Beauty’s Monstrous Demons (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

ALECTO

M y days have felt empty without Lorelei, yet they’ve been too busy to see her. The balance of life hasn’t been tipped in my favor lately.

Tonight is my date with my little omega, a test to see if I can handle doing this all over again in what feels like another lifetime. My plans to kill myself are fucked, and I’ve stared at my plan several times over the last few nights.

I also have my own stalker. Samael has popped into my home several times, arms folded, like an angry parent that he has no business acting like when I’m the older monster here. I finally lit the paper aflame with my lighter last night and we watched it burn together. By the time it turned to dust on the plate in front of me, the fear demon was gone.

The room stunk of terror and hope, neither of which he could feed on. Last night, I realized that I was afraid of letting go because I was afraid of forgetting Dahlia and the family I made with her. There are no photos of us, and very few of my last family members.

None of that will keep my memories from living on, which means there’s no reason for me not to pursue a life with Lorelei. Dahlia would have hated how I’ve allowed life to pass me by.

If I let myself think about it, I can imagine the indent of her foot on my ass. She was a feisty little thing.

I haven’t been on a date in over eight hundred years, and my hands curl nervously around the steering wheel as I glance over at Lorelei in the passenger seat. I can’t fuck this up. I need to talk to her.

“Do you want to know where we’re going?” I ask softly, startling her out of her own thoughts.

“Yes,” she says softly, glancing over at me. She doesn't seem upset by such a trivial question, simply letting me lead the way. I didn’t expect that, though she’s surprised me often already.

“I haven’t been in the area long, but I found a great restaurant about half an hour from here. They have live music tonight,” I explain. I made sure to trade out one of her shifts so she could go out with me. Patrice just looked at me funny before telling Hailee.

I don’t care though, this way Lorelei won’t lose any more with the shift change. She works so hard, even though any one of us would be willing to make her life easier.

I expect she wouldn’t like that.

“That seems nice,” she says, but I can’t figure out if she’s just trying to be nice. Fuck, I don’t know what she likes to do. It feels like a trivial thing when fate is invoked.

“Does it?” I ask, lips twitching. “The response was pretty lackluster. We can do anything other than this. The towns near the school aren’t the best night places. The university was built in an effort to remain as isolated as possible, and the town closest was built in an effort to be able to give students and teachers some semblance of civilization.”

“So you’re not hiding me?” she asks. The words are spoken so softly that I almost miss them.

“Hiding? No,” I reply, surprised. “I mean, I didn’t think you’d want to be too close to the university because no one gossips more than teachers and students. Also, being stopped because you’re recognized constantly makes it difficult to go on a nice date.”

“No one knows me so I’m not the one going to be stopped,” she teases me. “I pretty much keep to myself.”

“I’m a new adjunct, so I suppose I’ve become used to getting stopped,” I sigh. “I promise I’m not hiding you, I just don’t want to spend the entire night dodging people who want to talk to me. I want my attention to be able to remain on you.”

“That’s fair,” she says, a smile playing on her lips.

She’s wearing a black velvet dress that hits her knees with lace sleeves. It makes her blonde hair look so much brighter, and her fishnet tights are forcing blood through my cock at a rate that’s almost painful. Her outfit is covered with a long coat due to the colder weather tonight. Fuck, she looks absolutely gorgeous.

When she crosses her legs, I force myself to focus on the road instead of her. Crashing would be a bad way to continue this date.

“I may have forgotten to tell you how beautiful you look,” I murmur. “I was too busy swallowing my tongue.”

Her tinkling laughter is a balm on my soul, her smile brilliant.

“You’re welcome to tell me now,” she teases me, pulling a huff of laughter from me.

“That’s cute,” I say, my hand moving to her thigh to squeeze it. My claws are retracted, my thumb rubbing her soft skin through her tights.

I wonder if the material will shred like paper if I find myself needing to give her pussy mouth to mouth…

“Tell me something no one knows?” I ask, surprising myself.

“As long as we’re playing show and tell reciprocally,” she says.

