Page 11 of My Monster’s Keeper

Becky

I t freezes solid a finger’s length from my face. I’m still frozen, holding my breath, when Stix lands. He grips my arm and yanks me into his long arms. I cling to him, keeping my eyes on the monster.

Frost walks around it and raps on the skull of the creature. “What is this?”

“Female Amshrilleeg,” Stix growls. “Her scent was in the air but covered with the male’s musk. We almost lost you, poppet.”

“There were so many teeth,” I say in a daze.

“I have more,” Puppy says happily. “I’m hungry.”

Frost glances at us and shrugs. “Eat, then.” The creature thaws, and before it can make a single sound, Puppy bites into its skull, causing a gush of blue fluid to hit the wall with a wet slap.

My knees buckle, but Stix holds me up.

“Interesting specimen.” Wilder cuts off a limb and inspects the leg.

Puppy growls and pounces, his mouth devouring the whole limb and half of Wilder’s arm. He closes his mouth with a smack and rolls his strange eyes.

Wilder pushes the Grim off his arm and walks towards the Prince.

“The creature should not be here. They are rare and locked up in the caves in Ableth.”

“What is Ableth?” I ask.

“It’s a place where we send the most dangerous of my kind. To them, it is Ableth, but my kind call it the Pit.” Stix says and rubs his cheek with a finger. His eyes are unfocused and lost in thought.

“So, it’s a prison for bad guys?” I clarify.

Three men tilt their heads to the side, considering that.

“Why, yes, I believe it is. Places to wait to be tortured or eaten. A prison. Ableth has another name,” Frost announces with amusement. “Well done, human.”

I narrow my eyes on the Fae prince. Is he mocking me ?

“Shall we set this alight and leave? There is a thing called a burrito that I’m anxious to try.” Frost leans back on his heels and hums. “And spaghetti.”

He pronounces it wrong, but I don’t care. I’m too fascinated by the almost lustful expression on his face.

“Hurry up, Puppy,” Stix says and tightens his arms around me.

He starts walking, and I instantly get a little seasick. Puppy gives the floor a final lick, scurries for the wall, and vanishes up the side of it. I peer for as long as I can, but I can’t find him anywhere.

We get outside, and it’s like a shock to the system. It doesn’t feel real. The cold, clean air is a relief after the horrible stench inside.

Frost glances at Wilder. It’s a strange look, one of silent command. I can’t work out who listens to whom. They both seem to alternate who is in charge.

“Are they out?”

“Did you think I would waste our time?” Wilder growls disdainfully. “Yes, Your Highness, the vermin are safe. The building is empty.”

Frost lifts his hand and wiggles his index finger.

The building bursts into sky blue flames. I watch with my mouth hanging open. But I don’t get to see much because Stix passes me back up to Wilder. Way up. The giant steed lets out a ferocious snort and stamps a foot. Clearly, it hates me. I don’t muchly care, the feeling is mutual.

“Balefire, behave.”

The horse snaps at Stix, who glowers back and then moves nimbly out of the way with a creepy grace that makes me hold my breath.

With a swift kick to the giant horse, Wilder and I fly down the road. The horse leaps and moves us faster than I can see, and I have to close my eyes and melt into Wilder to stop from being violently ill. It takes minutes, and then the evil beast jerks to a brain slamming halt.

“Okay, you can get down now,” Wilder announces in that haughty voice of his.

I shake my head. “Can’t.”

Wilder snorts and slides off the horse. He reaches up and grabs me and places me heavily on the ground. As soon as he releases my arms, my legs collapse. I’m grabbed back to a hard chest.

“What ails you, human?”

“Your horse moves fast,” I say absently .

Wilder scowls. I see that much before I squeeze my eyes closed. He walks into the house and stops dead.

“What is this?”

I peel open my eyes and look around. “This is what is called ‘basic human needs’”

Wilder investigates the couch. I pull myself out of his arms and slide onto it, laying down and moaning.

“The vines are not real,” he growls.

“Nope. Pattern, fabric. Ugh, let me die.”

“I shall not. I have much to learn about this planet. Only when you are rendered useless will I allow you to perish.”

I part my lips and pant, hoping that will help, but then something thick, wet, and muscular shoves its way into my mouth and down my throat.

I try to scream, flail my arms around, bite down, but I can’t even pierce the skin. I doubt I’m even denting it. My panic overwhelms me, and I reach out, grabbing shoulders, arching my back. Pressure builds in my head, and I go a little foggy. It’s so damn thick.

The tongue strokes the inside of my throat, and my eyes bulge. It does it again, and it doesn’t feel awful. A moan rising up through me, and I reach out, gripping the dragon’s head, pulling him closer.

“Puppy!” Wilder thunders. “Get your tongue out of the human.”

The tongue retracts, and I gasp for air.

“Why does your camouflage change colour to red? How will that help you hide? Perhaps it’s a warning pulse,” Puppy murmurs.

He leans forward and runs his nose over my cheeks, which burn hotter, because no man has ever kissed me so thoroughly, and that tongue is doing bad things to all my poor sex-deprived brain cells.

It wasn’t a kiss, you ridiculous woman. He’s plotting to eat you!

I sit up and stagger away from all four of them. Inside, I find a fridge, and, inside that, I find food. In fact, the whole kitchen is packed with food. But it’s all wrong.

It’s going to take me hours to go through all this and put it in the right place.

Stix sees my dismay and puts his hands on my shoulders. “I will help you. Just tell me what you need.”

I explain, and, to my surprise, he, Wilder, and Frost get the shopping sorted with my guidance in just under an hour. Stix then carries me upstairs to my room and opens the door.

