Page 137 of My Monster’s Keeper

I want to kill him just for pain he’s put on her face.

“Stix,” Frost murmurs, glancing around us.

I know. I acknowledge the growing crowd with what may very well be the first time I’ve felt fear.

I recognise a lot of these beings from the meeting Diablos held, but I don’t see Diablos or Hartley. That is somewhat of a relief.

“You’re one of them?” Becky asks in a broken whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We had reasons,” Grant says with a smirk. “There’s a rumour about the queen of omegas. Have you heard of it?”

Becky nods her head. “Ridiculous nonsense. Humans don’t do queens or kings of entire worlds.”

“Yeah, except we never asked humans what they wanted. We went through, and with my gift at finding omegas, we marked them all in their first few years. We found her, this tiny queen. When she was a baby, we found her.”

Becky blinks, and I have a sinking feeling I know where this is going. Is there some way for one of us to escape? I glance around, but we’re hopelessly outnumbered. We could take them. But we’d lose her in the attempt. We all know it.

It’s why Wilder is still and silent.

It’s why Frost the Unseelie Prince is motionless.

It’s why Puppy hasn’t massacred everyone yet.

We’d lose her. We can’t. Not a single one of us will risk her.

“You found the omega queen? Where is she, then?” She laughs. “Did you misplace her?”

“We did. Some interfering witch hid the child, so we’ve been watching ten thousand babies to see who will bloom into the omega queen because one of you will. It was just a matter of time.”

“Jokes on you.”

Grant just smiles.

She’s so beautiful. I drink her in until she looks at me. She frowns, her eyes growing more desperate and afraid by whatever she sees in my face. She looks at the others until she’s all but stopped moving, her face white.

“I’m not.” Her protest is weak.

“We found you. Tiny, little, squalling pink infant that you are. Here you are blooming at long last,” Grant bursts into hysterical laughter and swipes at his eyes, “sorry, I had so much fun making your life miserable. Little, forgotten, unwanted, spiteful little you. Dumping you in the worst homes. Giving you all the bad luck. I made your life a misery. We worked to ensure that your heart is as dark as we could make it. Becky Dawson, an orphan, with a foster father who hates her, a world that rejects her, who is now the omega who will destroy this realm. Do you like the beauty of it?”

Her eyes are so wide, absorbing blow after blow. I take a step, but the crowd grumbles threateningly. Puppy growls back, baring his teeth.

“You’re helpless and absolutely nothing. Look at you,” Grant mocks. “You hated the world, and now you’re going to see its ruin.”

“You were there with me. We were friends,” Becky says in a strained voice.

“That’s what made it even more delicious. You had no idea.” Grant snickers, but when she pulls away from him, he yanks her back viciously. “Omega queen is a kind of pointless title. You’ll do what I say.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?” She spits.

Good girl, show your teeth.

“Because,” Grant says, slowly lifting his eyes to us. “I have them.”

“They’ll kill you,” Becky says confidently. “They are mine, and they won’t abandon me, and I won’t abandon them.”

Her eyes meet mine. It’s a promise. One I will do everything in my power to keep.

“No, they won’t. You’ve found a way to neuter the most powerful beings that ever walked any of the three realms. They won’t hurt us at all. In fact, I think you’ll find they’ll do exactly as I say.” He grins, and his lips part too far. He’s not one of mine. This Grant has come from the Fae world, but he’s working with mine. “Kneel, Grim.”