My mind goes straight to the gutter, and I growl under my breath. Smirking, she shrugs, thinking.

“There’s a lot no one knows about. I was a loner growing up because it was easier not to trust others. I’m uncomfortable receiving presents from others, I’m always worried it’ll come with strings,” she says. “I also form attachments to things since they’re the only things I own and they’re the ones that have been with me through important times in my life.”

“Like your car?” I ask. “I saw you driving the other day and I thought it was going to blow up.”

“Bertie isn’t that bad,” she says, amused. “She has a tuneup tomorrow. Well, a major overhaul that I’ve been avoiding. Samael is going to let me drive his car in the meantime.”

Why does a fear demon who can teleport need a car? Wondering if Samael is working behind the scenes to replace the car named Bertie, I nod.

“You’re wearing different boots tonight,” I observe.

“I am,” she says, blushing. At least, I think she is since we’re in the darkness as I drive. “Samael exchanged my boots for another pair so he could take them to a cobbler. I may have actually had a hole in the soles.”

I don’t doubt it. I had noticed that they looked like death traps. Her words make a lot of sense if she’s attached to things that have seen some shit with her.

“How many times has Bertie stalled out on you?” I ask curiously.

“Ugh, the bitch likes to be dramatic,” she says. “Bertie has died on me several times driving across state lines. It’s always stressful, but it’s why I always keep ‘Bertie money’.”

“For when she shits the bed?” I ask.

“That’s an accurate description,” she says. “Bertie tends to have bowel issues. I’m fairly certain she’s leaking oil.”

Chuckling, I shake my head. “She’s a hot mess, Lorelei. I have a feeling she may need more than a tuneup.”

“She does. Which means that everything I’ve made the last several weeks will be going into her,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “I’m used to it, though.”

Deciding that I’m going to swing by the only mechanic tomorrow to cover the bill, I turn off the road I’m on to drive to the restaurant.

“Your turn,” she says. “What’s one thing that no one else knows?”

I knew this was coming, but my mind freezes for a moment as I think about what to tell her. Samael is a damn mind reader of sorts, but he doesn’t know the extent of my death plan. God, there are so many things no one knows.

“I wish photography had existed long before it was invented,” I say. “There are so many things that I’d capture with it that I’m afraid of forgetting.”

“Do you miss her?” she asks. “Your omega?”

“Dahlia,” I reply. “I miss who she was. Sweet, inquisitive, and an incredible mother. My children were adults, one of them was an omega as well and also died of the same thing a year later. Natalia had just had a daughter, which meant her husband went through the same heartbreak I did. Unfortunately, he died with her and I raised their children. This kept me busy, gave me a reason to live.”

“That’s terrible that their children lost both their parents,” Lorelei whispers.

“It was. They were a hybrid of human and demon, so the bloodline ensured that some would be omegas,” I explain. “It also meant they were susceptible to certain illnesses as well.”

“Are you worried something could happen to me?” she asks. “With the way the tarot cards were read, it’s a possibility.”

“A curse and an illness are very different,” I growl. “There are things we can do to ensure you are safe. We also need to find this shithead of a scent match that’s your last variable. I’m less afraid of that than some kind of illness.”

“Does it help that I’ve never really been sick?” she asks. “Group and foster homes were a cesspool of illness, but I never got sick.”

“It does,” I admit. “I’ll still worry about you.”

“Maybe that’s not so bad, as long as you stay in the moment with me,” she says, smiling as I pull into the parking lot of the restaurant.

Once parked, I get out of the car to help her out, all the while thinking about how I wouldn’t dream of blinking, much less losing out on experiencing every moment I can with her. Her small hand sits perfectly in my palm as I help her stand, my gaze fully enjoying her beauty.

“This restaurant is definitely off the beaten path, but makes incredible Creole food,” I murmur, holding her hand as I lock up the car.

“I am ashamed to say that I’ve never tried Creole food, despite living in Louisiana now,” she says as we walk. “I unfortunately ate a lot of fast food on the drive through.”

