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The castle looked different in daylight.
Drift stood at the base of the worn stone bridge, staring up at the broken tower and half-mended walls. Sunlight spilled across the fractured battlements, catching on scaffolds and half-repaired beams. It didn’t look like a monster’s den. It looked.... tired. Wounded. Trying.
Maybe that was why she felt drawn to it.
Her hands were shoved deep into her coat pockets, fingers fidgeting with the frayed edge of the book she'd found in a crypt earlier. She’d walked the whole way from town with her head down, ignoring the suspicious stares, no, glares, from the townspeople. The whispered accusations. The pointed questions.
"Why were you with them?"
"Are you covering for the bloodsuckers?"
"Did you know? Did you help them?"
She was exhausted. By the suspicion. By the fear. By feeling like she didn’t belong in a place she’d sworn she could help.
And, if she was being honest, by missing Shelby.
That part she tried not to think too loudly.
A gust of wind tugged at her coat as she climbed over the bridge. The heavy wooden doors stood half open, propped with a stone block. Voices drifted through, familiar, low ones. Scott’s calm murmur. Pyro’s louder, sharper tone. Owen’s quiet commentary. And Shelby’s soft laugh that tugged at something behind Drift’s ribs.
She hesitated on the threshold.
Then she knocked.
The shift inside was immediate, footsteps, conversation stopping, someone shuffling something behind their back. Scott’s voice came first.
"Come in!"
Drift pushed the door wider.
The entrance hall was brighter than she expected. Large windows had been unboarded, letting moonlight spill across the long tables and construction materials. Scott and Owen stood arguing over a blueprint. Pyro sat on a windowsill. Shelby.... Shelby was crouched near the beacon, returning it to it's blood red form.
Her head snapped up the moment Drift stepped in.
"Drift?" Shelby stood so quickly she almost tripped over her own feet. "You’re- hi. You’re here."
"Yeah." Drift swallowed, closing the door behind her. "I.... needed to talk."
Pyro squinted at her. "You’re not here to throw holy water at us or something, right?"
"Pyro," Scott sighed.
Drift gave a stiff shake of her head. "No. I’m- look, can we talk somewhere not in front of an audience?"
Shelby’s eyes softened immediately. "Yeah. Of course. This way."
------‐-------------------
The moment the door closed behind Shelby and Drift, the great entrance hall went strangely quiet.
Pyro let out a low whistle. "Well. That’s either very good or very, very bad."
Owen didn’t look up from the blueprints. "Can't be too bad, it's Drift."
"It is when she walks straight into our house," Pyro shot back. "And asks for a private conversation. With Shelby. Shelby can’t lie to save her life- she’s going to tell her everything."
"That’s the point," Scott said mildly, rolling up the blueprint with practiced elegance. "Shelby should tell her everything."
"Humans get weird when they’re scared. One person panics, then a mob forms, then there’s fire and pitchforks and-"
Scott cut in with a sigh. "She’s not here to hurt anyone. She came because she’s tired. And because she trusts Shelby."
Owen paused, staring at the door. "You think she’s going to stay, don’t you."
Scott shrugged in that annoyingly calm way of his. "If she wants to. The castle could use more hands. Preferably ones that aren't averse to sunlight."
Pyro offered a tiny smile. "I think it’d be nice. Shelby could use someone gentle."
Owen grumbled but didn’t argue. His gaze drifted to the corridor Shelby had disappeared down.
"....She’s going to end up living here, isn’t she."
"Most likely" Scott said.
Pyro nodded. "Seems that way."
Owen slumped dramatically into a chair. "Great. Well. I’ll start clearing out a room before she decides to live in mine."
Scott smirked. "Good idea. And Owen?"
"What?"
Scott gave him a look far too knowing for anyone’s comfort.
"Behave."
Owen groaned. "Don’t I always?"
Pryro and Scott answered at the same time.
"No."
-----------------------------
Shelby led Drift down a winding stone staircase, her footsteps light but hesitant, glancing back every few steps to make sure Drift was still following. The castle’s lower floors were quieter, filled with the smell of old stone and dust.
They stopped in front of a small wooden door near the back of the corridor.
"My room," Shelby said quietly, fingers twitching on the handle. "It’s.... kind of messy. I wasn’t expecting company."
"It’s fine," Drift assured, though her heartbeat thrummed loud in her ears.
Shelby pushed the door open.
