Page 175 of My Monster’s Keeper

Diablos looks at me and grins. I shake my head, amused despite myself. He’s got a soft spot for these four. They came through together a week ago, clearly an accident of coincidence. But fate couldn’t have shouted louder.

Diablos has fought hard to keep them together.

I’m not sure why, but I trust his instincts. He says there is something about this foursome that is so powerful they make the Siren brothers look like toddlers.

I’m not sure. The four of them are psychotic and vicious and hate each other more than they hate anything else. I watched a video once of two poisonous snakes duelling to the death, and that’s what this feels like.

Puppy walks past me, a huge, gigantic lizard-like creature called a Grim. He flicks his tail, whipping it in my face as he launches up the side of the nearest building.

I watch in amusement.

Diablos convinces them to listen, telling them about the omegas who are waiting, who are dying, who are needing them.

They go to the house he found for them. I stay near the fence line because Puppy finds my presence offensive. We all try not to upset Puppy.

Day after day, week after week, we continue in this vein, trying to teach them, trying to show them. Diablos has several near misses, but so do I. I’m starting to loathe them, but I really pity the poor omega stuck with these creatures. She’ll be lucky to survive a night with them.

Di keeps telling me to have faith and that it will be okay, but I’m not sure. The things I’ve seen these four do go beyond anything in the last two years.

But they are at least tolerating each other now.

Diablos comes out of their house an hour later with blood leaking from his lip and smoke curling from his nose, a sure sign he’s annoyed.

“You all right?”

“I don’t want to talk about them anymore!” he says shortly and takes my hand in his. Crimson colours the world as he steps between reality, taking us from here to there in seconds.

He grabs my shirt collars and spins me around and around until the back of my legs hit the edge of our bed.

“I am so sick of their bullshit. And do you know all I could think about while I was trying not to die?”

“No, what?” I whisper as he holds me up, unbalanced.

“I was thinking I just want to be inside you, fucking you, having you moan my name. Fuck these guys. They can eat each other for all I care. I just want my mate.”

I gasp at his words, falling backwards a little, but he catches me, holds me up with an arm around my waist. Our groins joined, cocks pressed together, and he is hard!

“You can have me,” I say hoarsely.

“Oh, I’m going to. Over and over. Tonight, they can all fend for themselves. Tonight is the anniversary of the day we met, and I’m going to fuck you so hard you can find the imprint of my cock in your ass.”

“Diablos!” I say faintly.

“I need you, Hart. I need you everywhere,” he whispers, and I melt as I always do because I’ve been his since the day I laid eyes on him, even if I did fight it for a while.

“I need you more. I always have, and I always will.”

And truer words have not been spoken. My life was grey and dull. I waded through it, never feeling too much, never hoping for more. Until him. He breathed hot life into my lungs and made all the wrong make sense.

I am something special with him. I’m his something special. I’m not a washed up cop who disappointed his spouse and couldn’t provide a lavish life.

I’m his partner, his confidant, his lover, his mate. I don’t need to be anything else for him.

He tilts us towards the bed, his long tail twining up around my leg, grazing over my balls, sending white lightning need through me.

Fuck, him having a tail is hot.

I fall backwards, but huge red wings unfold and catch us in midair. The bed is gone, we’re somewhere else, the air is warm, and I can smell the ocean.