Page 51 of My Monster’s Keeper

Becky

T he killing quietens down, but more people arrive, a crowd growing as demons, Shadows, Fae, and humans are unable to ignore the demand of the Siren's lethal song.

The neighbours are staring at us in shock and fear, clutching each other in support. I stand with my back to the house and my hands clasped behind me, waiting impatiently while the crowd grows person by person. Phones turn on, recording and uploading the images to the world.

More and more traitors appear, ready to fight for their ridiculous scheme.

Wilder stays by my side, just in case. A huge wall of protection that no one can get past. Diablos is a seething ball of rage, carefully masked by a human skin I haven’t seen before.

Behind me, I feel the poisonous song of the Siren rise into the air, surging louder.

Grant tries to get to his feet, but the song punches out, keeping him down.

“It’s time,” Diablos says.

I lift my chin, stepping closer to where Grant shudders on the lawn.

“I know a lot of you are going to think this is fake, created by AI or CGI, but the truth is there are worlds beyond our own. But with new worlds come allies and foes. We’re all going to have to get along.”

I feel a tingle, something that grabs at my soul. An awareness of something waking up. The omegas. They are waking up. I almost feel sorry for them.

I focus all my rage on Grant.

“Make it so everyone can see what they are,” I murmur, and the song changes.

Grant’s form ripples, and then he stands up as a creature about six feet tall with wide scales and knee caps that go backwards instead of forwards. His face is pointed and narrow, and he appears to be blind.

Whatever he is, he’s ugly.

“You conspired with known enemies of humanity to enslave the Earth,” I say loudly .

Grant giggles, even as he’s forced back down to his knees. “You’re taking this queen bit way too far. It was for figurehead purposes.”

“Hey, you forced me into this! Now suffer my wrath.”

“What are you going to do? Ground me? Paint my nails tangerine?”

“Well, I was going to start with decapitation, but maybe I should think this through. Torture is a finer art I have yet to learn, and I have so many willing beings wanting to teach me.”

Grant cracks his neck and stands up, ignoring the Sirens’ song. I can see the strain it puts on him, though.

“You’re just a middle class, weak ass demon who got his ass handed to him in his own world, so he came here to play the big man with beings weaker than him.”

Grant’s grin widens, his jaw almost separating from the rest of his face. “This is true. It’s fun watching these blood bags die.”

I shake my head. “You lied to me.”

“You were so easy to lie to.”

“You betrayed me.”

“Again, as easy as taking candy from a baby.”

“You sold us out to the Fae and to the Shadows.”

“I did that. The negotiations were a bit rough, but we got there.”

“You tortured me.”

Grant snorts a laugh. “I’ve wanted to, so, so badly for so long. Oh, to see you scream. To taste your despair. It was my reward for all these years of putting up with your incessant whining. The only thing I regret is that those alphas couldn’t rape you and really ruin you.”

I turn to face him and stare at him coldly. “You are despicable. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Grant smiles. “It was worth it. Watching them die. Knowing that I was sending them to their deaths. Coaxing you into working for a department of men I’d already corrupted. Knowing they’d kill you.”

“What happened there?” I ask because it’s the one thing I haven’t been able to figure out.

“Oh, I felt the presence of your toys. I had to change the plan. I knew they’d keep you alive. But they’d have known what I was straight away. But they think they’ve been helping to kill monsters. They never once realised they were covering up our crimes for us. Humans are so easy to manipulate.”

I shake my head. “You had it all figured out.”

“Well, no, I didn’t expect you to spread your whore legs and sleep with them,” Grant spits furiously. “That was not in my plan. You were supposed to see them as monsters, not fuck them.”

I shrug my shoulders. “Guess we both disappointed each other.”

“I guess we did.”

Wilder places a huge hand on my shoulder. “It’s time.”

Stix and Puppy step out onto the roof and watch from above. Frost is standing a little ways away, near the dying garden, and the five Sirens are lined up near the house. They sing louder, and all the humans turn and walk away.

I wonder absently where the Healer is and then decide it doesn’t matter right now.

“Grant of the Fae realm, you have abused, defiled, tortured, and murdered humans for your pleasure-”

“And the pleasure of the world at large,” Grant adds in. “Whoops, sorry, please continue.” He zips his mouth shut and smiles encouragingly at me.

“We’ve decided to kill you and just, well, do the world a favour.” I shrug my shoulders. “Nothing personal.”

Grant stares at me. “When did you get so cold?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Why are you having so much fun?”

Grant lunges forward, and Wilder is thrown backwards into the house across the road. My friend’s hand lands on my shoulder and squeezes painfully, but I refuse to bend, I refuse to break.

“Because you’re not in charge,” Grant whispers into my ear. “I am.”

I snort and start to laugh. He shakes me so hard my teeth snap together, but I can’t take him seriously.

“You think so?”

“I just threw your massive meat boyfriend into the neighbour’s house. I am in charge.”

I shake my head and smile up at him. My hair starts to float.

I grab at the shadows, pulling them to me.

The fire and ice is close by, but I seize Puppy’s gift to me, letting my human shape shift and reform.

Until I’m standing with huge black talons and a body of scales, I’m an extra three feet taller.

My teeth are long and wicked sharp. I’m part something else now .

Part Grim.

Grant frowns. “That’s cheating.”

I snort a laugh. “No, I evened the playing field.”

“You’re some kind of mutant tri-breed.”

I roll my eyes.

“Why didn’t you try to kill me when I tortured you?” Grant asks.