Stepping aside so Drift could enter, then gently closed the door behind them.
For a moment neither spoke.
Drift’s fingers curled into her coat, grounding herself. "I, um.... I needed to talk to you. Properly."
Shelby nodded, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. She patted the blanket beside them, but didn’t urge Drift. Just.... offered. Drift took a deep breath and crossed the small room, sitting down beside her with a cautious inch of space between them.
"The townsfolk...." Drift began. "They’re not calming down. They know about you, Scott, Owen, Pyro. They’ve known for days. And since that night near the castle, they’ve been watching me like I’m going to turn on them. I hear the whispers every time I walk around in town."
Shelby’s face tightened with worry. "I hate that. I hate that they’re doing that to you. You don’t deserve it."
"I know." Drift let out a shaky breath. "And I don’t want to deal with it anymore. I don’t want to feel like an outsider in a place I’m supposed to be helping. And I definitely don’t want to be afraid of going home."
Shelby turned slightly toward her. "So.... what do you want?"
Drift swallowed hard, looking down at her hands. "I want to stay here. In the castle. With you all." Then, a little softer: "With you."
Shelby’s breath caught.
"Really?" they whispered, as if afraid the word might break if she spoke too loudly.
Drift nodded. "I feel.... safer here. And I’m tired of pretending everything’s normal out there. It isn’t. But it feels more normal around you than anywhere else does."
Shelby’s eyes shimmered with that gentle, aching warmth Drift had begun recognizing, like she was seeing Drift as something precious.
"You can stay," Shelby said softly. "I want you to stay. Scott will understand. And the others, they’ll make it work. I'll protect you if things get worse. We all will."
Drift let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. "Thank you."
Shelby hesitated, then reached for Drift’s hand. This time, Drift met her halfway, their fingers intertwining easily, naturally.
"You know," Shelby murmured, voice thick with relief, "I was really scared you were avoiding me because of what happened in the woods."
"I wasn’t avoiding you," Drift said quickly. "I was avoiding.... everything else. And maybe a little bit my feelings too." She managed a small smile. "But mostly the townsfolk."
Shelby laughed softly, leaning their shoulder gently against Drift’s. "I missed you."
Drift’s cheeks warmed. "I missed you too."
They sat there for a quiet moment, letting the room settle around them. Drift slowly leaned her head against Shelby’s shoulder. Shelby froze for half a second, then melted into the touch, letting her cheek rest lightly against Drift’s hair.
“You’re cold,” Drift murmured.
"I can get a blanket- "
"No," Drift whispered, settling more firmly against her. "Stay."
Shelby shifted carefully, lifting their arm so Drift could tuck closer. Drift hesitated only a moment before curling into her, tucking her head under Shelby’s chin. Shelby wrapped an arm around her back, holding her with careful, quiet tenderness.
Drift relaxed completely for the first time in days.
"You’re safe here," Shelby whispered into her hair. "I promise."
Drift closed her eyes, leaning into the soft chill of Shelby’s touch. "I know."
They didn’t speak after that. Didn’t need to. The castle murmured faintly around them, distant footsteps, the shifting of wood, a soft creak from the hallway, but in this room, everything was still.
Shelby’s fingers traced slow circles across Drift’s shoulder. Drift relaxed into her side, until a sudden thought tightened her chest again.
"Shelby....?" Drift’s voice was small, muffled slightly where her cheek rested against Shelby’s collarbone.
Shelby stilled. "Yeah?"
Drift hesitated, thumb rubbing anxiously along the hem of Shelby’s sleeve. "If I stay here.... does that mean I’ll have to- " She swallowed, forcing the words out. "Be turned?"
Shelby’s hand immediately found Drift’s, squeezing gently. "Hey. Look at me?"
Drift lifted her head. Shelby’s eyes were soft, steady, glowing faintly in the dim light of their room.
"You don’t have to become a vampire," Shelby said firmly. "Not for me. Not for this place. Not for anything."
Drift exhaled, tension loosening from her shoulders. “But- won’t it be weird? All of you being.... like this. And me being the odd one out?"
Shelby shook her head, brushing a strand of Drift’s hair behind her ear with a cool, careful touch. "You’re not an odd one out. You’re Drift. That’s it. That’s all that matters."
Shelby’s expression softened into something full and aching and earnest. "We’ll figure this out in our own time. If you ever want to be turned, that choice is yours. But it would never, ever, be required. You’re not here on conditions. You’re here because we want you here. Because I want you here."