“All you’re telling me is that your virgin tastebuds will thank you for that,” I tease her, opening the door to the establishment.

It has easy, relaxed vibes, and the live band starts playing jazz music in an hour. In a way, I do want to hide her away, but not in the way that she thinks. I want her to be all mine for a few hours.

The hostess is the owner of the restaurant, and Mari is one of the best people I’ve ever met.

“Hello, Alecto,” she says with a wide smile. “Bringing a girl tonight?”

Instead of teasing me about if I bring a man around, Lorelei grins at Mari instead. I haven’t even thought about dating anyone since Dahlia. Eight hundred years is a long time.

While I haven’t remained celibate, none of those experiences have ever meant anything to me.

“I am,” I say to Mari. “This is Lorelei.”

“Pleased to meet you, Lorelei, especially if you’re putting such a wide smile on his face. Alecto is a touch grumpy.”

Lorelei grins, peeking up at me as I chuckle. Mari is always teasing me to smile more.

“Right this way, please,” she says, walking us out to the back patio. It’s right on the bayou, and the back doors and windows are opened so we’ll be able to hear the music.

It’s also surrounded by heaters to protect against the chill in the air tonight.

Lorelei looks around as we sit with wonder on her face. The place isn’t fancy, but it is beautiful and full of charm.

“I don’t know why, but I was imagining something really stuffy,” she rasps once Mari walks back inside.

“While there are reasons why I’ll dine at places like that, I wanted to bring you here,” I say.

“Good choice,” she says, relaxing. “I love it.”

The rest of the night is filled with chatting as we eat, the sounds of her laughter echoing along the water. I’ve traveled so much over the years, but there’s something about the bayou that settles my soul.

“How did it feel to audition for the musical?” I ask as she tells me about it. “Dalca is an asshole, unfortunately, so that’s going to be a pain since he’s the producer.”

“He’s a prick,” she grumbles as I snicker. “It was nerve wracking to audition and he just sat there and stared at me as if he was eating my soul. There’s really no other way that I can explain it. We start rehearsals next week.”

“Has he asked yet why you’re no longer living at your dorm since you’re roommates?” I ask.

“I had never seen his face before he announced the audition with Dr. Opus,” she hisses. “I recognized his voice from how much he’d yell at me.”

“That’s fucked up,” I mutter. “I’m calling it now, one of you may kill the other.”

“I carry pepper spray and a knife,” Lorelei says with a shrug. “My money is on me.”

“You’re saying that you could have just stabbed me and been done with it all in the lab,” I say, brow raised.

The waitress barely acknowledges my words outside of a lip twitch as she brings us our food, while Lorelei hides her face.

“I mean, I guess?” she squeaks out.

The waitress walks away and I lean forward with a grin, enjoying myself as she drops her hands.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Samael was right there, and I somehow didn’t think you’d break my neck,” she says.

“That’s a lot of trust you put in a monster you just met,” I grunt, my heart flip flopping.

“I’m learning to trust my instincts,” she says, picking up her spoon to taste her shrimp and sausage gumbo.

I thoroughly enjoy the way her lashes flutter as she chews slowly, enjoying the flavors as they hit her tastebuds. While she’s dampening her scent, I am not. Her cherries and cream scent sharpens as she moans slightly, and I’ve never been happier to be outside than I am now.

The gentle breeze pulls her scent away from the restaurant, allowing me to fully enjoy everything about her.

“Wow, this is amazing,” she says after swallowing. “I will never second guess your choice in food.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I say, beginning to eat as well.

The two of us have a blast as we sit together, and the music is the perfect addition to the night. Leaving at the end happy and full, I wrap my arm around her shoulders as we walk.

“It’s such a pretty night,” she says, looking up at the sky.

“There’s a path here that’s lit up with fairy lights if you’d rather take a walk before being trapped in a car,” I suggest. I really don’t want the night to end yet.

“That sounds nice,” she says with a nod as we continue walking. The path also leads away from the water, not that I won’t be able to protect her from stray swamp puppies.

