Page 20 of Monsters (Vengeance #3)

Rhodes

M y hands were strung together behind my head as I paced her private quarters.

It was far past sunset and I couldn’t help but worry that Gray had yet to fall asleep.

Somehow, she was impossibly calm and I was freaking out.

Not for the reason you’d assume which was that we were entering into a major war.

No.

I was losing my shit about Gray being in potential danger.

I know.

She was going to be fine. I knew she was. Rationally. My jaguar on the other hand? He really didn’t care about being rational and was actually annoyed that I would even consider being okay with her fighting. I grunted as he let out an aggressive sound through my chest.

“Rhodes, honey,” Gray looked up from the book she was reading with all the Zen in the world. I wasn’t positive what happened between her panicked look after training to now, but something had snapped. She seemed perfectly at peace with tomorrow’s events.

“You need to stop pacing,” she commented, taking a sip from her teacup that rested against her robe-covered legs.

The woman looked like she was just enjoying a fucking Sunday morning tea.

I truly didn’t think I’d ever grasp the full extent of who Gray was as a person. She just changed so fucking often.

I loved it. It was chaotic and messy. The opposite of me and wildly attractive.

“I can’t!” I snipped. “How are you not more concerned about this?”

She raised a brow at my tone and I grunted before sitting down.

Lunatic pranced over to me and clawed my arm before curling up next to me.

I was going to kill this cat, except she had grown on me.

I still wasn’t convinced she was a normal kitten.

She seemed far too rational. Or, and this is a thought, I was losing my mind.

“No point in stressing,” Gray shrugged as my eyes flickered to the mating bite I’d put on her. Male satisfaction pulsated through me as I smiled. At least there was that.

Gray was mine. My mate.

Taylor’s snore had both of us looking over and then I was laughing.

Taylor was in the center of the bed and both twins were on either side of him, squished together like a pile of pups.

Gray smiled affectionately at the sight and looked toward Adyen, who sat near the open window. He looked equally as stressed as I was.

I had a million different questions I wanted to ask her. I wanted to know how she felt about tomorrow. About Mario. About our mating bond. Fucking everything. The woman drove me mad. At the same time, I didn’t want to put her into a panic when she had so clearly found a point of peace.

“You’re stressing her out.”

I looked down at Lunatic, that was the clearest I’d ever heard her speak .

“You can’t tell that,” I responded with a frown.

Lunatic narrowed her gold eyes. “Except she’s my mom, so of course I can.”

“ You’re a cat. You are smart enough, though to realize that she is not your actual mom.”

“No, shit, ” Lunatic growled through our connection. Although I had to admit, everyone did essentially treat her like a child. I mean heck, she even had her own little bed in the corner and everyone got super awkward if we were being affectionate and she trotted into the room.

She’s a fucking cat. We shouldn’t be worried about that. I think it was because I knew she could communicate like this.

“When did you start swearing?”

“I age more advanced than most and I’ve sworn most of my life.”

“You are the size of a fucking orange. You haven’t had much of a life before now.”

“Just tell her that you aren’t worried. Comfort her.” She was fucking ignoring my statement.

“I’m not going to lie to her about my concerns.”

Lunatic rolled her eyes, yes rolled, and stretched standing up. “Fine I will.”

I would like to state for the record that I expected her to go and lay on Gray’s lap. So, you have to imagine the pure unadulterated shock that went through me as Lunatic wiggled down onto the carpet and let out a meow.

Only to be encased in a soft white light that had all three of us watching in horror and fascination.

“What in the ever living fuck?” Gray muttered.

My mouth popped open because as the light faded away we were left looking at a girl about ten years old.

Oh. Shit.

Now I felt bad about swearing at her .

The little girl narrowed her vivid metallic golden eyes at me and pointed at Gray. “Tell her. Tell Mom you aren’t worried about tomorrow. I shouldn’t have to do your job for you.”

“Lunatic?” Gray whispered, her eyes round with unfiltered shock. Adyen looked dazed and beyond confused. I was glad the others were sleeping.

“I would actually like to change that.” The peppy little girl bounced and sat down on top of the coffee table between all of us. “I’m thinking Luna.”

Silence.

“You’re a cat shifter?” I asked quietly.

