Page 8 of My Monster’s Keeper

Becky

I hear the sound of a car, and it brings me out of sleep with a sharp jolt.

For a moment of deep panic, I can’t remember where I am or why the sound of a car sends such fear through me, but the events of yesterday catch me up in a series of still frames in my mind.

And I remember why I need to be awake for deliveries.

My team might try to eat the delivery men.

Yup. That won’t go well. I race flat out towards the front door. I slam into it, letting out a grunt of annoyance as it catches and resists opening. With a reluctant squeal, it gives way, and I find my delivery driver pressed against the side of his truck.

“Hands off!” I shout out.

Wilder curls his lip and looks over his shoulder at me. “Let us handle this intruder, human.”

“No, I’m not an intruder, I’m delivery. I got your parcels!” The man shouts.

“His skin is not pink,” Puppy says with a considering look between the two of us. My skin breaks out in goosebumps.

“You got something to say about my skin colour?” The delivery man snarls, his fear turning to outrage in an instant.

“This human comes with camouflage capabilities.” Puppy walks up to me and around me, giving me an inspection that makes the hair on the back of my neck lift. “What’s wrong with this model? Does it have other hidden protections?”

“Say what now? Is he high?”

I force a laugh. “Worse, they’re method actors studying for their final.”

The driver’s face clears. “Oh. Right. Well, I want to get this stuff off the truck and get out of here. So, uh, back off, Hercules.”

“What is a Hercules?” Wilder snaps in my direction.

“A hero, someone strong and brave. It’s a compliment. Now, ease off so he can open the doors of the truck and deliver the essentials so I don’t kill you four. ”

Puppy considers me. “Do you have more poison in a can hidden on your person?”

The delivery man bites his lower lip and snickers. “Pepper or mace?”

“I maced him.”

“Good call, I would have, too.”

The delivery man starts unloading a whole lot of boxes. I have to divide my attention between helping him and stopping them from making off with the boxes.

“You would like these in your chambers?”

I startle at the soft question, finding Frost politely standing beside me. “Please.”

He inclines his head and snaps at Stix and Wilder, who pick up stacks of boxes and carry them to my room. I stay and watch the excitable dragon. He examines the boxes and taps on one with a long claw.

I start to sweat while trying to peek at the driver to see if he’s noticed.

Finally, the delivery driver finishes unloading and puts his hands on his hips. “Well, good luck with your assignment.”

Puppy cocks his head to the side. “Indeed, it shall be most thrilling.” He glances at me. “And tasty.”

I side-eye the dragon, who moves closer to me. He puts an arm around my back and caresses my hip. I shudder, but he’s got this scent that smells like wood burning. I have to fight not to lean into him.

“Get off me,” I growl through my teeth.

He ducks his head down and sniffs at my neck while the truck ambles down the driveway.

“Puppy,” I warn, though the name feels weird.

He growls low in his throat. I tense, fear flashing through me, making my senses sharp and turning the world crystal. He’s switched skins again, and now there’s a larger mouth with dozens of teeth. I can see him out of the corner of my eye, and he’s terrifying and beautiful.

The hand on my hip has claws that dig in, dragging me mercilessly closer to him.

I feel something wrap around my leg and glance down to find his tail coiled around my leg, dangerously close to the junction of my thighs.

I feel a hot flush and then a liquid heat. A low hum of arousal takes me by surprise. Nope. Hell nope.

He inhales sharply, and I sense a whole new tension in his body.

Fuck !

“Do you want to lose your tongue, lizard?” Wilder snarls.

Puppy launches himself away from me, scurries onto the wall of the house, and vanishes. I let out an explosive breath and try to stop my knees from shaking.

I straighten up and avoid looking at Wilder. “Uh, thanks for that.”

“You must be careful. Puppy is a Grim, and Grims always bring death wherever they go.”

“Humans believe Grim’s just foretell death.”

“A common misconception, they deliver death,” Wilder says and glances up at the building. “They are insatiable and need it.”

“So, he’s not going to stop wanting to kill me?” I ask and almost feel sad about it.

“We don’t know. It’s an experiment.”

Ire shoots through me. “One that should have been told to me before I signed on for this.”

“What’s in the boxes?”

I’ll allow the subject change for now.

“Want to help me open them?”

Wilder considers me for a long moment. “Yes. Yes, I want to open boxes.”

I grin at him and pick up a stack and lead him into the house.

***

Scrubbing my room takes most of the day, but by sunset and with the arrival of electricity in this den of iniquity, I put the finishing touches on my room.

Clean bedding, new clothes. Toiletries. I’ve scrubbed the bathroom as best as I can, and it’s not awful.

I’ll be able to shower in there without worrying about what germs are climbing up my body.

Which brings me to another problem. The strange staring eyes of the creatures. With each box I’ve opened, they’ve gotten quieter.

I look at the four boxes that I’ve got set aside in my room. It’s not much. I’m wishing I brought more.

“Stix?” I shout out.

It takes him a few minutes, but he appears at my door. He’s reverted to his nightmare form and his long fingers move incessantly over the wood.

I wonder if it’s a nervous thing.

With a huff, I pick up the box and hand it to him. “You need to give this to Frost.”

He frowns. “What is it?”

I detect a note of jealousy and almost smile .

“I got you all some things while I was punishing Diablos.”

“Punishing?”