A gator would definitely ruin the romantic vibe.

The notes follow us as we walk, the jazz band showing no signs of slowing. People are still eating, listening and dancing to the music, which allows me to focus completely on the girl beside me.

Her coat is open as it reveals her dress, her hips rolling as she walks. She’s so fucking sexy.

“Has Samael chased you through the woods yet?” I ask, a touch of a growl in my tone.

Her breath hitches as she glances up at me, color high in her cheeks.

“Once or twice,” she says, hiding a smile. “It’s the best way to get him a full feeding. Can’t have him starving, can we?”

“You’re cute to pretend that you don’t fucking love it, Lorelei,” I purr. Fuck, it’s been so long since I’ve purred for an omega, but my chest remembers as it makes the sound.

My little omega sags against me with a happy sigh, her body shivering as her eyes hood.

“I never said I didn’t like it,” she murmurs. Glancing over my shoulder from where we entered the path, I notice that we’ve well passed the entrance and there are trees all around us.

Slowing moving off the path, the glow of the twinkling lights still illuminates enough that Lorelei can see. My eyes will get accustomed to whatever light there is, much like a cat.

“Good,” I say, releasing her hand to grab her ass and lift her until she’s against my chest. Her lips part in an “o” shape, her hands grabbing hold of my shirt.

I dressed down with a henley tee underneath an open suit jacket and dark stonewash jeans paired with nice boots, with the express hope of getting her alone at some point in the evening.

“Is it?” she asks, whimpering as I kiss down her throat before sucking on a very sensitive spot on her neck.

Vaguely, I wonder what she’d look like wearing my bite here, and my teeth sink slightly into her skin without breaking it. I know it would be so easy to claim her, but it’s too soon.

“Yeah, baby,” I growl, finding a tree to lean against with her as I kiss her. “I don’t even remember what we were talking about, not when your scent is in my nose, and… Goddamnit, you’re going to kill me. Why aren’t you wearing panties? How?”

“I’ve been so careful to think very unsexy things,” she whimpers.

Her tights are actually held up at her waist, but by a stretchy suspender style belt. Her perfect cunt is beautifully bare as her dress bunches around her hips.

“I’m not strong enough for this,” I mutter, dropping to my knees. Her squeal becomes a gasp as I settle her thighs on my broad shoulders. “There we are. Give me all of that slick you’ve been saving just for me, Lorelei.”

My mouth is large enough to encompass her cunt, my tongue flattening to lick up her center like a favorite candy.

“There?!” she gasps, her fingers twisting in my hair.

“Mmmphm,” I mutter, not moving from where I am. It was supposed to be closer to ‘mmhmm,’ but enunciation isn’t in my wheelhouse right now.

Her heels dig into my back as she loses herself to the sensations that are rolling over her body, her moans getting louder as I shove my tongue inside of her channel. God, I need all of her delicious cream.

“I take it back,” she moans. “Please don’t stop. Right there is perfect.”

Grunting like a very smug cave monster, I continue to eat her out. My tongue hits places inside of her she’s probably never had touched before, and if she has I’ll pretend she hasn’t. My lips make slurping sounds as I suck on her clit, her cries getting even louder as I push her harder.

I can feel her legs tightening around my neck, and if she could break it with their strength, I would happily die drowning in her sweet slick. The muscles in her body are twitching, as she gets closer to exploding all over my face.

Even my tongue can feel the way the walls of her cunt are trembling.

Come on, give it all to me, gorgeous.

Her head is thrown back with abandon as she rides my face, her cheeks rosy with pleasure.

Groaning at how tight my pants are, I work harder to make her come. She’s so fucking close.

“Alecto,” she whimpers. “I need more, please.”

“What do you need?” I ask breathlessly, lifting my head to reveal how messy my face is.

“I need your cock inside of me,” she says, making me smirk.

“So confident,” I praise her, carefully moving her legs from my shoulders as I stand. “You want me to fill your tight, wet cunt?”