The warmth behind the words settled deep in Drift’s chest.
Shelby tucked Drift back against her side, holding her even closer. "You’re safe as you are. Human or vampire or whatever you want to be. I'll protect you. And you’ll still be you."
Drift felt herself melt fully into the embrace this time, breath steadying.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Shelby rested their cheek gently against Drift’s hair. "Always."
They eased back into their quiet cuddling, wrapped up in each other on the soft quilt. The castle hummed faintly around them, distant and unimportant.
Drift let out a slow breath, the worry about turning finally slipping away.
Breathing in the scent of Shelby, a welcome comfort. Shelby’s fingers traced slow, calming circles against her shoulder. And for the first time since she’d come to this strange town, Drift felt like the world wasn’t tipping under her feet.
She let herself rest there, curled up against the vampire who made her feel safe.
Shelby held her a little tighter, as if afraid to let her slip away.
And Drift didn’t move.
Not this time.
-------------------------
The double doors creaked open again, and all three vampires looked up from their work as Shelby returned, Drift hovering just behind her like she wasn’t sure whether to step forward or bolt.
Scott leaned one elbow on the table, smirking. "Back so soon? I told you two to take your time. We didn’t need you rushing."
Shelby sputtered, face flushing. "Scott- !"
Drift turned even pinker. "We weren’t- I mean- It’s not- "
Owen groaned loudly, rubbing his forehead. "See, Scott? This is why nothing gets finished around here. You keep distracting everyone."
"I’m motivating them," Scott corrected.
"Look, Drift is already considering sprinting in the opposite direction. That’s forward progress."
Drift made a small, strangled noise.
Shelby huffed and tugged Drift gently to her side. "Stop it. We actually wanted to talk to you."
That was enough to make Scott straighten, expression shifting from amused to gently attentive. "Alright then. What do you need?"
Drift swallowed, clearly gathering herself.
"I.... want to stay here."
Silence stretched for a slow, heavy moment.
Then Pyro blinked. "Stay.... like, permanently? In the castle?"
Drift nodded. "If you’ll let me. Things in town are getting bad. People think I’m hiding something, or working with you, or-"
She rubbed her arm. "I’m tired. And you’re all.... easier to trust than they are."
Pyro’s eyebrows knit, something like concern flickering behind the bravado. "Well.... yeah. I mean.... you were always cooler than the rest of them. Even when I was human."
They shrugged, avoiding her eyes. “I don’t mind if you stay."
Owen crossed his arms, letting out a gravelly hum. "We’ve got enough rooms. Some even have floors now." He paused. "You’re quiet. You don’t make a mess. You didn't harass me every five minutes like Avid did. You'll be fine here."
Scott clasped his hands together, leaning back with a soft exhale. "Well, that’s two votes. As for me...." He fixed Drift with a surprisingly gentle expression beneath the usual veneer of sarcasm. "I think you already know the answer."
Drift looked uncertain. "I don’t, actually."
Scott’s voice softened. "If Shelby trusts you enough to bring you here, then you’re welcome. You were welcome the second you walked through the door."
Shelby beamed. Drift’s shoulders eased, some of the knots in her posture finally coming undone.
"Thank you," she whispered. "All of you."
"Yeah, yeah, don’t get sappy," Pyro muttered, cheeks tinged pink. "Just tell us if you need help moving anything. Not because I’m offering, but.... y’know. Logistics."
Owen snorted. "He’ll carry your stuff."
"I will not- !"
Scott clapped once, interrupting their bickering. "Then it’s settled. Welcome to the castle, Drift. We’ll sort out a room for you. Preferably one that doesn’t leak too badly."
Shelby squeezed Drift’s hand, smiling like she was trying, and failing, to hide it.
Drift looked around the hall at the half-repaired stone, the moonlight streaming through the high windows, the mismatched little group of vampires watching her with varying degrees of awkwardness and sincerity.
For the first time in days, she felt her lungs fill fully.
"Thank you," she said again, quieter. "It.... feels like the right place to be."
Scott smirked. "Careful. Keep saying things like that and we’ll start thinking you like us."
Pyro perked up. "Yeah, and then she’ll have to help with renovations."
Owen groaned. "One more person to trip over the wood planks."
Shelby just squeezed Drift’s hand again, thumb brushing gently against her skin.
Drift didn’t pull away.