Page 82 of Nightshades

The bell to the diner door rings. I look up to see Creed, followed by a few others who look similar to Shade. Monster DNA experiments.

“Can no one see what they look like? I find it hard to think they can walk around like that and not get noticed,” I ask, never taking my eyes off the chaos that just walked through the door.

“Spelled rain. I know a witch. People see the versions of us we want them to see. They just see normal people,” Caden explains.

“Spelled rain. Makes sense,” I mumble, taking a large gulp of my coffee.

“So that’s Creed, you remember him.” Demi sighs as if Creed is the dreamiest thing to ever exist. “Then, that’s Rhett behind him. He owns the garage, and he is part crocodile, but that’s not really my place to say. Then, that’s Fitz, who is human, and that’s his mate Holly, who is very pregnant. Rhett’s mate is off today; her name is Mickey, but it must be a kid’s day out. I’m surprisedthey have all of them. I can’t wait for you to meet them!” Demi stands, waving her arms to gesture them to us.

Creed frowns when he sees Demi with us. It’s a bit hilarious to see him wearing a baby sling in the front, pushing a stroller, holding hands with one, while the oldest one bites his pant leg, growling and snarling with every step Creed takes.

I hide my smile behind the mug. The little creature babies are actually really cute. I want one.

My eyes widen as a memory slams against me from last night. My hand flies to my stomach, wondering if I’m pregnant.

“You smell weird.”

Caden groans. “You can’t be going around telling people they smell weird all the time, Creed.”

“Well. She does. Do you want me to lie about it?” He stands there, calm and collected as his oldest child growls, continuing to tug on his leg.

“That’s Storm. Don’t mind him. He’s a bit…feral.” Demi grins, like the proud mom she is. “And then the youngest, Chaos. Then, the second youngest is Pain. The one that is the most well-behaved is Strife—surprisingly—he is the one holding Creed’s hand. Aren’t they so cute?” Demi beams with pride.

They are adorable. I’ll give her that. “They are lovely, Demi. All boys too. Goodness.”

“We will have a girl. We’re working on it. We worked on it this morning. Twice.”

“Creed!” Demi blushes, hiding her face in her hands.

“You still smell weird. Even if you did say my kids are cute.”

“Caden is right, Creed. You can’t say people smell weird. I’m Rhett, the one with the most humanity of the monsters.” He holds out his hand to me, and I’d have to agree, he does seem more human than the others I’ve met. “And these are the twins, Agonie and Havock.” He has a baby on each arm. “Aggie is adaddy’s girl, isn’t that right, princess?” He blows a raspberry on her crocodile-skin neck.

“I’m Fitz. Regular human, this is my mate, Holly.”

Holly sits down next to me, groaning as she gets off her feet. “This kid could come out right now, and I’d be happy. Eight months. I can’t believe I’ve had a human pregnancy,” she sneers. “And Creed is right; you do smell weird.”

“You know, Mickey smelled weird when she mated Rhett,” Creed remembers, grabbing his kid by the wings to stop him from tugging at his pants.

Caden snaps his fingers together. “And Demi smelled weird because of you,” he points to Creed.

Creed growls, smoke drifting from his nose. “I’m going to take your smelling abilities away if you keep talking.”

Caden smirks. “I’m just saying. People around here tend to smell ‘weird.’” He quotes with his fingers. “When they mate someone.”

I feel every single pair of eyes on me and my entire body becomes hot, the truth sizzling underneath my skin. I don’t know how much to share. This would be the safest place to share my secret.

But do I say that the killer in this town is my mate?

And that I’m not going to doanythingto stop him.

My phone rings in the nick of time. “Sorry. I have to get this. It’s Jake,” I tell them which makes Caden and Demi pout because they wanted to know who I was mated to.

“Sanchez,” I answer, wiping my mouth with a napkin.

“We have a robbery and a homicide at Harold’s Jewelers. I’ll need you there.”

I finish off my hashbrowns and wash it down with my lukewarm coffee. “Finally need me there?”