Her pupils are blown wide as she tugs me into a kiss, moaning when she tastes herself on my lips and tongue. Holding her with my hand on her ass and arm around her, I pop open the button on my jeans.

“Last chance,” I murmur against her lips. “I’m not strong enough to resist you, Baby Girl. I need the words if you don’t want me.”

The zipper sounds loud as I pull it down, and Lorelei shakes her head, her hair flying from side to side.

“I want you,” she says. “Please, Alecto.”

Not one to make my girl beg, I pull my dick out, pumping it several times as she wraps her legs around my back the best she can. I have a piercing in the crown of my cock, and ball bearings all the way down the length of it. I wanted the pain when I did it, a reason to take a break from my whoreish and senseless ways twelve years ago.

Now, all I can think about is what they’ll feel like for Lorelei. I know what others have said, but they don’t exist for me. Only she does. Dragging the crown of my dick through her arousal, I whisper promises to her as she whines that she doesn’t want to wait.

“Get my cock nice and wet, baby,” I croon, kissing her. “You’re going to take every inch of me so well, I just know it. Won’t you?”

“Yes,” she sighs. “Please, let me show you that I can do it.”

Fuck me. I’m going to come like a pubescent monster if I’m not careful. Moving the tip of my dick from torturing her as it was rocking over her clit, I slowly push inside of her tight cunt.

Lorelei’s head drops back onto the bark of the tree, and I force myself to listen to my surroundings so I won’t immediately blow inside of her. The hiss of an animal makes me turn my head, only to see a gator has made its way over to us.

The cute little swamp puppy needs an education. Granted he’s eight feet long and about a thousand pounds, but I’m just as much of a predator. My tail whips out and slaps the motherfucker across the snout, causing it to huff as it struggles to back up.

Half paying attention to the interloper, I open the top of Lorelei’s dress so it drops from her breasts so I can enjoy the way they’re about to bounce for me. Sucking on her nipples as I thrust my hips to drive myself deeper is making it really difficult to focus on anything else.

I deserve a medal or something for this.

It takes one more lash of my tail and a push of my boot along its side before the gator scurries off. Sighing in relief, I lift her away from the tree so I won’t hurt her before I begin bouncing her on my cock as I hold her against my chest. The feeling of her nipples as they drag along my skin makes me groan as her pussy also clenches around my dick.

“I’m close,” she whines.

“Good. What kind of mate would I be if you didn’t come at least twice,” I tease her.

“God, what’s… why does that feel so good?” she asks, her fingers clenching and twisting in the fabric of my shirt as if she was writhing on bedsheets.

It makes me think about the day that I’ll be able to fuck and break my headboard with her, but I’m enjoying this too. Firsts are meant to be treasured, which is exactly what I plan to do.

Eternity stretches out in front of me, while her time here is finite. No way am I going to squander it. There’s one more piercing at the base of my cock so I can grind her on it and she can feel my knot teasing her.

“Piercings,” I reply. “Fuck, that’s it. You’re strangling my cock. Attagirl. Come for me.”

As if I’d used my alpha bark, her eyes roll back as she shudders and finds her release.

“I think I like them,” she says breathlessly. “Again.”

“So greedy,” I chuckle. My tail moves between us to pick up her slick, and then I’m lifting and dropping her on my dick while she screams.

I don’t really care anymore who hears her. People come out to the swamp to fuck often, just maybe not so close to the restaurant. The music suddenly gets louder from the restaurant, which pulls my lips into a smirk. Thank fuck.

Twitching my slick covered tip of my tail to her ass, I rub it along her puckered hole. Her eyes widen in shock, and I merely smirk as I kiss her in return.

“Has anyone been in your ass yet?” I croon, driving her wild.

“No,” she says, her eyelashes fluttering.

“Hmmm,” is all I say, devouring her lips. She’s close again, and I can feel the tingle at the base of my back that tells me I am as well. “I’m going to make such a mess of your pretty pussy. I brought a plug to keep it all in.”

“You planned to fuck me?” she asks, but not as if she’s upset about it.

“I hoped for it,” I reply. “I at least wanted a taste of you. There’s one problem though.”

