Once I’d devoured all the food on my plate, I placed it neatly in the sink. Something glittering just below the shallow water caught my attention. Poking out under a low stack of plates was a long, serrated steak knife.
Tossing a quick look around to make sure no one was around, I dipped my hand into the water and pulled it out. Wiping it dry on the loose shirt, I tucked it in my pants against my thigh. Just in case. I’d told myself. After all, they were still two strange, older guys I’d just met. With all this talk about nightmarish creatures, maybe they were crazy to top it all off.
Silence hung thick in the air. I turned down the hallway to the main living room. The wallpaper barely clinging to the walls was ripped and worn, peeling in certain spots. The house was decaying. How did Ayden live here? Did Mick live with him? It was massive. Even if both of them lived here, it would be more space than necessary.
Glancing at the front door, I noted that it was still unlocked and at easy access. I considered leaving, but decided against it. My gaze then drifted upward towards the high ceilings and an ancient looking chandelier, still glistening in what few streaks of sunlight the dirty windows permitted entrance. Looking at the staircase, it had blood red carpet spilling down the center. At the top was a large window.
The lighting in here would make for some great shots. I laughed at myself for thinking about photography at a time like this. I found a strange beauty in the brokenness of the house and I wanted to see more.
The bedroom I’d woken up in, apparently Ayden’s, was on the first floor. Therefore, I was curious as to what resided on the second. Have you ever heard of the saying “curiosity killed the cat?” Well, I was one curious cat. I’d been this way as long as I could remember and it has never ceased to get me in trouble.
No one was around, so I let myself wander towards the steps, hesitating only a moment then working my way up. The floor was more thickly carpeted with dust at the top of the steps, suggesting that no one had been up here in a long time. Two empty corridors stretched out far on each side of me.
With a deep breath, I continued pushing forward. Thoughts in the back of my mind pulled to wonder if being up here without permission was wrong. Neither Ayden nor Mick said anything about not going upstairs. If they didn’t want me up here, they should have mentioned it, I convinced myself.
Looking left, and then back right, I decided to go down the left hall. Passing by the window, I glanced out to see that this house was one of many, though all the rest seemed to be deserted. Beyond their rooftops were large warehouses and finally the river.
I took each step carefully and slowly. The floor cried out from the stress of my weight. Still, for the most part, it felt sturdy.
I walked down the hallway, the thick darkness deepening every inch I crept away from the window. Holding my hand out, I let my fingers trail against the wall feeling the frayed wallpaper until it bumped into a knob. Stopping, I twisted it and pushed the door open.
Its hinges squeaked with age, dust releasing itself in a thick cloud. Light spilled through the opening and into the hallway. There was a small window in this room. It was also excessively dusty, making my nose itch as I stepped inside. Other than that, the room was very similar to Ayden’s.
A large dresser was pressed against the wall with a few items laid out across the top. A full sized bed was neatly made in the center. Near the foot of a bed was an open trunk, items spilling out over the floor and bed. It was easy to tell this had been a girl’s room.
Thump.
I spun around anxiously on my heels, my breath catching in my throat. There wasn’t anyone there. Thump, thump. It came again. I looked back around the room. It sounded like it was coming from the closet. Slowly, I approached it.
“Hello?” I called out. There was no answer. I paused, taking a deep breath. It’s probably nothing, I tried to tell myself. Gripping the handle, I yanked the closet door open with one quick motion and stepped back. It was empty.
Thump.
The noise was coming from the opposite side of the wall. I walked back out to the hallway.
“Ayden? Mick?” I called out as I made my way to the next room over. “Sorry, I probably should have asked before coming up here,” I apologized guiltily.
Reaching the room, I opened it to find it was empty. This one was much less tidy. Most of the furniture was broken and destroyed. The glass of the window had cracks spreading in all kinds of directions. Dark drapes covered half of it, creating a darker gloom in this room than the last.
I looked at the wall that would be on the other side of the closet. Near it was a rocking chair that was gently rocking back and forth. The source of the thumping noise I’d heard was from the back of the chair smacking against the wall. I let out a sigh of relief realizing it was nothing. The chair slowed to a stop. The only question left was why it was rocking in the first place.
The window was shut, ruling out the usual “it was just the wind.” There wasn’t anyone else up here. What was the explanation then? Ghosts perhaps? At this point, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
“Hm, interesting,” someone hissed in my ear.
