Page 35 of Monsterland Mayhem

She sighs. “Can we go now?”

“We could always go,” I tell her. “The portal is right there.”

The beautiful female throws her hands up and stomps off toward it, only for Krolic to enter her path. “Please allow me to escort you,” he says, holding out his arm. “It’ll be easier. And I want to make sure Catum’s charm works.”

“It works,” he says without missing a beat.

Krolic ignores him. “Please, my queen?”

She blows out another breath and accepts his arm. “Yeah. Fine. Okay,Beast.”

His green eyes light up with the pet name, his power seeming to ripple off him in energetic waves.

Someone likes being her beast,I muse.

He can’t hear me.

But he doesn’t need to.

He can feel my amusement, and the cocky look he throws back at me says he doesn’t even care that I’m entertained by this development.

Without another word, he escorts our intended through Catum’s portal.

“I don’t understand why he can call herqueen, but I can’t,” I say conversationally.

“You’re not her king,” Catum points out.

“That doesn’t mean she’s not my queen,” I mutter.

“Our queen,” he corrects. Then he shrugs. “She’s a puzzle, one that’ll be fun to solve.”

“If that’s a euphemism for sex, then yes, I agree.Solvingher will be quite fun.”

He snorts. “She has your knot all tied up, doesn’t she? All you can think about is sex.”

“Are you telling me yours isn’t strung tight?” I ask him, both of my eyebrows raised.

“My knot has been pulsing for her for two very long years,” he returns. “Every night she dreamt of me, it took physical restraint not to shadow into her room and turn those fantasies into a reality.”

“You’re lucky you had those two years,” I mutter. “I’ve had a few hours, and she doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

“She’s struggling with the change,” he tells me. “Just give her time.”

“I wish I could,” I reply. “I really wish I could.”

But time is not on our side.

Tick, tock.

“We should follow them,” Catum says.

I nod, agreeing.

Then I slip through the portal to join Krolic and our queen in the Tea Village.

Tick, tock.

That looming countdown echoes in my head.