Twisting my hips as I fuck her, I can feel my knot getting sucked into her pussy. God, if I knot her, we’re never going to leave. It feels too good not to.

“What’s the problem?” she keens, whimpering as she feels my knot begin to stretch her.

“I’m going to knot you,” I say apologetically. That wasn’t what I was planning to say. It was going to be romantic and shit, and then I realized that I’m not going to be able to simply tease her with it.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Good,” she says. “If I can’t have your bite, it’s the least you can do.”

The amount of brattiness she’s exhibiting makes me slap her ass with my tail, her squeal forcing a grunt out of me as she clenches down on my shaft. That’s not how I expected that to go.

“Lorelei, you’re going to make me lose control and bite you. We aren’t there yet, even though all I can think about is how nice my teethmarks would look on your neck,” I rasp.

Lowering my lips to her ear, I punish her for her impatience. “God, it would tell people everywhere that you belong to a monster,” I say. “No one would give you a second glance, not without repercussions. I’d fucking gut them for daring.”

My knot is further inside of her and I decide it’s better in than out. I’m committing to this. Fuck, who am I kidding, I want this too. Groaning, I push the rest of my knot in, holding her tightly as she comes with me.

It honestly feels like heaven, and my vision shorts out as I turn and catch myself with a tree. Leaning against it, with Lorelei’s head against my chest is the only place I want to be.

“I don’t want to move,” she whispers.

“So we won’t,” I say simply.

And that’s what we do. I lose count of the minutes as I hold her, the two of us fairly covered up. She’s still wearing her coat, and it’s concealing her puffy pussy that’s still full of my cock. Fuck it, I could walk back to the car like this and it would simply look like I was carrying her.

She feels too good to move, though. Just a few more minutes…

LORELEI

I’m finding myself getting lost in my head today. It’s Friday, and I can’t stop thinking about last night’s date. It was perfect in the best of ways. Honest, intense, and ended with the perfect amount of orgasms.

Phenex and Samael hid their smiles when I walked into the apartment, thoroughly amused by how freshly fucked I was. I was also very full of cum due to the plug Alecto pushed inside of my pussy and told me that I couldn’t remove it.

Phenex and Samael had to. They stopped smiling when they heard that, took me straight to the shower, removed it, cleaned me up, and then fucked me together.

I love my life so much.

The weeks are flying by and Valentine’s Day is next week. I’m unsure what that means, though. I’ve never celebrated the fake holiday because I’ve never had anyone to enjoy it with. It seems trivial to ask about it, which means I’m going to let things ride.

After all, I have more important things to worry about. I dropped Bertie off at the mechanic early this morning, and Samael had me drive the SUV back that he swears he’s had for ages.

Except, it has a new car smell, and this is a newer model car. Things aren’t adding up. It appears as if Samael is giving me this incredibly elaborate gift under the guise of being a loaner.

Or I could be mistaken. My thoughts have officially launched themselves into the land of delulu. Who would go through so much trouble for me?

I’m on my way to get myself lunch from the apartment when my phone dings. It’s the only day where I actually have time to return to where I call home, and I have a delicious meal waiting for me with my mates.

Please don’t let whatever this notification is ruin that.

Sighing, I pull my phone out of my pocket to glare at it. I really don’t appreciate this interruption. Finding where the notification came from, I curse myself for not having put the damn thing on silent.

It’s an email from the Dean of Student Housing, stating that I’m urgently needed in her office as soon as I receive the email.

“Damnit,” I mutter.

Pouting, I text the group text message the guys set up with Alecto.

Me:

I’m forwarding an email here. My day is being hijacked and I’m unamused. I may need to skip lunch.

Sending the email as promised, I put my phone on vibrate and head in the opposite direction of where I was going. Since it’s on the far end of campus, I’ll be lucky if I even make it to my next class on time depending on how long this takes.

Eating lunch at all isn’t happening.

My pocket vibrates a couple of times, but I assume it’s the guys texting me in response, so I ignore it since I’m climbing the stairs of the Student Housing building. I’ll just text them back when I’m done here.