Startled, I spun around, losing my balance and falling so that I was sitting in the rocking chair. I was even more stunned to see what had spoken. I felt the shrill scream of fear fall from my lips and my eyes grow wide as I frantically tried to push past it. It was hideous.
“You’re not the hunter,” It growled.
It had long onyx fangs with eyes to match. When it breathed, it sounded thick and raspy. Its body was completely deformed, contorting in sickening ways as it moved. Instead of two arms and two legs, it had four elongated legs with two thin arms. It looked dirty as if a strange thick mud was smudged across its entire body.
“What are you?!” I screamed in horror, pressing myself against the wall. My heart and mind raced as I searched for an exit. I’d have to jump over the bed to reach the door. It seemed unlikely I could out maneuver something with so many legs, especially after I could barely escape Ayden and Mick.
“Little girl, you are not in a position to know about creatures such as myself,” it murmured with a glowing smile. Its voice was deep and rough. “It is not you I came for, but I will take the liberty of reliving you of the misfortune of my discovery.”
It then quickly moved towards me. With another impulsive yell, I flung myself over the bed having no other choice.
As predicted, it quickly caught me, more able to work its way across the bed with four legs. It tried to pin me down with two of its legs while holding itself up with its other two, laughing at my struggle. I flung my arms around, my legs kicking furiously at anything they could collide with. I felt something cold press against my thigh. The knife.
I kneed the creature, mostly by accident, in a soft spot on its belly making it cringe and loosen its grip on me slightly. This opportunity allowed me to reach for the knife. Thrusting it with all my might, I shoved it into the creature’s torso and shoved it back forcing it to stumble backwards. Just as a person on stilts, it had trouble keeping on its feet after the impact, falling back clumsily.
Without hesitation, I rolled off the bed and began running down the hallway. I could hear it recover and stagger after me.
“Help!” I cried in desperation. “Please, help me!”
“Melinda?” I looked over the railing to see a confused Ayden below me in the living room, hair still sleep ruffled. He instantly saw the strange thing bellowing after me. My foot caught on a misplaced floorboard pitching me forward and onto the floor.
With the creature – what did Ayden call it? A darkling? – right behind me, all I could bring myself to do was cover my face and cower, awaiting the inevitable with one final shriek.
Instead, hearing the creature give a howl a few feet away from me, I opened my eyes to see Ayden standing in front of me. Pulling me up, he began dragging me behind him as the creature recovered and charged at us. Black liquid was dripping out of its body where the knife protruded, leaking down its legs and to the floor.
A strange yet familiar noise reverberated from below us. The floor was giving out. Ayden heard it too, muttering curses under his breath and trying to pull me faster without success.
Just as the creature hurled itself on us, the floor collapsed below our feet, tossing us towards the ground below. Instinctively, I clung to Ayden, clutching the thin fabric of his shirt into fists. I’m going to die! I yelled in my head. I believe I was screaming, though at this point, I couldn’t tell for sure. Air rushed past. The ground was quickly coming into view.
“Ayden!” I yelled as if somehow he could stop it and squeezed my eyes shut.
Suddenly, there was a shift in the air as if I had quickly been yanked sideways and was now flying in a new direction. After enough twists and turns it was difficult to determine exactly which direction I was moving.
Opening my eyes to peek at my surroundings, I was met only with steaks of dull colors zooming by too fast for my eyes to focus. I shut them again, becoming both lightheaded and nauseous. My insides felt as if they were twisting and tangling around each other. The pressure on my lungs was so great that when I tried to scream, nothing came out – at least, I don’t think anything did.
It all ended as I crashed onto something. It wasn’t quite as hard as the wooden floor I once saw beneath me a few moments ago but it still hurt. I landed then rolled, arms flailing, and skidded a few feet before finally stopping. I immediately sat up and attempted looked around.
I still couldn’t see straight from whatever had just happened but I was able to deduce that there was a lot of blue above me and a lot of green below me. Grazing my fingers across the ground, I realized the green was grass and the blue was the sky.
I felt my head moving in unsteady circles as I tried my hardest to focus. This was worse than being wasted. The world seemed to be rocking like a boat at sea. I tossed my head back and forth frantically in search of that horrible creature. My heart was trying to hammer its way out of my chest.
