Page 5 of Claimed By Her Monsters

Chapter Five

Social Butterfly

Iexpect Alister or the lumberjack to come back, but it’s a different man who comes in next.

He’s younger, maybe in his late teens to early twenties.

Tall and thin, like he’s been stretched out.

Baggy black hoodie, black jeans slung low on a narrow waist. His hair is dark and shaggy, hanging in his brown eyes which are shadowed.

He slinks into the room with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and hovers a few feet away, staring at me from the corner of his eye like he’s incapable of looking at me head-on.

Alister has some weird friends.

“Hi?” I say uncertainly once the silence becomes unbearable.

“Hey.” He nods, eyes darting around the space.

Right. Social butterfly. Guess it’s on me. With an exaggerated sigh, I point to myself and enunciate slowly, like I’m teaching a caveman English. “I’m Madison.”

His head dips. “Caspian.”

“Where’d the other two go?” I ask.

“Outside. Alister had to cool off.”

Wow. Two whole sentences. Progress.

Another minute and he’s suddenly beside me, helping sweep up the wreckage. He moves around the kitchen like he knows it well, pulling out a broom and dustpan, dumping shards into the trash. Then he fills two glasses with water and hands me one, keeping the other for himself.

“You were thirsty?” he asks, not taking a sip.

“Yeah, thanks.” I drink, studying him over the rim of the glass as I wonder what my next move should be. I don’t want to go back upstairs and sit by myself. That nap left me too awake, too full of energy. “What’re you guys up to?” I ask, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

I couldn’t be more surprised with his answer.

“Monopoly.”

“What?” I ask, certain I heard him wrong, but nope, he repeats, “Monopoly,” in that same monotone voice of his.

I suck in a breath, gather my courage, and ask, “Can I play too?”