Page 7 of My Boyfriends Are All Monsters (Scared Sexy Collection #6)

Hemlock

I tried to profess my adoration by reshaping the bodies of her favorite vessels to be even grander than before.

Sapphires were absorbed from the deep mines and crushed into a fine mold to replace the eyes of the one she called Noah.

The vines that made up the doctor’s cheekbones shifted higher to match the look of the tightly dressed men in those bauble-selling magazines.

Pillows materialized beneath where she sat, lifting her off the hard floor.

It was a more straightforward approach, but I’d ruined the chance of a slower courtship as soon as she said my name.

She didn’t take it well. Instead of relaxing into her softer perch, she screamed and flung herself off it, backing into the corner of the room before her knees gave out and she cowered against the wall.

Pointing a shaking finger between Noah and Crane, she asked, “What the fuck are you? What do you want?”

Beside me, I could hear the frantic voice of her friend through the phone. I reached for it and ended the call, silencing the frantic cries. When Noah attempted to crawl a little closer, she ripped a lamp off the nightstand and swung at him.

I overpowered her easily and threw the lamp behind me to shatter into a pile of leaves on the wall. Lucy watched it happen with wild eyes. Her hands clawed the wall behind her, as if to tear through it bare-handed and escape.

“I want you to say that name again.”

“No!” she screamed, hands balled into fists against her ears as she violently shook her head.

“Ah, uh, don’t do that. Don’t speak all at once, like it’s normal!

” Lucy motioned for Noah to back farther away.

“Get rid of the Flannel Fabio and the creepy chanting townsfolk outside.” Then she pointed to Crane. “You speak.”

“Give me a moment.”

Bottling all that I am into one being is difficult, but sacrifices must be made in a loving relationship.

With great labor, I released all but the body she selected and crammed my consciousness into Crane.

The skin nearly ripped at the seams when the last of me fit inside.

To counteract the cramped space, I added a fetching set of eagle wings to his back. “Is this better?”

She eyed my new appendages warily. “Is that what you are? Some kind of angel?”

“If this form is pleasing, then that is what I will be.”

“That’s not an answer, Crane or Hemlock or whoever the fuck you are,” she snapped.

I laughed breathlessly. Even when spat like a curse, hearing my name on her lips was like fresh honey drizzled on the tongue.

“I’ve been called numerous things over the eons.

And I’ve heard that name praised in hymns and whispered into spiteful potions.

But hearing it on my Priestess’s lips for the first time in millennia is the purest, most untainted form of satisfaction. ”

“Priestess?”

I pulled her coin from my pocket. “Your token. You wished not to be alone anymore. To have the Hallmark-style love you see in movies. I can do that for you. I will. Call my name again and I’ll grant anything you wish.”

“So ... just to be clear, you’re not going to eat me?” Her words were rushed, like she’d trip over them if they didn’t spill out quickly enough.

Festering puddle of roadkill! I should have killed Shriek as soon as he laid eyes on my Priestess. “No, I’m not going to eat you.”

She waved a finger around us. “And this isn’t purgatory? I’m not dead?”

“You’ve been chatting with your friends this whole time. Why would you have cell reception in the afterlife?”

“Don’t get smart with me! Why is a wishing-well monster trying to seduce me with baked goods and rippling abs?” The flash of anger brought more color to her face until it reached the depth of rain-soaked earth. So mesmerizing that I wanted to crawl to her for a taste.

“I’m sorry,” I said instead.

“That’s still not an answer.”

I supposed it wasn’t. Ruling over a populace as a god and feasting on foolish travelers did not prepare you on how to properly soothe a potential mate. Why was dating so difficult?

“I wanted to grant your wish.”

Lucy’s lips pursed together. She clutched her hands to her shirt, twisting the fabric up into a nervous ball, and shivered. “To what end?”

“Till the next one. And the one after that, and then more still. Stay here with me and I’ll spoil you so rotten you’ll never want to leave.”

“Why?”

“Does someone need a reason to want you?”

She didn’t answer. Either she didn’t know or this was one of those things humans simply knew without much fuss.

As if to highlight the difference of our species, my essence pulsed against the flesh of my vessel so hard the skin split beneath my wings.

I used the opening to fit another smaller pair of wings under the first. Unfurling all four of them to better accommodate my being as I tried to come up with a suitable answer for my Priestess.

“Your blood is sweet.”

The choked gasp that racked her body told me that was not a suitable answer.

“I mean ... I like it when you say my name. You reminded me of who I was after so many years of being alone. When you tossed a coin down my well, you didn’t wish for power or riches or the death of an old enemy, as many have before.

I’m used to those wishes. At the height of my power, I could grant them with a snap of my fingers.

But you didn’t. You wished to be cherished. To not be alone anymore.”

Slowly, I eased myself to sit in front of her and took her balled-up fists into my hands.

Her warmth felt like fire on my frozen skin.

The feeling was so intense it was almost scalding, but save for her rejection, I wouldn’t release them for anything.

“I want that too. But more than that, I don’t want to let you go.

I want to touch you, taste and savor all that you are until my name cries from your lips like a prayer.

Tell me your desires and I’ll craft a life so beautiful you’ll wake each morning with a smile on your face. ”

“But I still don’t know what you are—is this even your real form?”

“I have no physical form. You may as well ask the wind which direction it naturally blows.”

She cocked her head to the side, and the fear bled from her brown eyes to give way to wide-eyed inquisitiveness.

The sight of it stirred feelings so intense that my essence flared again.

At least three of my ribs cracked in an attempt to hold it in place.

“Though, if I am honest, this form is too small to contain all of me. Would you oppose the sight of a larger creature? Or I could bring Noah back if you like.”

A nervous giggle escaped her lips. Then her face broke into a wide smile before bellowing laughter spilled out. “You don’t care what form you take so long as it’s big enough to fit you?”

I nodded.

Lucy dotted the wetness from her eyes with her sleeve. “Does that mean you could turn into something crazy like a kraken shifter if I asked?”

Releasing her hand, I backed away and released myself from the form of Dr. Crane.

Lucy watched transfixed as my vines took new shape.

Eight winding tentacles stretched along the room, while I shaped the torso and face to still take on the rugged, symmetrical features she seemed to like.

With so many extra appendages, this form suited my needs quite nicely.

Once finished, I presented myself to her. “Is this still to your liking?”

Her mouth fell open in shock. She looked away from me and brought a hand to her lips. Glancing back, she cleared her throat and asked, “Let’s say I could get on board with this. Will I be trapped on this mountain forever, or could I still leave and come back?”

The thought of her previous mate resting at the top of my mountain came to mind, and pestilent jealousy demanded I guide wolves to his encampment. Quelling my rage, I answered honestly. “I do not want you to leave. But I will not force you to stay.”

Catching her breath, Lucy stood and reached for me.

The invitation for consensual touch had me falling into her before I could control myself.

My arms slid around her back while all eight tentacles greedily wound themselves over any part of her perfect body that they could reach.

She stiffened at first before returning the gesture by taking as much of me as she could against her.

“Is this body big enough for you?”

“It’s still a little cramped. But it’s manageable. Unless you have another desire I could take the shape of?”

She laughed against my chest, and it tasted better than blood ever could.

“Let me snag the Kindle from my bag. I’m sure I could pick out a few more.”