Colors were beginning to become more clear and vibrant. I noticed a black splotch near a little bit of a larger black splotch. The former was Ayden. Finally, my vision cleared just in time to watch him drive a long blade into the core of the creature. It crippled in pain before disappearing into a pile of black dust. Thrusting the blade into the dirt, he began muttering something I couldn’t hear before glancing back over to me.
“Shit!” he yelled. His voice seemed to carry out wherever we were and echo back. He was scanning the area. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” he repeated. Frustration replaced his casual and sarcastic voice from earlier. Running his fingers through his hair in aggravation, he made his way towards me. “Are you okay?”
My vision was now completely cleared up and my head finished spinning. I realized for the first time that he was shirtless. His black jeans hung low on his waist, the V shape of his hip bones peeking out the top of them.
“Y-yeah,” I stuttered to my dismay. The corner of his mouth pulled up at that. He must have caught it. It’s not him specifically, it’s just the situation, I lied to myself. I fought the distraction with all my might yet the words still wouldn’t come out steady. “You w-weren’t l-lying,” I murmured stupidly, heat rising to my face.
Ayden was pretty attractive and he clearly wasn’t lying about saving me, so could he really be that terrible? Glancing back up at him, I saw that smirk stuck on his face. Answers that question, I muttered in my head. How did we get here in the first place anyway?
“It’s okay,” he shrugged, his cocky tone returning. “I get that reaction a lot. But, I have to say, no girl has ever quite ripped my shirt off,” his smile broadened.
“I didn’t rip-” I glanced down at my hands noticing that in one, I held a tattered piece of fabric while the other was grass stained and bleeding. The adrenaline dying down, I began to feel the dull sting. “Oh, sorry,” I murmured, handing him his shirt and diverting my gaze.
He took it and started to laugh. I looked up at him as he held the scrap of fabric up to his chest. There was a gaping hole in the center. It barely looked like a shirt anymore with the amount of abuse it’d taken on the trip. Tiny strands of thread served as the only things holding any of it together. Chewing on my bottom lip, I couldn’t help but smile slightly.
“It’s fine. I don’t need one,” he assured, tossing the useless cloth back toward me. “You can use it to wipe off your hands,” he reached out to help me up off the ground. I took his hand, pulling myself up. My body ached and I was a mess. Running my fingers through my hair, I was able to pick out a few blades of grass.
“So what exactly happened? Where are we?” I asked, my focus and objective coming back to mind. Turning, I examined our surroundings. We were on top of a grassy hill. Farther down, trees lined the base. “How did we get here?”
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly now. “Uh, demons sometimes have the ability to flash to new locations. But do you have a cell phone on you?”
I began to search my pockets only to realize I was wearing a loose pair of sweatpants – Ayden’s clothes. Mine still hung wet and dirty at the house. I’d rinsed them in the shower, and left them on a towel rack to dry.
“No, it’s back at the house. How far are we from the house anyway?” I asked. He stared at me for what seemed like a long time, mentally debating what he should say.
“Just a little west,” he mumbled. “There’s a town at the bottom of the hill. They should have a pay phone,” he stated more clearly. “We should probably get moving.”
He trailed off. His gaze seemed far, on something in the distance past me before turning and starting down the hill.
“Okay,” I agreed and started to follow him.
At this point, I’d listen to almost anything Ayden said. Nothing made sense anymore. One moment, I’m letting loose with a friend, the next I’m kidnapped. Well technically, I wasn’t really kidnapped but saved. Now, I was following my so-called savior – a random guy I just met this morning – around a strange town after having breakfast in his dilapidated house. I also passed on an open invitation to leave and go home and was attacked by another strange creature.
“Ayden?” I asked.
"Hm?” he hummed though he seemed focused on other things.
“What was that back at the house?”
“That would be another one of those pesky little animadiruo. I suppose it could have followed me home last night while I carried you,” he remarked, thoughtfully. I frowned at the thought of Ayden carrying me. I hated being carried. “They’re weaker in the sunlight, so it was probably waiting until nightfall before making its move. It would have had a slight advantage.”
My mind flashed back to the alley. I’d never seen that creature before or anything like it. If Ayden wasn’t lying about what happened in the alley, I should have some familiarity with the dark creature.
“I don’t understand. If I was attacked the first night by an animadiruo, why didn’t it look like that?” A vague memory flooded into my mind of two people fighting. Ayden had been on the ground while another person stood over him. According to him, that was an animadiruo.