“No shit, Dad.” She rolled her eyes.

Gray looked at her with raised brows and Luna caught her expression. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. Dad has been the one cussing up a storm.”

“Why didn’t you change before now?” Gray whispered as Adyen started laughing.

Luna shrugged. “I hadn’t had the energy because when you’d found me, I’d been on the street for weeks.”

Oh, fuck.

“Stop swearing around her!” Adyen continued to laugh. “She even has a slight English accent. This is so freakin’ funny.” Yes, he did choose to not swear in that sentence. How nice of him. Fucking show off.

Luna narrowed her eyes at Adyen. “Last time I checked, you’re equally responsible for the words I hear, Dad. All five of you swear. Actually, six. Mom you are terrible.”

Gray legit blushed and leaned forward.

“So you are a cat shifter.” She murmured, “How old are you? How did you get left outside? Are your parents alive?”

Luna sighed. “Yes and around ten years old although shifters age remarkably fast. Especially cats because we are better than everyone. As for my parents, they really don’t matter because my Mom passed away forever ago and my Dad left me before heading to the Earth realm.

So, here I am! You thought you only adopted a cat and you got a kid. Pretty neat, right?”

Oh.

“Well,” Gray spoke and then her smile grew as Luna smiled back. “So, I’m like a parent and I didn’t have to even get pregnant? That’s some shit right there.”

I see the swearing issue now.

“Yep!” Luna smiled. “On that note, I’d like siblings but not yet because now that I’ve had the chance to shift, I’d like to do some cool shit, post war of course.

Oh, also I need a new bedroom because I have had to leave several times because of your gross adult stuff.

I mean get a room or better yet, get me a room. ”

Now, I was blushing.

“Hey, Luna,” Neo yawned as he walked over and messed up her hair.

What the actual hell?

“You knew?!” Gray exclaimed.

Neo tilted his head to the side. “I thought it was obvious. Granted, it took me a bit but once I considered it… it just made sense.”

Athens was there then hugging Luna as she let out a small childish giggle. The girl was adorable. “Luna! You finally shifted.”

“That’s because Rhodes was acting like an ass,” Taylor added.

Adyen tried to stop laughing. “How it is that everyone but Gray and the two shifters here didn’t realize you were a shifter.”

Luna shrugged. “Not sure. You guys are the adults. ”

“Wow,” Gray whispered, amused. “This takes the cake by far in regards to the most surprising things in my life.”

“Oh, talking about big life moments,” Luna stood on the table top. A sense of overprotective paternal bullshit had me leaning forward to catch her just in case she fell.

“I want to fight tomorrow,” she twirled on her foot. “I am super light on my feet and great with a thin sword.”

“No!” Gray exclaimed with horror.

I saw her panic as the thin young girl crossed her arms and leveled her mom with a very familiar 'Gray' look. I couldn’t help but smile because this was actually really cool. She looked nothing like any of us but that didn’t matter, she was part of our family.

Her white, like snow-white, hair was down to her waist and she was tanner than even myself.

I honestly could not believe what I was looking at right now.

“Mom!” she frowned. “Aren’t you the one always saying that women shouldn’t be limited by age or their gender?”

Gray’s mouth opened and closed as Athens chuckled.

“You are a kid,” she explained, “I don’t want you out there honey.”

“I figured.” She sighed flippantly. “That’s okay. I have a better way to help. I was thinking since Aunt Marabella and Esme are probably not fighting, the three of us could bring all the children and anyone else who didn’t plan to fight into the castle to keep them safe.”

You know what, I was officially claiming this kid as mine. She was fucking smart.

“Thanks, Dad!” She stated with a genuine smile. Oh. I’d said that out loud.

I felt a smile curl on my lips.

Talk about a day! Shit, I was a dad.

Oh fuck. Now I really was worried about tomorrow. It wasn’t just us adults anymore .

Gray

I couldn’t sleep. I needed to be ready far before dawn and my mind was a million different places, not even including the panic of realizing I’m essentially Luna’s adopted mom.

The girl was fucking awesome though, so I didn’t mind in the least. Her head was laid out on my lap as I gently petted her hair.

She was a beautiful girl and I couldn’t help but think about what would have happened if she had been left out on the streets any longer than she already had.