The Atham Manor (Slow Updates)

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AN: Let it be said right here and now that this was the plan for a while. Still, I'm sorry.😞

Fresh roses greeted me as I started to come to. Its smell was welcoming paired with the warm light shining through my eyelids. After several tries, I managed to open my eyes and squinted until they adjusted. I was in an unfamiliar room, lying alone on a wide bed. The room wasn't any of the Atham boys' or anything that would be in Alex's house. There was a bleakness, a lack of personality an environment gained while being lived in.

A guest room then.

My eyes strained as I scanned the room, taking in the simple brown desk, the soft blue sheets covering me, and the several bouquets resting on the otherwise empty nightstand across the room. Roses seemed to be the common theme.

It took several peaceful minutes of silently basking in the sunlight streaming from the window above my head before I even attempted to move. With a sharp inhale, I quickly abandoned the idea. My neck throbbed so badly that I had to use the opposite hand to feel the bandages wrapped around it. Even with a gentle touch, I winced.

Why wasn't I healed? Assuming pain meant I wasn't dead, where was I?

A dull thudding at the door made me try my voice for the first time and the croaking sound I managed to make was nothing short of pitiful. Two more tries, and I managed to rasp, "Come in."

The door slid open, and a mop of blonde locks appeared before Calvin fully entered the room. He didn't warp, which I found strange until I saw the expression on his face. He looked miserable and tired, with dark circles prominent under his eyes and messy hair that he must've forgotten to brush.

"Well, I'm not dead," I said to lighten the mood.

Calvin sped over to me so fast that my shirt rippled in the wind. Cupping my face, the blonde looked me over like he hadn't seen me in a decade. I gently pushed his hands away and gritted my teeth as I pushed myself into a seated position.

"Let me guess. I've been unconscious for two days?"

"Four. Well, today is the fourth day," Calvin said in a jittery sort of tone. "I thought you weren't going to wake up. I thought I was going to lose you."

I blinked blearily as his words sunk in. I'd been asleep for four days— half of a week.

"I'm not a vampire, right?"

"God, no," Calvin shook his head and then sat on the edge of the bed slowly, "The blood loss made you lose consciousness. After Henry, Umbras, and I detained everyone, we decided to move you to our second home. There's no one here besides Henry and I. Umbras occasionally drops in for updates."

I stayed quiet. I wasn't sure what to say anymore. I was so very tired. More than that, my heart ached. I think I could've forgiven Warren since he seemed so remorseful, but now? I couldn't unsee that look in his eyes when he almost tore my throat out. I didn't feel safe with him anymore.

Or any of them for that matter.

"Why wasn't I healed?" I asked after wincing again from my wound. Calvin glanced down at it and tore his eyes away to look at me fully.

"I... I thought it would be best to prioritize you getting away first," Calvin swallowed for a moment before leaning forward and cupping my face. "And then you were asleep and we were so worried with you going in and out that—"

"Just kiss me," I cut him off. He didn't hesitate. His lips gently pressed against mine as if he thought I was going to break, before slowly deepening the kiss with his fingers clutching my chin. My eyes fluttered closed, and I melted into the kiss easily. It made me wonder how something I was supposed to hate felt so right. I just wanted him to kiss me forever so I didn't have to resign to reality.