“Because I needed to know who your people were. It’s the only reason I waited so long. Diablos and I knew that we had to do whatever it took to get all of you. I think you went a bit too far, though. Trying to bring on a heat.”

Grant stares at me, his face getting pale as he realises that we are indeed surrounded by his people. The traitors. All of those that I wanted to flush out. Because I was standing here looking weak and useless. I’ve allowed Grant to posture. I’ve allowed him to look big and strong.

In front of the camera crews.

While the Sirens sang their summons in the background.

I bare my teeth in a vicious smile.

“The wonderful thing about being human is how quickly we spread the word. You might have magic and strength, but we have technology.”

Grant frowns and then looks around, really looks around. His eyes widen, and his nostrils flare. A sure sign of panic.

“Your whole army is here. Witness the end,” I say softly. “Okay, you can kill them all now,” I say gently.

Diablos explodes forward, bursting out of his skin, and seizes Grant by the back of the neck. He forces him to the ground. The demon looks terrible. Red ichor runs from a dozen cuts, but his eyes are positively blazing.

“You’re dead, you little shit.”

I can feel Stix, Puppy, Wilder, and Frost charging the demons that came to the summons. The Sirens walk out to meet the army. Cutting through them like they’re butter.

I listen to the screams of the dead and dying but keep my eyes on Grant.

“Is this what you wanted?”

“Obviously not. I wanted to make humanity our slaves. They are such an ugly race. So primitive and helpless.”

“Grant… ”

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t get soft now, Becky. Just cut the head off the snake and be done with it.”

I flex my razor sharp talons and close my eyes momentarily. “You should have known better than to go up against me. You never could win.”

Grant smiles. “That did cross my mind. But world domination was hard to resist.”

I slash out, my nails cut through flesh and muscle easily. Diablos grabs his head and tears it from his body.

He then sets the two pieces on the dead lawn and sets them on fire.

“Asshole.”

“Agreed,” I say softly. I stand there next to my giant friend? Boss? I don’t know what he is. Perhaps ally is the best description of our relationship.

“Hartley is waiting for you.”

Diablos’ eyes widen and then close for a moment in pure relief, so visceral that I feel it like a gut punch. “He’s alive?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“The hotel where you had us stay when-” I don’t get any more words out before he vanishes into thin air.

I rock back on my heels and wait while the guys destroy everyone that shows up. They can’t run, the Siren's magic is holding them in place. And no one is a match for my army.

It’s almost peaceful listening to the screams. Almost.

***

“Okay, we’ve established that anyone who comes through the portals needs to apply for a visa.

” Diablos nods and pushes his thick glasses up his nose.

“So far, it’s working. I’ve got some really strong, really dumb Shadow and Fae who are willing to stand and protect the portals in exchange for… some things.”

I narrow my eyes. “What things?”

Diablos winces. “Well, they really like having sex with humans, and there’s this human fan club with a fetish focus,” Diablos says delicately.

“You’re paying them in sex?”

Diablos stiffens and scowls. “They didn’t want money or clothes or food.”

“No one is getting hurt?”

“No.”

“As long as it all stays consensual. I don’t care. Who am I to say anything?” I point out. “Besides, they aren’t wrong. Sex with monsters is next level.”

“ANYWAY!” Diablos growls. “There are quite a few Shadows and Fae hiding on Earth, but they seem content to remain hidden and quiet.

“As long as they stay that way,” I agree. “And don’t cause any trouble.”

“Listen, about this queen stuff-”

“What about it?” I ask defensively.

“Well, you’re still queen. You make the decisions.”

I scowl. “But I’m a no one. I’m just a random woman living in this world.”

“But you are who they chose. They will listen to the human governments to a point, but it’s you who have final say.”

I shudder.

“Just keep that in mind.”

We fall silent. Hartley walks into the office and dumps a huge platter of cookies on the table.

“Have we got all the ringleaders? Do we know why they did all this?”

“They were all mid-level Shadows and Fae. They were sick of being at the bottom of the pile. When they came here, they were stronger than humans, and it was easy to just take over this world.”

“Do we know what the damage was?”

Diablos opens up his tablet. “We think roughly three thousand humans in the last forty years. But if they’d have succeeded, it would have entered the millions.”

I close my eyes. “That won’t happen again.”

“No. They won’t be the last to try to take over. Humanity is still young, weak. We are all that stands between them and annihilation.”

I glance over my shoulder and find Puppy staring at me. My skin crawls but in a good way.

“Have you come to rescue me or steal me?”

“Both,” he growls.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“It’s okay, we’re done. I owe Hartley some ‘us’ time, and also, you five are on vacation. Go see a beach, get some sun, tan. Whatever.”

“Is our house done yet? ”

Diablos mutters and pulls out a set of keys and throws them at me. “It’s the house you wanted.”

“Thanks, Boss.”

He wrinkles his nose. “None of that, or I’ll be forced to curtsy.”

“What’s a curtsy?” Puppy asks suspiciously.

“Get the fuck out of my house already,” Diablos growls.

I laugh as I lead Puppy out the front of the home Diablos is renting. Stix, Frost, and Wilder are leaning on a huge black SUV. A present from our adoring boss.

Stix is learning to drive so he can be less anxious.

I climb into the car and wait while they arrange themselves inside.

“Where are we going?” Stix asks me softly, his hands flexing on the steering wheel.

“Home. Let’s go explore our new house, and then we can go anywhere we want. Has anyone been to a beach before?”