Shadows Bound Ch 5
A what now?
Morri
It’s been a week since the fundraiser and my first conversation with my spectral roommate. Not having to work means I spend my time doing whatever the hell I want, which is something I deserve to experience. I worked so hard to create success, and once I achieved it, I didn’t know what else to want. I had the money, the career, the recognition and slight fame among the art community; but I still felt like I was bursting to get out of a shell I had created. It was all wonderful to experience, and I don’t regret pushing myself so hard; but I realized that more than success and wealth, I wanted peace. So, here I am, hidden in the mountains, rooming with a ghost.
He’s been quite opinionated since I offered him crystals to communicate with. I know he’s a he because I asked him. I tried to see if he could use a dry erase board and marker, but apparently the shadows he uses don’t have the dexterity required for something like that. He managed to get a large squiggly NO to show up, but it took about ten minutes, and we were both annoyed by that, so we’ve just stuck to the crystals.
Every time I make a meal or sit down to paint, the crystals follow me, wiggling in my face when I ignore his opinion about what I’m making. Picking out clothes is where he seems to have the most opinions. Anytime I grab my workout leggings and sports bra, he shoves the obsidian in my face like the outfit offends him. Maybe he’s from a time where women wore less revealing clothing. Whatever the case may be, I am quickly realizing that giving him those crystals was not the best idea. Even now, as I sit on the couch trying to read my favorite monster romance series, the amethyst glides in front of my face like a toddler playing in the bath with a toy boat.
“Can I help you?” I sigh, watching the stone dance between my eyes. It stays hovering in front of me as I close my book, marking it with an old receipt I’ve used since I purchased it from the small bookstore down the street from my studio. “Alright, what do you need?” Damnit, yes or no questions only Morrigan.
“Are you bored?” Amathyst.
“Would you like me to turn the tv on?” Obsidian.
I look down at the book in my lap that I was really enjoying, “Would you like me to read to you?” The crystals pause at that. As he ponders my question I add, “You might like this story, there are demons and…” The amethyst moves so fast I lean back expecting it to smack me in my face. “Woah! Careful with those!” It slowly lowers and gently taps my book. “Alright, demon smut for the ghost.”
I open my book to the page I was reading before I was rudely interrupted. “Okay, the main character is a woman who is trapped in a parallel reality. She stumbled into this world full of vampires, demons, fae, and all kinds of creatures. She got there through the mirror in her bathroom. Since she arrived, she has been traveling around the realm collecting different creatures who sense something magical in her, which she denies, and they are on their way to an ancient site to find a witch who might have answers.” The amethyst does a small jiggle and snuggles into the blanket at my waist. Yes, this is totally normal.
With a soft chuckle I add, “Oh, and this is a romance, so if you can’t handle my workout clothes, I’m not sure the sex scenes are something you will tolerate well. Would you like me to skip over those?” A slight pause and the amethyst lifts slowly before resuming its comfortable position in my lap. “Alright, here we go.”
“You're a minotaur!?” Kacie shouts, “I thought that was a Greek myth!”
Tharox grunts, and a puff of smoke escapes his nostrils, “I travelled to the human realm once, and it was the worst experience ever.” His hooves clack against the stones beneath him as he shifts uncomfortably. Kacie recognizes his discomfort and softens the shocked look on her face to one of empathy.
“You don’t have to hide this side of you from me Rox. If you hadn’t shifted, I would be dead right now.” The smoke coming from his nose increases. “I was surprised by the new information, not disgusted.” She steps forward and slowly places her hands on his chest, causing his eyes to snap open from the tight squeeze he had them trapped in. They stare into each other’s eyes for a moment before Kacie begins to glide her hands up and behind his neck, forcing him to bend forward so she can reach him better. “Besides, I have a feeling these could be fun.” She says, gently caressing his horns, causing a deep rumble to begin in his chest.
“Just a sec, I have to skip a couple of pages.” Before I’m able to turn to the next page, the obsidian flies up and shakes in front of my face. “I thought you said you didn’t want me to read the sexy stuff.” The amethyst jumps up and tilts one way and then the other before the obsidian takes front stage and they resume their cozy positions. I can’t contain the laugh that bursts out of me at that.
For a solid minute, I laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation I am currently in. I live with a ghost who apparently likes monster smut but can’t handle revealing clothes. In all of my imaginings of what I thought would happen with this ghost, never did I think we would be here.
Once the laughing fit subsides, I wipe my eyes and ask, “Would you like me to resume reading now?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the marker he tried to use before to write, floating through the air on its way to me. “Ummm…” I lands with a small smack against the pages of my book and my brows furrow, trying to understand what he’s wanting.
The marker wiggles around like he wants me to remove the top and I panic, “You are absolutely not about to write in my book with that marker, sir.” I swear the shadows ripple. Understanding that he wants to mark something in the book I acquiesce and offer him a pencil off of the end table beside me. “Here, but be gentle. You poke a hole in these pages, and I’ll torture us both by installing the brightest lights I can find.”
The pencil slowly rises and looks as if it’s scanning the words on the page. He finds the first word he’s looking for and gently underlines it. ‘I’
“I… Oh! This is brilliant, good thinking! Continue.” I can’t see or hear him, but I know he’s preening at my words right now.
The pencil continues its search for the next word and settles on. ‘am’
“Okay, I am.” Excitement builds in my belly as I realize I’m about to find out something important about my roommate.
The third word underlined is ‘a’. What? I thought he was going to start underlining letters to spell out his name. Maybe his name starts with an A.
Next, the pages begin to flutter and turn. One after the other, each getting looked over by the floating pencil. I can feel the tension coming off of him as he struggles to find the right one. Then suddenly, the pencil makes a sloppy circle and returns to the end table.
‘Demon’.
Hahaha this is adorable and so much fun Bea!
Oh, I wish I'd noticed this was Chapter 5 before I started reading, but I was instantly hooked. Now, I've got to start at the beginning...and have already gone and read a spoiler! (But sooo good!)