Page 158 of My Monster’s Keeper

Puppy hisses menacingly. “Let's go.”

“No,” Frost says coldly. “We need to plan this. Last time, we underestimated them, and we ended up completely outmaneuvered.”

I hate that he’s right, but they did. Grant played us. He knew our weaknesses. He knew they would try to protect me.

He knew I would fight for them.

I don’t think he knew how strongly I felt about them or that if I had the choice of saving the world and losing them or leaving the world to burn, I’d light the damn fire myself.

I’m not even sure that I knew what I’d do until that minute.

“We need to do something completely unexpected.” I peer around at them. “Luckily, we have the best combination of minds to make exactly that decision.”

***

Puppy leans over the top of me, watching our target building. If anyone else had been hovering over me the way he is, I might be annoyed. But there is something comforting about the giant, aggressive Grim rumbling his displeasure into my spine.

Okay, and it’s arousing. Who wouldn’t be turned on? The heat keeps spiking, but, so far, it’s not returned the way it was in the factory. Did they break me?

No, don’t think about that.

Stix lies on the building roof beside me and slithers to the edge. Its fucking creepy and also…again, distractingly arousing.

A hand creeps up the back of my leg, settling on my inner thigh, causing my breath to hitch.

“I’m a fan of stakeouts,” Frost whispers.

I hiss as my skin gets cold and then heats.

“We’re supposed to be watching.”

“I am. I’m capable of multitasking,” Frost murmurs. Puppy rolls off and disappears. Frost kisses my spine. “I’ll see you when it’s time.”

I turn my head and watch him and Wilder slink back away from the roof.

The door to the house opens, and Grant walks out. He jogs to the neighbours and chats with the kid for a long couple of minutes.

I curl my lip. I don’t know if he knows I’m here. This is exactly the type of crap he would pull, though, sucking up to neighbours and strangers. Making me feel like the biggest, most antisocial bitch in the world while people fawned over him.

Grant is a master manipulator and charming as fuck. All the neighbours probably have his cell number and will ring him the moment they see us.

It’s ingenious.

It’s diabolical.

It’s weird because, when I look at him, I see the guy who bandaged my knee. Who hugged me when I cried. All those life events, he was there for them. Now, he’s also the guy who tortured me, kept me locked in a cage, and separated me from my guys.

He’s both good and bad. The Grant before and the Grant after. I can’t see them as the same, or I think I will go mad.

Night falls with a slowness that makes me feel ill. Too slow. I want to get this over with.

I drop off the building and am caught by Wilder, who carefully lowers me to the ground.

“He’ll have Diablos in the bedroom. Maximum damage,” I say as we walk towards the house.

The door is unlocked when I push it open. I can’t see Stix or Puppy. But Frost and Wilder stay with me.

I slip into the house, my eyes adjust quickly to the dark. The house is torn apart. I edge in until I see the TV showing blue fuzz. It reminds me of my childhood. I press my lips together firmly and look up. The ceiling is covered in black lines like someone got a marker and drew all over it.