The Beautiful Monster

"This? This is how we're traveling?" Elias asked as he stared ahead at a black luxury RV. It was huge, so it could fit the five of them.

"What else did you expect?" Scott smirked. "We had to get creative for life on the road."

Elias looked over at Alyssa, who smiled and shrugged. Laughter suddenly broke from him as he shook his head.

He couldn't believe his life right now. He would be stuck in a RV with the love of his life, the cousin he despised, and his secret sister and her boyfriend. It seemed like a bad joke, but he had to roll with it.

"Alright, fine," he said before walking up to the side door of the RV. He pulled it open and stepped inside, peering around the interior. It was as nice as it looked on the outside.

There was a sofa that pulled out into a bed, two extra seats, a television, a kitchenette, a bathroom with a shower, and a bedroom in the back with a closet.

It had almost everything that they would need for life on the road except space. "Cozy."

Melina moved to stand at my side, glancing around with a sheepish smile.

"We'll stay in motels some nights just so that everyone can get some time away from each other," she assured me.

I looked at her and smiled a little. She read my mind.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I told her before lugging my bags and Alyssa's bags on board. Everyone got situated, placing their things out of the way in the RV before all gathering in the main area.

"Who is driving?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"I figured we could do shifts, but Tyler is fine driving a good bit of the time. He was my driver for a while," Melina said with a light laugh as she placed her hand on Tyler's muscular arm.

Tyler flashed her a smile.

"I couldn't keep you out of my sight," he replied.

Melina rolled her eyes playfully.

"Yeah, that turned from a business sense to a romantic sense. You couldn't keep your eyes off me," she said before turning back to the others. "Five people can sleep in here. There's a bed in the back. We can rotate that too."

"I call the bed tonight," Scott said, starting to make his way toward the hallway that led to the master bedroom.

Melina reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"The bed is for couples. Four people can't fit on the sofa bed and the chairs out here," she told him. She motioned to the two extra chairs. "You'll have to put the chairs together for your bed. The cushions are soft."

Scott scoffed and collapsed in one of the two chairs.

"Whatever," he muttered, getting comfy in the soft cushion.

Elias couldn't help but grin to himself. At least Melina didn't mindlessly follow Scott's every demand or move. He turned to Alyssa.

"You okay with that?" he asked. He didn't mind alternating the sofa bed and the master bed with Melina and Tyler.

At least he would have a little alone time with Alyssa every other night. Maybe things wouldn't be too bad if they threw in a few nights at a hotel every once in a while.

"Yeah, definitely," Alyssa said with a nod. She nudged his arm with hers. "It'll all be fine."

Elias could hear the reassurance in her tone. He pressed a gentle kiss against her temple. He was glad to have her by his side for this. She would keep him sane and focused.

"Well, I'm ready to go when you guys are," he told them. If they were going to do this, he wanted to go ahead and start so that they could get it over with as soon as possible.

"Let's go," Tyler said before heading for the driver's seat of the RV.

"I'm taking the bed during the day," Scott commented before heading to the master bedroom to lay down.

Melina watched him go before sitting down in his old seat. She messed with the hem of her black jean jacket as she settled in for the ride.

Alyssa and Elias sat across from her on the sofa, trying to get relaxed. They were in this now. They couldn't back out.

That would ruin all of the progress that they would make. Elias glanced toward Tyler as he drove the RV out of the parking lot and to the road.

"So, he was your bodyguard?" Elias asked Melina.

Melina smiled and shrugged, visibly relaxing at the sound of her boyfriend's name.

"Something like that. Our parents sent him to me when I needed him the most. He was just there to protect me, but we ended up falling for each other," Melina told him.

"You can't help who you fall in love with," Elias said with a hint of a smile. He glanced at Alyssa, who smiled back at him. Both couples were a mix of beings. Human and vampire. Vampire and witch.

"Agreed," Melina replied warmly. She motioned to the two of them. "What about you guys? How did you meet?"

"We met at college. We were in the same psychology class," Elias explained as he took Alyssa's hand. "I was not doing so hot, and she helped me study."

Melina gazed at them with an awed expression.

"That's sweet. So, you're college sweethearts," she said.

Elias and Alyssa glanced at each other with a sheepish look.

"Well, kind of. We broke up at the end of college and just recently got back together," Elias replied.

"What? Why?" Melina asked, her eyes widening.

"Our parents actually. They were afraid that I would hurt her because she's human. I had to prove to them and myself that I was strong enough to control my urges and my strength around her," Elias said.

"I never believed that he would hurt me, but I understand where they were coming from," Alyssa added.

Melina nodded as she listened.

"You seem pretty in control of yourself. I guess they didn't want anything accidentally happening and you being torn up about it.. There's nothing worse than hurting the people that you love," Melina said.