“How many times have I told you to keep it down up there?” the land-lord barked. “You don't pay rent on time, you don't keep quiet, and now you've gone crazy talking to yourself!”
Fuming, I threw the door open.
The land-lord's face went from rage-purple to totally blank. He blinked. “What the... How'd the door open by itself?”
“Didn't I tell you to leave Mel alone?” I roared.
The man swore and launched himself backwards in shock. He raised his arms to the invisible threat. “W-who's there?”
Oh, now he wasn't so tough, was he?
I advanced on him, unseen, wishing for once normal humans saw me so I could show off my raw alpha rage. But this was fine, too. The man was more afraid of me because I was invisible, and I was damn well going to use it to my advantage.
Because although I couldn't touchpeople, I could still touch objects.
I grabbed the front of the man's shirt. He shrieked.
“Leave Mel alone,” I growled. “Or I'll make you regret it.”
The land-lord devolved into stammering gibberish. When I let go, he flopped against the wall of the landing, his face pale from fright.
“Who are you? Where's Mel?” he asked.
Right on cue, Mel arrived—and unlike me, he was fully dressed. He stood next to me. I noticed his phone was tucked into his sleeve. Was he recording?
“This is my alpha mate, Edgar,” he said proudly.
The land-lord's eyes flicked between Mel and me, which he saw as empty air. “Fuck, now he's talking to ghosts,” the man mumbled.
“I am not a ghost!” I roared. “I am aphantasm!”
“Eek!”
The land-lord blanched like he was about to faint. He scrambled down the stairs and slammed the door to his unit. Again.
I huffed. I had half a mind to chase him down and demand he never bother my sweet Mel again, but my fated mate touched my arm.
“It's okay,” Mel said, like he knew what I was thinking. “I think two frights in one day is enough to scare the pants off anybody, even my landlord.”
“Are you sure you don't want to make it three?”
Mel laughed. “I'm sure.”
“Fine…”
When we returned inside his cramped apartment, a thought struck me.
“Mel,” I said. “You said you have trouble affording rent sometimes. Is that true?”
He grimaced and looked at the floor. “Yeah. If my Viewtube doesn't get enough hits, I don't get the ad revenue. I know I'm late sometimes, but I always make it up in the end. And it doesn't help that my landlord raised my rent recently…”
“He did?” I asked, shocked and horrified. “You barely have a single room!”
Mel shrugged. “He can get away with it.”
That was the last straw. There was no way I’d let my precious Mel spend a day longer in this shoe box run by that tyrant.
“Mel, you're moving in with me,” I stated.
