Page 4 of A Monstrous World: The Complete Series

Chapter Four

Dread

“ W ho was that?” I ask, shoving my way into Aline's office.

“She's been working at Venom,” Aline says in her usual disinterested tone. “She's moving over to The Den.”

She knows I know that, which means she's purposely pushing my buttons. Most days, she can get away with it.

Today is not one of those days.

“Name?” I growl, leaning against the wall and scratching at my jaw. I'm riled and I don't have the first clue why. My beast is practically pacing, itching to escape and follow that delicate, sweetly floral scent.

“Emerson. You know that much...” Aline frowns at the paper. “Her handwriting is atrocious. I'm afraid I can't read the last name. Parker? Darker? Something along those lines.”

“Why does she want to work at The Den?”

Why do I care?

We run a safe establishment.

The women and men who work at The Den are compensated well for their time and all are here of their own volition. I've never been concerned with why any of our other employees wanted the job before. But I don't like that it could be because she almost got hurt the other night at Venom.

“She's in need of money.” Aline lowers herself into her chair with the type of preternatural grace that humans find unsettling.

My mind drifts to the curvy blonde. She's got the type of thick hourglass figure the monsters will lose their minds over. She can definitely make quick cash.

My hand absently rubs at my gut. I'm developing indigestion. I've never experienced heartburn in my life, but I've seen enough human TV to diagnose the condition.

My beast hates the thought of Emerson touching anyone but us.

That's even more concerning .

“Who do you intend to set her up with for her practical?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and trying to fake indifference. The look on Aline's face assures me I've failed to convince her of my lack of concern on the matter.

“She has a fledgling she needs to support,” Aline says, rolling her eyes. “I considered?—”

“She has a pup?” I ask, my anger rising. “Where's its father? Why would she work here if she has a mate?”

Fae call their children fledglings, but hounds call children pups.

“Gods, Dread,” she says, laughing. “She's unmated. That much is clear from her scent. I got the impression it's only Emerson and her daughter.”

“A daughter,” I repeat. My mind finally catches up, creating an image of a young girl with curly blonde hair and big eyes like her mother.

The two of them alone?

No, I don't like it.

It doesn't sit well with me at all.

“Hire her for The Den.” The words slip out before I can hold them back.

Where is her mate? Who would leave a human woman alone with a child in a sanctuary city for supernaturals? What the fuck was he thinking? He obviously wasn't.

He must be dead.

I convince myself there's no other option. No man would willingly leave his woman and young. He must no longer draw breath.

I feel strangely relieved by that fact, since it means I won't have to kill him. Humans can be squeamish about murder. I wouldn't want to upset the tiny woman by slaughtering her pup's father.

“You're sure?” Aline asks with a frown.

“Yes,” I growl.

Aline is normally quite easy to get along with and an excellent employee, but today, she's testing my patience at every turn.

“I planned on it,” she assures me. “She's got that doe-eyed look that drives the patrons half-feral. They'll eat her up.”

A snarl bubbles out of my chest.

She grins mischievously. “Who should I set up her practical with?”

“Laithe,” I say before I can hold back the name. My business partner will take decent care of the girl, and he'll be able to assess her ability to satisfy the clients.

The thought turns my stomach even more violently.

Hellhounds are extremely hearty. We can rip the head off our enemy and devour their carcass without a second thought, or any intestinal upset. And yet, I feel like I might wretch.

Shaking my head, I will my body to control itself.

“The hound is drawn to her?” Aline asks, leaning over her desk. Her long hair falls over her arms as she practically vibrates with excitement.

I shoot her an unimpressed stare. Whether or not my beast is drawn to Emerson is not her business.

“Lai won't be so enamored by the fact she's human that he forgets to assess her performance. Some of the others might,” I say, still unsure who I'm trying to convince. “That's why it needs to be him and not the regulars.”

My partner isn't opposed to testing out new employees, but he stopped the practice long ago. Running our type of business can get messy if you engage with the employees.

Our business is simple. We provide a safe place for monster sex. Our employees have no problem satisfying some of the darker impulses our patrons hope to fulfill.

Sex workers deserve as much respect as any other employee. We give them a comfortable atmosphere to do business. They choose what services they provide and which customers they see.

My mind circles back to Emerson. She seemed anxious and a bit uncomfortable, like this is new for her.

The thought causes the churning in my gut to amp up several degrees.

“If that's truly the issue,” Aline says, giving me a sly smile, “then give her to Ryktus. He won't be swayed by the fact she's human.”

Ryktus? She must be joking. No way is my other business partner touching Emerson. Certainly not for her hiring exam.

Ryktus can be abrasive and slightly deranged when it comes to humans. Nothing good can come of him being anywhere near Emerson.

My hackles rise.

“Fuck, no,” I hiss. “He'd traumatize the poor girl.”

“Woman,” Aline corrects. “You know how I feel about you assholes calling them girls. They're women.”

“She's a tiny little thing,” I muse absently. The hound is busy recalling exactly how small and delicate she felt pressed to my body. “The wrong partner could break her.” And I don't just mean physically. I shake my head. “If she passes the practical, I'll be the one to set her schedule.”

