Page 118 of A Monstrous World: The Complete Series

Chapter Seventeen

Nadia

I ’m hot as hell, and there’s a hard dick nestled perfectly between my ass cheeks.

It’s trying to push my thong straight up into my skin.

Wiggling my hips just a bit repositions the tip perfectly against my lower lips.

That’s much more enjoyable. I grind a little, sucking in a shocked gasp when my eyes fly open.

I’m in an unfamiliar bed with a very hard body wrapped around mine. My mouth is dry, but the unmistakable metallic taste of blood lingers.

This isn’t good.

Memories of the last couple of days fly back, and I exhale in pure relief.

It’s Ridge.

I’m in Ridge’s bed.

I reasonably trust him. Not that I know much, but he hasn’t tried to kill me yet. That’s one step up from pretty much everything else in this town.

I’ve got plenty of experience sneaking out after a one-night stand. The majority of partners I’ve snuck out on were humans, or monsters who didn’t give a fuck and didn’t want the trouble of kicking me out in the morning.

Ridge either has extremely thick curtains, or it’s the middle of the night. I’m not sure where we are. Running would likely be stupid, since I’m pretty sure I’m on pack lands.

It’s a slow process disentangling myself from the cuddly wolf in human form.

My bare feet hit wood flooring, but I can’t help myself.

I gawk at his muscular frame like I have the right.

Blond hair falls around his face as he sleeps silently.

He looks oddly peaceful with his lashes falling over his tan cheeks.

He has on a pair of sweatpants that hang low on his hips and, even unconscious, his muscles are evident.

Okay, way to be a total lady perv. I shake myself out of the trance that his incredible body pulled me into.

It’s dim in the room, but my eyes are adjusted enough that I make it to the door without any trouble.

The only problem? I don’t know where I’m going. My cell phone is either still in Echo’s vehicle, or I have no idea, but it’s not here.

This is a major problem of my generation.

I know exactly three numbers by heart. The rest, I only vaguely recognize when they pop up with someone’s picture as I answer a call.

It’s the middle of the night, but Nan is old school.

She answers any call from any number. She also doesn’t lock her front door, but that’s another story, considering the house is warded.

I make it to the end of the hallway and a long, straight set of stairs that leads to the first floor.

Nan’s house is old like this one, and the wood floors creak when you hit certain steps, no matter how carefully you put your weight down.

She owned that house in Haven before I was ever born, but when my grandpa died, she left and didn’t go back until we needed somewhere to settle after everything happened with my mom.

As my fingers slide down the cool wood of the banister, I’m fully expecting Echo to pop out or Ridge to come stomping down the hallway.

The living room is spacious and has a fireplace that isn’t lit.

Moving past that, I catch sight of the kitchen.

Most people I know don’t have house phones.

We don’t need them, since we’re glued to our cells at all hours.

However, I dance around in pure excitement, or possibly relief, when I spot a corded telephone hanging on the wall next to the fridge.

It only takes me a few more seconds to realize that having a phone isn’t a guarantee there will be service, but I’m still going to try.

I open the fridge and frown because there’s no bottled water. There are three different kinds of beer and several brands of soda. None are diet, so I grab one at random and carefully pop the top. The cracking fizz makes me freeze as I tilt my head, trying to see if I can catch any movement.

My ears are weak compared to a supernatural’s, but the house is basically silent. I’m pretty sure I’d hear someone coming. I close the fridge, taking a long sip of the sugary soda, and pad over to the phone.

I place the can down on the counter, and my hands shake as I make a grab for the handheld device.

This model feels like it’s circa the 1990s, but there’s a dial tone when I bring it to my ear. It’s the style with the numbers on the receiver, so I pull it away to type in Nan’s number.

It begins to ring, and my eyes dart around, looking for anything to focus on. I cringe a little when I spot the numbers on the stove clock. It’s almost three in the morning.

“I wondered when I would hear from you,” Nan says, answering the call. “How are you, my dear?”

“I-I’m...” My voice stalls as I realize I can’t say any of the things I want to. Warren and his stupid compulsion. “I love you.”

“Oh, sweetheart. I love you, too.” She sighs. “Tell me about your day.”

“Did you see it?” I ask with a quaver in my voice I can’t shake.

Nan and I are a team. I love that old lady like nothing else in this world.

She’s always in my corner, and I have zero shame about how much she means to me.

I’m the reason she lost her only daughter, but she never once blamed me.

I couldn’t understand why she didn’t see it coming.

Why she couldn’t save all of us from that horrible day, but seers don’t choose their visions.

They have no control over what they’re shown.

“Bits and pieces.” She hums. “I saw two sweet babies. Tell me, did that go okay?”

I scoff a terrible sound between a snort and a cough. “My magic is acting strange. Some weird things happened.”

“That’s magic, in general. Are you safe?”

“For the moment,” I mutter, twirling the cord around my finger.

“Did the hunk with the man bun carry you off into the night? Because I don’t know... If that was me,” she laughs, “things might be looking up.”

“Nan!” I snort.