Following the signs for a Therese Taylor, I force myself to take a cleansing breath. I’m surprised she hasn’t emailed before this. One of my roommates at the dorm must have complained that I haven’t been back.

Or worse, they reported me missing. Professor Dalca wouldn’t have because he recently saw me. Unless he decided to be an asshole.

Because he is one, I guess he’s not off the table as an instigator either.

Fuck, I’m spiraling and I need to keep it together until I’m out of here at the very least. Raising my hand, I knock on the door, surprised that she doesn’t have a secretary of some sort.

“Come in,” she calls out, sounding stressed.

Wincing, because I will not go back to the dorm unless I’m under duress, and I am about to make her day more difficult if she attempts to force me.

Opening the door, I peek in to find a relatively small office, and that Therese is petite compared to the many other monsters I’ve seen.

“Who are you then?” she asks. “I’m very busy.”

There’s piles of files around her, and if I was bitch, I’d give her attitude in return. Despite not having eaten yet, I refuse to drop to a level that isn’t me.

“I’m Lorelei Rose,” I explain. “I just received your email on my way to get lunch.”

Okay, I may as well let her know that she’s inconveniencing me.

“Oh! Yes, yes, please come in,” she says. “I didn’t think you’d get back to me so quickly, as you’ve been deemed missing in the wind.”

“I’m no such thing,” I state, taking a single step inside of the room and no further. “I’m not at all missing.”

“One of your roommates called me this morning, very worried,” she says, dropping her glasses down to look at me before fixing them. Therese Taylor has frizzy hair, a permanent pinched look on her face, and exudes the need for a vacation. “Please, close the door behind you.”

Damn, I was trying to avoid being trapped in a room with her. My blood pressure begins to rise so sharply, my ears ring, and I force myself to breathe evenly. I dislike people or monsters knowing that I’m upset.

“Did he?” I ask, since I only have males in my dorm. Very slowly, I close the door, unhappy as it clicks shut. “I don’t know why he’d be worried.”

“Well, Adares states that it’s been several weeks since you’ve returned home,” she says.

Ugh, that motherfucker.

“I’ve been staying with friends,” I explain. “I believe that I also explained that at one point to my roommates.”

I actually can’t care less if I did or not, but I may as well cover my ass.

“It’s easier for me to get to class, shower, and study where I’m currently staying,” I add.

“And where would that be,” Therese asks, leaning forward on her forearms. “Please, feel free to tell me.”

“Where was this concern when I was placed with two grown men and a teacher for my living situation?” I ask.

I can’t very well tell her that I’m living with Phenex or why I feel more comfortable with him. I’m stuck between a rock and an even harder place.

“You know, that’s fair,” she says, nodding. “You’re not the first person to raise concerns about this. One of your professors also called me, Professor Gorsch. It was done in error, but now we’re a bit stuck.”

“Can’t I just be stuck in my current arrangement?” I ask her. “I’m unable to do anything right at this point at the dorm. I memorized my roommates’ morning schedule so I could get up earlier to shower. I didn’t want to be in the way. I was yelled at for being up too early. I can’t win.”

“Are your roommates like this about other things?” she asks.

“Adares doesn’t think very highly of me,” I sigh. “I work a job where I’m out late, which means that I disturb them when I come home. He believes I’m doing nefarious things.”

“Even if you were having sex with half the football team, it wouldn’t be any of his business,” Therese says, sniffing indignantly.

“For the record, I’m not,” I say quickly.

“No, but my point is that he needs to get his nose out of your business,” she says. “I only called you in here because I’ve had a teacher ask about your safety before this, and the idea that we could have lost a student was worrisome.”

“I am not lost,” I reassure her.

“So where exactly are you staying?” Therese asks inquisitively.

I almost fell for the act. Dammit. Stonewalling her, my face and body gives nothing away until someone bangs on the door.

This is either going to save me, or fuck things up more. Uhhh, someone help me from well meaning adults.