“Financial torture,” I explain distractedly. I pick up another box and put it on top. “That one is for Puppy.”

I grab the last two and jerk my head in the direction of the door.

He follows obediently. I gift out the boxes and then turn towards the kitchen. I’m hungry again, but I really don’t feel like convenience store food.

“Pizza, it is.”

I pull out my phone and my new bank card and look around the room. They look so angry and defensive. It’s mildly cute.

“Has anyone tried pizza?”

No one answers me, but I get blank expressions. I get on the phone and call the local pizza joint, ordering a jumbo of every flavour. I add in some garlic breads, several drinks, those chocolate mousse cups, and five trays of lasagnes.

“What just happened?” Frost demands.

“I ordered food.”

He eyes my phone. “You can call for food through that object.”

“Uh, yes. It’s complicated, but I’ll teach you. It will be handy when we’re out in the field.”

“Are you some kind of royal?” Frost demands suddenly.

I shake my head. “Nope. I just have lots of money.” I wave the card. He watches it with interest.

Too much interest. I pocket it quickly and point at the boxes.

“I got you some pillows, a quilt, a cover, and those,” I interrupt, grabbing them off Wilder. I carefully reach up and put them over his eyes. “Sunglasses to hide your gaze and eyes. So you can blend in better.”

Puppy upends his, dumping my gifts on the floor, and stares at the giant box in rapt attention. He hugs it to him and then makes a high skittering sound that almost but doesn’t quite resemble a giggle. I almost take a step back but manage to hold my position just in time.

Stix looks in his box, empties it on the table, and offers the box to Puppy. The latter stares at the offering with a look of envious rage and then snatches it out of Stix’s hand and disappears down the hallway with both .

I lick my lips and look down at the table. “So, uh, yeah. If you need anything else, let me know, and I’ll organise and have it delivered.“

Frost edges closer. “With the box?”

For a moment, I can’t remember which box he’s talking about, but then I realise he means the phone. “Yes. I’ll order it with the phone.”

“You will get me one.”

“I’ll be getting you all one. Does anyone use human weapons? Need clothes?” I look around and get blank stares.

All right. Let’s just stick with food. I start putting the covers on the quilts, and when I hand Frost his, he takes it almost reverently. There’s an expression there that makes me think kindness has not been something he sees very often.

Where did these guys come from that such slight gestures are breaking their brains?

The doorbell rings, and I gesture to them. I open the door to find three guys holding our food. I take a stack of pizzas and pass them to Stix.

“Take those into,” I hesitate, there’s nowhere clean, “my room.”

I hand a stack of boxes to Wilder and grab those last few bags. Then swipe my card and pay for it.

I make my way up to my room and find the four of them staring at the boxes.

“Sit down,” I say and sit on the floor.

“What is this smell?” Frost narrows his eyes.

“You drank a can of coke yesterday. How can you not know what pizza is?”

“Hartley shares his coke with us,” Frost says in a sulk.

But he folds his legs and elegantly sits opposite me. Stix and Wilder sit, too. I ignore Puppy because I’m just not going there.

I flick open the first box and set it down, then I open another and another. I unwrap the garlic breads and put a mousse cup with each one of us. Then I grab the five forks and shove them in the lasagne and look up at them.

“Try it.”

They stare at me suspiciously.

I pick up a piece and start eating. Oh, so good. When was the last time I had pizza? This one is a meat lovers, not my favourite but still good.

Puppy is the first to grab a piece. He licks it and narrows his eyes as if he’s thinking and then shoves the entire piece in his mouth and chews stubbornly .

Gradually, they start eating, and then they keep going until all the food is gone. I make a mental note to increase the volume of food.

“That was pleasant, human,” Frost says in a haughty voice. “Pizza was a good idea.” He stands up and walks out of my room.

Wilder hums and glances longingly at my mousse. I slide it in his direction. His stern expression folds, and he almost looks human. He snatches it and gets up, his powerful legs moving him out of my room in seconds.

I did not look at his ass.

Stix looks at me and then at Puppy. The overgrown pain in my ass is currently curled up on the stack of cardboard boxes, for all intents and purposes, sleeping happily.

I pack up the mess and hesitate when Stix grips my hands.

“Tomorrow, Diablos has asked for us to take you out into the city and show you what we can do.”

“I’ve seen what you can do.”

He shrugs. “Kind of. But we need to make some kind of, uh, how do you say it, an act or a show for the boss?”

“Why?”

“He’s concerned you’ll panic and freeze or run in a crucial moment.”

I close my eyes and curse the entire world for landing me in this position. “So, this is a test?”

He puts his thumb and his index finger a tiny bit apart. “A little test.”

“Hey, Puppy, do you want a room full of boxes?”

The dragon man sits up and whips his head towards me. I pull out my phone.

“What are you doing?” Stix asks.

“Retail therapy,” I snarl and start ordering more deliveries.

Stix urges me up and gets me to follow him as he takes the rubbish away, and then we return to my room. I go into the bathroom and get changed and then come out and crawl into bed. Puppy is still in his corner, the tip of his tail twitching.

I ignore him and hug a pillow.

“That man that died, the one those men shot. Who was he?”

I stay silent, unsure whether to answer it or not, and, finally, I whisper the answer back. “He was my brother.”

I don’t know if Stix heard or not, but he shifts closer, and his arm wraps around my back, holding me close. I pretend I can’t feel the eyes from the other side of the room.