My spine ached with the kind of pain I could expect from landing in a bush of roses, thorns and all. My eyes opened before my body finished waking. Paralyzed on the bed, I blinked away the blur to be met with a headache and shifting shadows.
My fingers curled weakly as the room cleared and took shape. The numbing stillness faded slowly, allowing me some movement.
As I sat up, pain pinched my back again, and I let out an audible groan.
Something shifted in the corner of my vision.
Past the end of my bed, the door to the hallway was wide open. Nothing but darkness was past the rigid frame. My doors were always closed at night for one reason—my least favorite apparition.
“Silas?” I called out.
Silence for a moment. It was almost worse than him replying.
“I know you’re there,” I said into the dark void.
One, then two dots of light reflected back at me, hovering in the dark.
“Why can’t you just show up during the day? Preferably while I am awake?”
One of those reflective dots lowered, a head tilt. Then they straightened again, slowly lowering until they were low to the ground. The dots got smaller, retreating into the shadows.
“Silas!” I shouted, leaping out of bed and stumbling. I did not remember any amount of poor rest that made my body ache this much. My head throbbed lightly from every thud of my feet against the wood. “Where are you going?”
I followed along the hallway until I reached the end, a door ajar there.
A knot was forming in my stomach, not the kind I would like. The house had never been this still. The air was heavy, much like it was the first time my Creature visited me. This time was different and unfamiliar to me.
Past the door was a vacant room.
The creak of the hinges sang a tale of how long it had been since it was used last, crying out from being touched after all this time. There was little furniture, only a few pieces, and a mirror draped in fabric. Ghosts of where frames once were burned into the walls, leaving a pale outline of memories stripped from the room. All these details were insignificant next to the grand gesture gracing the floor’s middle.
The moonlight was like a spotlight in the dark, illuminating a simple wooden chair. The contrast was too stark to make out the details due to my headache. The outline was all I could see for now.
As I rubbed my eyes, I noticed a faint puddle of sleek wetness forming under the chair.
My eyes adjusted, then I could see the source of the peculiar puddle.
Resting upon the chair were one, two, five arms.
All missing their original owners.
The limbs were carefully draped, each hand over the arms and cushions, resting against the chair’s back. They had soaked through the upholstery and started leaking onto the floor. Each hand had several heirloom rings on it.
My stomach squirmed inside my body, threatening to release on the floor beside the doorframe. His gestures were not getting any more romantic than the last. I wished he would give me flowers and call it an evening. I feared I would be a skeleton when my Creature was done with me and his disgusting gifts.
My hydrangeas had turnedpink with the number of body parts that I had to bury. The ravens helped with some of it, but they left bits behind for the grubs, so I had to ensure they stayed buried.
I patted down the soil, making sure nothing would peek through as nature took its course. The ground would freeze soon, so it would not be a worry for much longer.
Speaking of worry, today was a big day. I wanted to try fresh samples, so I invited Silas to the college lab. Even though he agreed with no protest, that nagging voice poked and prodded at my nerves.
I was unsure if the hesitancy came with me being formally seen with him in public or because he would undoubtedly meet Viktor. I had no loyalty to either of them, but my situation was unique—and I would probably upset one or both of them just byintroducing them. It was also possible that they could get along, but that was unlikely, considering the nature of my golden-haired Creature. No matter the outcome, I needed them both if I was to continuemy research.
30
THE CREATURE
“This is certainly a step up from your cave.” I stared up at the large archway that led us into the courtyard.