“Animadiruo often take the form of humans to help themselves blend and lure in prey. That’s why when most legends depict vampires, they are blood sucking humans. The truth is that they’re not. They’re creatures from the depths of hell. They are cold and heartless,” he explained. I nodded slightly.
“Oh,” being my only response.
We’d reached the bottom of the hill now and began making our way through a line of trees. It wasn’t long before some buildings came into view. We were approaching the town. It was a small city. The kind you see in movies and TV shows where everyone seems to know each other.
Ayden seemed to know the town pretty well, marching straight down the street and turning towards a library where a phone booth stood tall at the corner. A few people stared considering Ayden was still shirtless. I rolled my eyes as I watched him strut down the street. It was clear he loved the attention, especially from girls.
One smiled at him, her eyes looking him up and down once before she bit her lip. He flashed her a smirk and winked sending her into a fit of giggles. He then grabbed my hand, catching me off guard, and pulled me by his side, laying his arm across my shoulders.
I gasped, surprised, and looked at him. He was peeking towards the girl. I followed his gaze to see the girl’s sour expression and that she was glowering at me. What a prick. I grumbled in my head, staring up at Ayden. He looked back down innocently.
“What? I’m getting cold. You did rip my shirt off my back,” he answered in defense.
“Yeah right, it’s hot out here!” I shot back. The sun was in the center of the sky, beating down hot rays. It must have been about noon. He shrugged.
“There’s a slight breeze,” he noted casually. He then leaned in closer, brushing his lips against my ear. “You didn’t even move away, you know. That means you like it,” he whispered.
I could hear his smile. I instantly pushed away from him, crossing my arms over my chest.
“How’s that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He still smiled, placing his hands in his pockets and shrugging. We were at the pay phone now. Digging around for some change, he produced a few coins from his pocket. Shoving them in the little slot, he punched in a few numbers and waited. Throwing a look at me over his shoulder, he turned to face the other way.
“Hey, Mick. It’s Ayden,” he spoke into the receiver. “We have a little bit of a situation. She’s here. We’re not there anymore. Well, there was an attack back at the house and well – yeah. Yeah, I realize. Well, we’re kind of home. Not that home, the other home…”
The voice on the other end of the line picked up in volume.
“I know, I know!” Ayden yelled in frustration. “Okay, just do me a favor and book us a flight back. We’ll start on our way to the airport,” he ordered before slamming the phone down and storming out of the phone booth past me. I looked from the booth back to him.
“Hey Ayden?” I asked timidly. He turned around and blinked a few times as if he’d just remembered who I was.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think I could make a quick phone call?” I asked. He reached back in his pockets and pulled out a few more coins.
“It’s not enough for that long of a conversation, but meet me in that store when you’re done,” he instructed, hiking a thumb behind him towards a clothing store across the street. I nodded, thanking him and taking the coins.
I turned back to the phone booth. I probably should have called my parents, but what could I say to them?
“Hello?” the voice greeted on the other line.
“Oliver! It’s Melinda.”
“Melinda? Where the hell have you been?!” he exclaimed. “Where did you go last night? I came out to get you and you were gone. You were totally toasted. I was worried someone picked you up.” Concern leaked through his voice.
“I’m sorry. I passed out and someone did pick me up. I’m fine though.”
He sighed.
“Well where are you? Do you want me to come get you?”
“No I’m fine. I just need you to cover for me for a little while. Call Linda up and tell her to say I stayed over her house or something. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get home.”
“Alright. Where are you anyway?” he asked.
“Uh,” I paused.
I didn’t know where I was. I couldn’t tell him about Ayden and animadiruo creatures, could I? Even if I could, there was no way he’d believe me anyway.
“Well, I’m not really sure exactly,” I answered slowly.
“What? Give me some street names and I’ll come get you,” he declared. I could hear him rummaging around.
“No, Oliver, I’m fine. Really,” I was surprised at how sure I’d sounded of myself. “I’m with a friend.”
Just then, the phone began to beep, demanding more money. Looking down, I realized I had none.
“Listen, I have to go. Just cover for me Oliver. Thanks, bye,” I muttered quickly, hanging up before any further protest.
Stepping out of the phone booth, I glanced around for the clothing store Ayden said he’d be in. It was a small store stuck in a strip of other various stores. There was something strange about it that I hadn’t noticed earlier. It was a girls clothing store.