“The wolf with the tight buns. Please tell?—”

I squeak, turning in a circle at the sound of the floor creaking behind me.

“Tight buns, really?” Ridge leans against the doorway to the kitchen, looking like sex personified. His blond hair is in a tie, but pieces fall around his shoulders while his sweatpants hang low on his hips.

I lick my lips.

“Ahh, so it is the handsome alpha wolf,” Nan says. “Then, I’m afraid I can’t say any more. Call anytime. I love you more than you know.”

“I love you too,” I assure her, but she’s already hanging up.

The phone clicks as I shove it into the receiver. My eyes dart around, looking for a method of escape. Wolves and their ridiculous super hearing.

Ridge swaggers his way across the kitchen barefoot. My eyes are greedy for the stacked lines of muscle that make up his torso. The top of my head barely reaches his pec, and I’m not short. He’s just unnaturally tall.

“You and I need to talk.” His eyes flash, indicating his wolf is close to the surface.

Leaning closer, he rests his hand on the wall above my head.

His woodsy scent hits me, and I don’t know what to do with my hands.

They want to feel all over his strong chest or tease the indents of his abs and obliques.

They settle for fidgeting awkwardly between us.

I’m not a quirky or anxious person.

I’m generally pretty confident in my skin and my sexuality, but he’s going to want answers. Answers I don’t think I can give, because I don’t even know what the hell happened with Milania.

“That’s okay, I should probably get some rest. What a crazy day, am I right?” I duck under his arm and move to bolt somewhere.

Huge hands cup my hips, pulling my back into his chest as I face away from him. “It’s good to see you’re replenished. We didn’t like seeing you so weak.”

My silly heart races.

I know better, or I should.

Men will say just about anything to get what they want from you. The difference is, it’s usually focused on what they can give you to make themselves more desirable. It’s been a long time since a man was worried about my well-being.

“Where’s Echo?” I ask, trying to ignore how solid and safe I feel leaning against him. The pieces of hair that have fallen from his tie dance over my skin as I look up at him over my shoulder.

“Are you really interested in the vampire? After he used you to break his sire bond?” Ridge’s hands tighten on my hips and lower stomach, but his hold isn’t painful.

“Imogen will have to be dealt with. Say you get lucky and survive what the council asked of you—it won’t matter.

She’ll never let you live. Echo is her kicked puppy, the most loyal of her progeny because he knows he’s the least favored.

He’s probably with her right now, spilling everything that happened. ”

My magic has been hiding, but that dirty bitch spills out of my pores at the thought. Light-gray, smoky shadows dance around my frame as my gut wobbles. It’s the tether. There’s no other reason why that would bother me. All his bullshit about being a team is exactly that.

I know better.

My own mother tried to murder me. I’ve gotten very good at trusting no one.

I trust Nan implicitly, but everyone else is a different story. Nan seemed to trust Ridge, or possibly she couldn’t risk interfering in the situation. This is why prophetic magic sucks.

I’m not the seer.

I can’t tell if she would warn me or not, because giving a message could influence future choices I make.

“Echo is free to do as he wishes. I was simply asking a question.” My chin tilts in the air as I spin around to face Ridge.

He smirks, giving me something that manages to be a dubious frown while also accentuating his ridiculously handsome face. His fingers tease up and down my sides as his palms rest on my hip bones.

“What should we do while we wait?” His eyes flash with his wolf.

I take a step backward, spinning to walk away, but he leverages his grip on my hips, pulling me back until we’re chest to chest.

A low growl rumbles out of Ridge, vibrating in the air between us. “I would suggest not running right now, little witch. It’s been a long day, and my instincts are on edge.”

“Oh,” I whisper as my nipples tighten. There is legitimately something wrong with my brain.

There has to be. There’s no other reason his words would send a thrill straight to my sex.

His nostrils flare in response. He looks surprised for a half a second before that look changes to pure sexual heat.

“So, theoretically speaking, if I were to run, what would happen?”

“Are you sure you want to taunt me?” he growls.

My thighs clench. I think I do want that. I nod shakily, licking my lips.

His hand lands on my throat, sliding around into the hair at the base of my skull. He uses the perfect amount of pressure to send a zing through my entire body as he tilts my head back so I’m forced to stare straight into his eyes.

His blond eyebrow quirks as his lips tip up in a playful way.

“Try it and find out.” With that, he releases his hold. He crosses his arms over his bare chest. He’s not a hairy guy, considering he turns into a wolf on a regular basis, but damn, do I ever want to trace that happy trail.

I’m still in my dress from yesterday? Today? I have no idea, and at this point, I don’t really care. I take several steps, swaying my hips as seductively as possible.

“I think I’ll just head back to your bed.” I wink over my shoulder as I hit the door that leads to the living room.

Ridge’s low chuckle fills the air, but I keep moving. The wood is cool under my feet as I scan the room.

I have two options.

I can make it easy, or I can give his wolf a little thrill by making it fun.

The door out of the house is on the right. Without letting myself think it through too fully, I make a break for it.