“I like that you are feeling poorly,” he murmurs .

“Why?”

“Because I like to carry you and feel you like this.”

My cheeks heat up, and I have this desire to wiggle free and put some space between us. Or turn my face slightly and kiss his jaw. Either would be good. I don’t move. He sets me down, and, after having a quick shower, I lay down on my bed, hoping the dizziness will fade.

I hear a nose and look up to find Puppy crawling down the wall. He studies me, and I wait to see if I have to shoot him tonight, but he lies on his new dog bed and curls up in a ball.

Within minutes, he lets out a disturbingly peaceful purr that drags me deep down into a slumber. It’s only later, I rise from sleep enough to realise that Wilder is asleep on my left and Stix on my right.

The weirdness of that stuns me, but I’m too tired to care. I slide back under with Puppy’s purr, my powerful lullaby drug.

***

I jog down the stairs and answer the door with a smile. “Gimme, gimme, gimme.”

The man scoffs and shakes his head. “You are adorably rude when it comes to your weapons.”

“It killed me to get rid of them when I joined the force.”

“And aren’t you glad I held them for you? I never pictured you working for them, anyway.”

“Really?”

“Really. They are as corrupt as they come.” The guy has short blond hair, big blue eyes, and a smile that’s charmed the knickers off far too many girls and the boxers off far too many guys. He’s an equal opportunity lover. But, luckily, never mine.

“How does everyone know that?” I wail. “I had no idea. You know this is on the down low. I’m officially dead, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Stix pushes the door open and glares out. “Who are you?”

“Freddy Pine,” Freddy says with a seductive purr as he looks Stix up and down. “And who are you?”

“Can we eat it?” Puppy asks from the shadows .

“No!” I shout. “This is another delivery person. Puppy, no eating.”

“Oh, I’m sure we can arrange some eatin-”

I slam a hand over Freddy’s mouth. “Do not finish that sentence.”

“Is it? What food is it delivering?” Wilder bellows from deeper in the house. “Did it bring bagels?”

“Not food!” I say excitedly. “Weapons.”

“She gets excited about weapons. I like this human,” Puppy says and leans against the side of the house, looking intimidating and sexy and nothing like the monster that I know.

Freddy is watching the conversation like he’s watching a tennis match.

I can see the questions rising to the surface like air bubbles on a lake.

But his lust-filled eyes are pinned to Stix and Puppy.

He’s not sure which one to flirt with first. I can see it.

I rub my temples and snap my fingers in front of Freddy’s face.

“Don’t ask, Freddy. I’m serious.”

Frost walks out without a shirt on and scratches his chest. “What are Pop-Tarts?”

I tilt my head back, staring up at the sky. “Why? Why me?”

Freddy’s eye bulge. “ Who are you ?”

“I am Frost, Lost Prince of the Unseelie Court, the Scion of fire and ice, the most dangerous and feared warrior in the Kingdom of Eternal Winter,” Frost says with majesty. “And who are you?”

Freddy looks dazzled. He opens his mouth, but a creak on floor boards makes him pause.

“Try one and find out,” Wilder says around a mouthful of Coco Pops.

It appears he is eating them straight from the box, without milk.

It’s criminal. He also is shirtless, and where Frost is slim with a lean swimmer’s build, Wilder is all muscle with scars, of course.

I want to study them both, too, but another time.

Where I don’t have to worry about stopping them from eating my delivery guy.

No, I won’t think about it.

I don’t even care about how much they’ve eaten or the mess as long as they play nice. There are weapons. Lovely, sharp, shiny weapons. I try to focus, but I hate the way Freddy is stroking Frost’s arm.

The Fae prince is watching the hand on his arm with growing ire.

I reach for the bag and check. All my weapons are there, plus a new pretty.

I glance up to check on them and find Frost with his hand on Freddy’s nape, holding the poor guy on his knees.

Freddy does not look unhappy with this development .

“Frost,” I warn.

“He attempted to kiss me,” Frost says haughtily.

“How incredibly rude,” I mock.

“I am a prince of the Unseelie Court. A crown prince. I do not kiss…humans,” Frost says in disgust.

Ow, that hurts. I sniff and narrow my eyes. After a silent battle, he lets Freddy go and stalks into the house.

Puppy crouches beside Freddy, leaning into his space, sniffing his neck and face. “Hmm, I’ll kiss you. It will be the best kiss of your life. Life ending,” Puppy coos. “Just a little nibble.”

“Puppy!” I snap.

Freddy looks at me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. Are they your-”

“Yes,” I say with resignation. “They are my boyfriends. I’m an insatiable sex addict who needs all four of them to keep me satisfied, and if you touch them, I might have to kill them or you,” I say deadpan.

But perhaps he’s looking for an easy out because Freddy just shrugs. “All good. Sorry about the confusion.”

We talk weapons for several minutes, and then I stand on the porch and watch him leave. Stix and Puppy flank me, Wilder is still eating Coco Pops, and Frost, damn him, is just inside the door. I can feel his gaze on me.

“Now,” Stix says slowly once the car is gone. The tone of his voice alarms me, and I turn to watch him warily. “What exactly is a boyfriend? And a sex addict because I rather liked the sound of that threat.”

My mind blanks, and my stomach turns fizzy. “Who wants to try pancakes?” I blurt out.

“A good distraction,” Wilder murmurs. “I accept your offer.”

Stix growls but doesn’t ask me again, while Puppy’s damn tongue flicks out, licking at my lips quickly, there and gone. Making my body get hot and heavy and all kinds of things I’m not willing to look at.

“Let's go,” I snarl.