Furrowing my eyebrows, I pulled the door open, glancing around for Ayden. He was at the register, apparently making a purchase. The store clerk smiled brightly as she pushed his bags over the counter. I rolled my eyes as I came up behind him.
“Hey, what’s that?” I asked him, trying to peek at the contents of the bags past him. He turned around, scooping the bags off the counter and walking past me.
“Come on,” he ordered me to follow.
I considered not doing it for a moment, just to see what he would do, but decided against it. I trailed after him as he walked down a thin hall towards the bathrooms. He pushed open the door to the women’s and gestured for me to enter. I walked in, and he followed me.
“Hey, didn’t you read the sign? This is the women’s bathroom,” I pointed out. He shot me a look.
“Would you rather go in the men’s?” he warned. My eyes widened and I shook my head vigorously.
“No, but it’s not my fault if you get slapped,” he smiled slightly, and handed the bags over to me. “What’s this?”
“Hm, well Melinda, we are in a clothing store. And as far as I saw, there were only women’s clothes for sale,” he replied sarcastically.
I glared and snatched the bags from his hand. Closing and locking the stall door behind me, I shut the toilet and placed the bags on top. Peering in, I found a thin white blouse, a black skirt that fell to just above my knees and a pair of sandals.
“I hope they fit. I described you to that store clerk out there but she was kind of ditzy,” Ayden called as he leaned on the other side of the stall.
“Yeah, they should fit,” I replied, checking the tags of the clothes.
He probably called the clerk ditzy because of the reaction she had towards him. I suppose I couldn’t really blame her though. There was something about Ayden. He always appeared to not really care about much and the way he looks at you… He must have realized the effects he had on people by now.
Pulling on the sandals, I placed all the other clothes I’d been wearing back in the bags. That’s when I noticed something else on the very bottom of one. Pulling them out, I glared and shoved them back in, unlocking the stall so fast that Ayden almost fell backwards.
He spun around to look me over.
“You could have warned me,” he murmured absentmindedly before grinning with satisfaction. “Oh, they fit.”
He then plucked the bags from my grip and pulled out the shirt I’d taken off. Shrugging it on, he buttoned up the center. Glancing back in the bag, he frowned.
“But you forgot my favorite part,” he whined, hooking the lingerie with his fingers. “I picked this set out just for you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I have my own,” I grumbled, pulling at the hem of the skirt. “Couldn’t you have gotten me some pants though?”
“And hide those wonderfully long legs? I don’t think so,” he stated, pressing his finger to his lips as he looked me over once more. I dropped my gaze from his, my insecurity levels shooting through the roof. “I would have gotten you higher heels if we didn’t have to walk.”
“Whatever, where are we going anyway?” I asked, wanting to get off the topic of my wardrobe.
“Home, of course. Actually, we should probably get going,” he added, leading me out of the bathroom. He pulled the door open to reveal the store clerk. She was about to enter the bathroom, hand poised and ready to open the door. Seeing us, she blinked in surprise then frowned at me, a look of disgust crossing her features.
Ayden sent her a grin then brushed past her. I followed, edging as far away as I could manage in hopes to escape her death glare.
Night was beginning to fall over the town. I started wondering if I was getting home tonight. At this rate, probably not. We’d walked for hours, stopping only to grab something quick to eat. The sky was a dark blue with a light glitter of stars twinkling in the distance.
“So where exactly are we anyway? What’s this place called?” I asked as I trailed behind Ayden. I felt like a duckling following its mother. Picking up the pace of my strides, I fell in step next to him.
“Uh, just this little town called Cobalt. Nothing big.”
“Have you been here before? You seem to know it pretty well,” I noted.
“Well, a few times when I was younger. I guess I just have a pretty good memory,” he shrugged, casually brushing it off.
The streets were quiet and calm, only a few people out walking compared to the bustling New York traffic I was used to. Though it was a city, I still partially considered it more of a suburb.
The town overall had a nice, cozy feel to it. The vintage buildings begged to be photographed. It made me think of a place I’d enjoy settling down and growing old. There was just enough of the city and just enough of the suburb. The tallest building was a clock tower jutting high above the rest. Its circular face was a white so bright it could pass as a reflection of the full moon. We were walking deeper into the center of the town.
