The Housemates

Attic Occupant

Chapter Sixteen

Attic Occupant

When Elli returned home, she was instantly on guard. She had spent her day applying for jobs. Seeing as she was officially staying for a while, it made sense to follow Noah’s lead and get one. Now, she wished she hadn’t gone anywhere, because everything must have gone completely wrong while she was away. She entered the house, noting that the scent she caught outside was inside, too. When she entered the living room, her heart felt like it stopped in her chest.

Blake grinned at her from where he lounged on the couch, revealing before rapidly hiding fangs. “The room looks great, but it still smells like paint.”

She crinkled her nose, knowing that he was correct. Although, the room did look amazing. The walls were all a nice beige color instead of the awful wood paneling. A small chandelier hung in the ceiling, courtesy of Desmond’s magic. The ceiling was now white instead of the same color the walls had been. The floor was sanded, polished, and waxed, making it look much better, in this room at least. The fireplace was no longer grey brick, but now a lovely white marble after Desmond absolutely insisted on using a transformation spell on it, arguing, “If Addy knows I’m magic, I should take advantage of that and be useful.” A nice, red rug on the floor’s center brought a splash of color into the room. They had kept the blue couch, black recliner, two green arm chairs, and white loveseat that had been there since move in and Desmond hadn’t even offered to change them. Something about the disarray of furniture felt homey.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she growled out, barely refraining from lunging for him. To attack, she would have to transform and this was neither the time nor the place. Not that there was a time and place, but this definitely wasn’t it.

He smirked. “Oh, I live here now.”

“The hell you do,” she snapped.

“No, I really do. You see, I desperately needed a place to stay and your lovely friend happened to have an attic open. Thanks for that by the way; I heard it was your doing. I asked if I could rent it and she accepted. It would seem she needs the cash.”

“You can’t stay here! There are humans in this house.”

“Almost humans,” he corrected.

“Human enough,” she retorted.

He shrugged. “I’ve already been invited inside. You might as well let me stay. At least then you can keep an eye on me. What’s the old saying? ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’ Shouldn’t you take that into consideration?”

She glowered at him. “There are humans here.”

“You mentioned that.”

She let out a growl.

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t get your tail in a knot. I won’t attack your friends.”

“Great. But what about their neighbors? Or their coworkers? Or their friends? You’re a vampire. You kill people. It’s how the food chain works!”

“I don’t need a lecture on my diet. I’m fully aware of how I function.”

“You don’t get it! You kill people. People with lives and families and jobs and friends. That isn’t okay. It might be your nature, but it’s wrong.”

He shrugged. “It might be morally wrong, but you’re looking at it from the perspective of someone who is almost human herself. Unless you’d rather I snack on you, there’s little you can do about my diet.”

“That was your plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?” she accused, not lightening her glare in the slightest.

He smirked again. “It might have crossed my mind. You’re an easy food source. I can’t help it if I want to be lazy. Besides, I saw the ad for this place around town before the rooms filled.”