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We both dry off in separate bathrooms and I carry a knitted throw with me to the kitchen, laying it over my lap as he heats the food. We eat and talk about random things, running through every topic our brains think of—our favorite cartoons, books, songs. As the sun fully sets, the house gets colder. I tremble as I eat my second plate of food and am only able to hold the spoon steady when Rory places his hand on mine.
After we clear our plates, he sets everything in the dishwasher and we watch old reruns of random shows from the 90s before both turning in. As I lie in bed, I cover myself in all the blankets I can find in the room, missing how little I need when he's around.
Nine
Rorian
We spent the last three days staying at the house. We made cookies and s'mores, watched new movies, and he also showed me what a Keurig was before making us hot chocolate. Sometimes, we went to the beach, chatting and going for random swims. He doesn't push me away but he never comes close enough either. My craving for blood is getting strong again but I ignore it. Fighting against it is getting hard, but having the urges of a monster doesn't have to make me one.
We are growing closer. He's letting himself go in front of me more and more. Pushing him could lead to us starting over. We don't have time for that. My father will eventually come for me. Or worse, him. I was less powerful before but am useless against Father as I am now. I have a better chance of protecting him with all my powers and strength back.
"What do you think?" His voice pulls me from my reverie.
"Of what?" I smile.
Sighing, he points to the ground. "Of my sand castle."
My gaze falls to the lopsided, squared, awkward shape between us. "It's great. Absolutely amazing."
"You're lying."
"What?"
He tosses sand in my direction. "Let's see if you can do better."
"Oh, I didn't realize this was a day of sand castle wars."
Laughing, he tosses a bucket and shovel at me. "Let's see what you can do, big shot."
"Alright, but you asked for it." Using the bucket and my hands, I make a castle twice the size of his. He watches me the whole time, both intrigued and annoyed. I add the finishing touches of rocks as windows and scoot back, admiring my work. "Not my best but it'll do." Crossing my arms, I grin in his direction.
His mouth gapes open and he kicks more sand at me. "Are you this good at everything?"
"I don't know. What do you want to test out next?"
He scoffs. "You're ridiculous and so is your castle." He shoves at the top, knocking off one of the towers.
"Hey, I worked hard on that," I say playfully.
"Oh yeah?" Kicking his foot forward, he knocks down another tower.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that one." I toss sand at him and tickle him on his sides.
"Stop it." He slaps at me, his eyes lighting up as he laughs, trying to get away.
"Nope. Not until you apologize for ruining my castle."
"Nope." His eyes roll back in his head when I reach under his pits.
"This can all stop with one little word." I straddle his legs, locking them between my thighs, careful not to press my claws hard against his body. It's not needed. He's ticklish everywhere. A soft pinch of my fingers has his head falling back and his face scrunching up like he ate something sour.
Laughing and shaking, he shoves me back into my castle, my weight flattening it to the ground. My breath rushes out of me a little too hard when he slams his body against mine, landing on top of me and forcing us chest to chest. We erupt in laughter. I stroke his cheek and we both go quiet, our heavy breaths mingling. His face lowers to mine and the moment our lips brush together, he rolls off me. "I… I'm going to go inside."
There's a gnawing at my chest when he walks toward the house, not looking back at me. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," he shouts back. "Going to shower all this sand off before it goes farther into my body than it already has." He still won't look at me and trips before reaching the door, the entry table catching his fall.
"I'm fine," he yells before I can ask.
