Page 112 of My Monster’s Keeper

Just in time because the emotions burst forth in a savage blaze of my power. The Grim sits on the roof watching me, and I wonder how thrilling hunting this despicable creature might be.

He hisses, his scales rattling, not in fear but in challenge.

Hunt. Blood. Need. Violence. Chase. Agony.

The words smash into my mind, and the Grim moves its weight, redistributing so that he’s got a better chance to escape or attack.

His eyes are locked on me, and I on him. This room is small, but I’ve killed in smaller. I take in every single part of the room. The dirt in the corner on the floor, just a speck, the broken cupboard hinge, the screw only just hanging in. I calculate the table’s weight and assess the probability of it being used as a weapon.

The air currents are moving through the room, not fast but slow, and they waft his scent…wait, and another. I turn, and, in the doorway, I see her.

Becky.

My warrior.

For a moment, I was lost, but the need to hunt is still there, pulsing in my blood. I don’t want to hurt her.

“You won’t,” she says. “Trust me.”

“I will not allow you to hurt my mate,” the Grim growls. “She wants to play.”

Have they lost their minds? She’s human. Except she does the wrong thing. She turns and runs. Through the house and out into the world. I can hear her getting further away. It doesn’t matter that the others are tracking her. It doesn’t matter that they are keeping her safe.

She ran. And now I need to hunt her.

The world blurs around me in a cascade of sound and colour, my brain takes it all in and spits out her path and the fastest way of catching her. But that’s not what I want. I want to lead her.

My magic snaps out, seizing the minds of the animals around us. Cats, dogs, rats, possums, other creatures rush to cut off her path. I feel the moment it works. She turns, and I adjust my course.

I let her run for an hour or two until we get close to the edges of this city. Only then do I leap off the skyscraper I’m perched on and soar down to her. She laughs as she puts on a burst of speed, and I get the distinct impression she knows I’m there.

Not that it will help her.

I swoop down on her, throwing her to the ground. She rolls onto her back and kicks up at me. I hiss, my wings ruffle, but it doesn’t deter her. Becky fights like it’s the only option she has. I end up dropping down over her, straddling her body, her wrists pinned above her head.

Her chest heaves, pushing at the thin fabric. I snarl at it and rip it off her.

“Stop ripping my clothes!” she snaps.

I look at her, cock my head to the side, and rip her jeans off her. The tiny scraps of fabric that hide her pussy and her breasts disintegrate.

She glares at me, fierce and pissed off.

I back off her and smile. She struggles to her feet and clenches her hands into fists. I don’t miss how she looks around, checking to see if there’s anyone. There’s not. Between the four of us, we’ve locked it down. No one will see her but us.

“Now run.”

“I’m naked. I’m not running through the forest naked.”

I tilt my head to the side and smile. She shudders and takes a backward step.

“Run, little warrior,” I croon.

Her lips part, and her pupils expand. “This isn’t right.” She sounds like she’s having fun.

I take a step. She whirls and flies off into the dark. I wait and then tilt my head back and howl. The sound punches into the night and sends birds flying from their nests.

I set off, unerringly following the trail she is leaving. Sometimes, I let her get some distance, sometimes I watch her struggling. I lose track of time, mesmerized by the lithe way she moves.