“So, how are we getting home?”
“Well, I had Mick try to book us a flight. He probably won’t be able to get tickets earlier than at least tomorrow but I’ll call him in a little while to find out exactly. For now, we’re just looking for a place to stay,” he answered as he turned down another street.
“A flight?” I questioned, eyebrows furrowing. “Why do we need a flight? Where are we?”
“Cobalt,” he repeated sarcastically.
“You know what I mean,” I grumbled.
“Uh, we’re not that far. We’re in Montana,” he mumbled. “So are you hungry?” he asked in attempt to change the subject.
“Montana!” I exclaimed. “How – What the hell?”
“I already told you. It’s a demon thing. We got flashed, or I guess you could say ‘teleported,’ here,” he cut me off.
“Well can’t we just find another darkling and force it to zap us home? I mean, it got us here in less than 30 seconds. We’d be home in no time,” I offered.
Montana? I can’t be in Montana. I’ve never gone anywhere farther than Connecticut to visit a few family members and even then, I was with my parents.
He raised a brow.
“You really want to find another one? Not all of them can do it and we can’t anyway. You’ll die,” he stated bluntly.
We were walking up the path towards a dingy, old motel. What’s with him and rundown buildings?
“What do you mean I’ll die? I did it once already,” I pointed out.
“Exactly. It’ll be too much for your body to handle and you’ll die. We’re lucky you were able to handle it once without any apparent harm,” he sighed. “Trust me, I’d love to get home as fast as possible too. I hate this place.”
As we walked through the door, a tiny bell hung on the top rang, announcing our presence. The man seated at the front desk peered over the newspaper in his hand at the sound. His boots were propped up on the desk. He immediately grunted, slamming the paper down and sitting up straight.
“You,” he huffed in gruff voice, staring straight at Ayden then glancing in my direction with another “hmph” sound.
Scooting over to the wall behind him, he whipped a key off the hook and slid it over to Ayden.
“Better not have any trouble. Don’t think I won’t call the Creed on you. Got it, Daier?” he warned.
“The Creed?” I questioned.
Ayden already swiped the key off the desk and started to walk down the dimly lit hall on the left.
“Are you coming?” he asked, though it sounded more like a demand than a question.
The man sneered.
“Oh, I see how it is. Shame on you Ayden,” the man began to snicker as he looked me up and down.
“I highly doubt that,” Ayden responded blankly.
Getting a strange vibe from the man, I gave up my pursuit for answers about this “Creed” and followed Ayden down the hall. Maybe he’d tell me later, though chances were slim.
Our room was on the third floor. The small elevator let out creaks and moans the entire ride up, causing me to shift my balance back and forth uneasily and fidget with my fingers. The last thing I wanted was to die in a faulty elevator.
It slowed to a stop, hesitating before finally sliding open. Letting out a soft breath of relief, I quickly jumped out of the death trap. Ayden smirked as he stepped out after me.
“I suppose we could take the stairs from now on if you want,” he chuckled, passing me to walk down the hall. “Ah, feels almost like home,” he remarked towards the faded wall paper and dirty carpets.
This place was disgusting. We stopped in front of a door reading 3 7. The middle number had fallen off, but from the other rooms around us I was able to infer that it was room 317.
Ayden slid the key in and, with a quick twist and push, the door flew open.
“Ladies first,” he gestured for me to enter.
Following, he shut and locked the door behind him. I wonder what my parents would have thought if they knew about this. I was staying in a motel room with a strange guy I’d just met. Even I would have been skeptical about the situation had I not been in it myself.
The room consisted of a full sized bed, a couch, and a small TV perched on top of a dresser. Ayden plopped himself down on the couch, folding his arms over his head and letting out a tired sigh.
“What now?” I asked, slumping down on the bed with a bounce.
“Well, I’m in the mood for a nap considering mine was interrupted by a screaming girl being chased by an oversized leech,” he answered nonchalantly.
His arms were still over his eyes.
“Wanna cuddle?” he asked, lifting his elbow just enough to steal a look at me. He sighed seeing as I had no intent of agreeing. “Fine then. The bed’s all yours.”
With a final yawn, he fell asleep.
I sat on the edge of the bed for a few moments, pondering what I should do. Looking over at Ayden, I found he was sleeping soundly. I might as well get some rest. I decided, kicking off my sandals and crawling under the blankets.