“Gods.” Aline laughs. “You're so fucked, and you can't even see it. No, I won't allow that. You don't get to tamper with the poor woman's right to make her own choices.”

The bright red glow of my eyes lights up the room as I turn to face her fully. My canines descend as my claws elongate. “We protect all of our employees,” I growl, the sound more the beast than my own voice. “And I will look after Emerson as I see fit.”

Aline swallows thickly. “Of course,” she says, lowering her eyes. “I meant no offense. She's a lovely woman.”

She's placating you. The hound is not pleased, but I'm not foolish enough to continue the conversation. Shaking my head, I swipe a hand through the air and head out.

My beast needs to run, to burn off some energy. I absolutely will not be following Emerson's lightly floral scent home.

That would be creepy.

I've lived nearly four hundred years without being a stalker.

I'm not going to start now.

Probably.

Although, it couldn't hurt to make sure she made it home safely, right?

No, of course not.

That makes me a good boss, not a creep with boundary issues.

The offices are set up in a very inconvenient manner if you wish to keep an eye on someone without alerting them to your presence. The hound and I spend several hours pacing the halls waiting for our curvy little human to arrive.

No, she isn't late. She may even arrive several minutes early. However, we're both on edge and eager to see her again.

The hound chuffs.

This is the downside of being friendly and approachable with your employees. The next person who stops to ask how my day is or if everything is all right might just lose their head. The hound is growing increasingly frustrated with being bothered.

Hiding isn’t effective if people keep trying to speak to us. They're outing our location.

Can't they tell now isn't the time? My hackles literally rise every time I'm approached. They must have no sense of self-preservation. That's a bad sign for monsters in general. Evolution should dictate we get smarter over time.

A summer fae approaches with a wide smile on her face. I snarl and dart behind the next wall. This area of the second floor is open to the offices below, with several gaps in the railing. However, I duck behind the wall and growl. She frowns and diverts her attention elsewhere.

I haven't had this many employees try to speak to me in one day since...ever. This has never happened.

I growl, rolling my eyes.

Laithe. My vampire business partner must have something to do with this. He thinks everything is funny, and testing my patience when I'm already on edge is right up his alley. I know I'm right the second he zips from somewhere, appearing at my side in an instant.

“What on earth are you doing?” he asks, leaning over the open railing.

I jump back to keep cover, but Laithe doesn't. He leans so far over the edge he might take a header if he's not careful. The hound thinks that's an excellent idea, and our massive blocky head connects with his denim-covered ass.

The vampire flies over the edge. However, he swivels his wrists, holding on to the railing and glaring at me as he hangs for several seconds before launching himself back up onto the second floor.

“Dick,” he grumbles. “Why are you so riled up?”

The hound doesn't bother glancing at the Viking vampire. He lies down on his belly and scoots just the tip of our nose around the edge of the wall. Emerson's lightly floral scent seems to permeate the air despite our distance from her.

“It's the woman. The one Aline hired for The Den. The one I'm supposed to evaluate,” Laithe muses, crouching at my side. “You're stalking our new employee.”

The hound growls. We spin around, heading to my office. Knocking the door open, we change into human form. I hop into my jeans without bothering with a shirt or shoes.

I head back to Laithe.

“Is she still in medical?” I ask, barely glancing around the corner.

“I haven't seen her come out.” Laithe laughs. “You're so incredibly fucked, and you can't even see it...”

My fist flies at his face before he can duck. The hit is solid and definitely helps to lessen the rage I'm feeling. I smirk as Laithe rolls his jaw from side to side and flips me off with both hands.

“Cranky bastard.”

I'm feeling much less annoyed, even from the one punch. Perhaps I should try it again?

“Thank you,” Emerson says, stepping out of the medical office.

“Not a problem,” Warren says, leaning against the doorframe. “Everything looks good. Aline will give you a call to get you on the schedule.”

“That's great,” Emerson says, nodding at the vampire medic, who I may have to kill if he doesn't stop smirking. Does Warren want a new job? My claws to remove his head from his body? Because he's very close to getting one or both of those.

“So fucked,” Laithe repeats.

Apparently, all vampires are on my shit list today. I jump back as Emerson says her goodbyes and turns to head our way. Laithe doesn't move an inch. He continues leaning over the railing and watches her carefully until she disappears from sight.

“It's been, what? Probably close to ten years since I've tested out a new hire?” Laithe smirks, glancing at me over his shoulder. “You picked a lovely one for me to dip my toes back in with.”

The low, rattling snarl I release would petrify anyone else. I should rephrase that. It would terrify anyone with half a brain.

My business partner only grins wider. “Tell me, Dread...” He laughs. “Do you have a hard-on from just her scent? I know I got an eyeful of her curvy ass sauntering out of here, but I'm pretty sure that massive bulge in your jeans isn't for me...”

“Fuck off,” I growl, spinning around and heading back toward my office.

I need to shift and make sure Emerson gets home safely.