”

“Hit me with them,” he says, amused.

“As you can see, I’m kind of obsessed with cleanliness,” I say gently. “I’m also allergic to chemicals so I tend to clean without any harsh cleaning products. That also means I wash my clothes in scent-free detergent.”

“We have a laundromat style room in the building so you can use whatever you want there,” he says. “It’s a floor up from this one. As far as cleaning, I wouldn’t say that we’re messy. Due to our odd hours, it’s hard to find the time though.”

“Would anyone be annoyed if I just took care of it?” I ask.

“Not at all,” he says. “We have a small kitchen here so you can cook your meals. You seem very normal for a human girl. We shouldn’t have any issues.”

“Good,” I say with a smile, beginning to walk past him to go to the bathroom.

“Hey, aren’t you forgetting something?” he asks, getting my attention.

“Did I?” I ask, turning around.

“What is your name?” he asks.

“Lorelei,” I answer. I guess Adares really is self absorbed and forgot to tell him that.

Nodding, Thorley says, “We have one other roommate. He’s a teacher who is living with us because they’re renovating the teacher’s apartments. I doubt you’ll see him much.”

“I doubt I’ll see much of anyone,” I say truthfully. “My class schedule is pretty stacked. Thanks for the rundown.”

A look passes over his face but I’m already turning away and shutting myself in the bathroom. Whatever it is that he’s thinking about, I don’t need to know.

Breathing a sigh of relief once I’m done, I flush the toilet and wash my hands. I need to take a walk around the campus with a map to learn where everything is, and I also havean appointment later today with the head of the chemistry department.

He is interested in finding out if I want to minor in chemistry after I talked to the school admission board on video conference about how much I enjoyed it. Apparently, there are a lot of possible jobs I can find within the field.

It’s worth a conversation since I have no idea where my life is taking me. Fate is just jerking me around by the nose at this point. I’ve considered a degree in pharmaceuticals because the science portion of things is fascinating to me, but I’m still up in the air. I know that at some point, the school is going to make me choose.

That is, if I stay here for any length of time.

Drying my hands, I shriek when someone bangs on the door. I was barely in here. Fucking hell, living with men may be worse than women. Monsters or not.

Yes, I’m irritated, so this person is a dickweed.

Opening the door with wide eyes, I see an annoyed Adares standing there.

“Is this going to be common practice now? You’re going to take forever in here?” he asks.

“No, not at all. You’re going to need some patience,” I shoot back, pushing past him.

“This is not the beginning of a beautiful friendship in case you’re wondering!” he yells, walking inside and slamming the door.

God, what a prick.

Rolling my eyes, I walk back to my room, unlocking the door to find my campus map, purse with my phone, and the time I’m meeting the chemistry department head. If I decide to add the minor, I’ll also be adding an extra class to my already packed schedule.

I need that as much as a hole in the head, but it’ll be good to stay busy. Six hours of sleep, a busy mind, and good self care are all I really need.

I ignore my roommate as I walk out of my room, locking the door behind me.

“Hiding a drug habit?” he asks. “As you can see, we don’t really lock doors here.”

“I’m a female in a mostly male dorm,” I remind him. “My locked door is for my peace of mind and not for a nefarious activity your overactive mind has created.”

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