Page 5 of Scales and Seduction (Monster Match #1)
M y legs feel unsteady as I’m led through the park with Gideon’s hand in mine. It’s a park unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. In its center is a merry-go-round; there’s a pond and a wooden castle-themed slide with two swings. Off to the far end, trees cast a cozy shadow over picnic goers who watch the children and us with rapt attention.
I have no idea how I ended up in this park, or why the air feels lighter and the grass and sunlight somehow feel a bit too bright. Everything is bathed in a warm glow, even the breeze carries something sweet like honeysuckle.
Various monster children continue to play. There are so many, I don’t know what they all are. Several have wings, a few have scales, and then one looks like a small highland cow. Their laughter fills the air as if there’s not a care in the world, but my focus is on the warm hand gripping mine. There’s a calmness about this giant snake man that seeps into my body, easing the buzzing in my head. When I glance his way, my breathing catches as my eyes finally take in his appearance.
He is immensely tall, easily seven feet and all muscle. From the waist down, his serpentine body is covered in shimmering teal scales that look like polished gems. They shift blue and green with every movement he makes. Slowly, I move up to his face, surprised to see just how human it looks even though there’s nothing human about him. Gideon’s jaw is sharp, and his cheekbones are high, though what strikes me the most are his lips, full and inviting. They look warm and so achingly human despite everything else being so not .
“You’re staring,” he says softly. His voice is rich and smooth, thick with an Irish brogue. God, he sounds like a character from a romance novel.
I blink as heat floods my cheeks, but I don’t miss the way his molten-gold eyes twinkle with amusement. The way he looks at me makes my skin prickle with an awareness of just how handsome he truly is. My mouth goes dry the moment his fangs peek out of his mouth when he grins. He’s terrifyingly sexy, and already I wonder what those lips feel like.
As we pass more children in the park, I notice they’re all monsters, just like he is. To my left, there’s a small boy with leathery wings. He shoots up into the air, giggling as he catches a rogue frisbee. There are children with scales like Gideon, who slither through the grass. What immediately catches my attention is how, one by one, they all pause to look at us.
I hug Noodles closer to my chest. He’s strangely been obedient this entire time. Usually by now, he would have scratched me and run for the hills. He hates being held like this. Maybe, like me, he’s terrified and just wants his mommy to hold him.
These kids are all so normal, even though they look strange. I notice a small girl folding her pointed ears as her expression shifts from playful to reverential. Slowly, the children all turn to us and, in unison, bow to him. It is a deeply respectful gesture that surprises me, but Gideon merely nods at them with a soft smile.
I turn to Gideon, hoping for an explanation but not sure how to ask for it. “They know who you are,” I whisper, trying my best not to stare.
Gideon’s soft gold eyes meet mine, his expression entirely unreadable. “They know what I represent.” I want to ask so much more, but Gideon’s hand finds my back, pushing me gently forward. “I will explain more once we’re away from prying eyes.”
His touch on my back is warm and grounding. It radiates through my body, and I shiver as the warmth spreads to my pussy in a strange throb of arousal.
Jesus Christ, it’s just his hand on my back. Why is my body reacting this way to just his touch?
“Why do we need to be away from everyone?” I ask as he continues to tug me forward.
Gideon smirks, leaning down toward me, the gust of his breath hot against my ears. “If we don’t get away from everyone, the town will have a full report on every move we make before we make it.”
I want to ask; I want to understand, but he guides me farther until the park gives way to a cobblestone street lined with quaint buildings that look like something out of a fairytale. I’m in awe of the traditional timber-framed houses intermixed with sleek modern buildings. It should feel jarring, but somehow it works.
The street is bustling, full of people, but one person catches my eye almost immediately. There’s a slender woman with green-scaled skin leaning against a tree near a restaurant called Bite and Delight. She’s dressed in all black with a server apron around her waist. Her lizard-like tongue darts out to lick her own eyeball before she locks eyes with me. I try not to look disgusted, but I can’t help it! She just licked her own eyeball. With an annoyed huff, she turns the other way.
“What is this place?” I whisper, my voice trembling.
Gideon glances at me, giving me a soft, reassuring smile. “This is the Vale.”
“Is that the town’s name?” My eyes take in each detail, completely in awe of the fantastic nature of it all. It’s as if this place is the perfect mixture of modern-day buildings that I’m used to and fairy-tale creatures. The sky is so blue that it feels like a painting, and the grass is perfectly manicured.
Gideon nods. “Yes, though this town is only one of three in the region. It’s mostly farmland.”
It doesn’t satisfy the itch I have. I want more answers, but Gideon places one of his long, slender claws to his lips. “Shh, you’ll make everyone aware you don’t belong if you keep asking me questions.”
Am I in danger being here with him? How did I even get here? My head swirls in thought, but Gideon’s hand holding mine is an anchor keeping me grounded. He says he’ll tell me more soon; I have to believe him.
He leads me farther until we stop in front of a large building with dark wood shutters and a neon half-moon cutout sign, though it’s off right now. The crescent moon features a wolf in various stages of running, which I think, when turned on, might run across the bottom chasing after a woman. I can see its name: The Annex.
We don’t go in the front door; instead, Gideon leads me around the back of the building, where it appears the bar is settled on top of an underground apartment. The front two windows are open, and there’s an earthy scent of hay and firewood lingering in the air.
“We’re meeting a friend of mine. We need to figure out how to keep you hidden.” Gideon raps his knuckles against the red-painted door twice before saying, “I’ll do damage control after we get you settled.”
Damage control for what? I don’t know what’s going on. I mean, I woke up in a park! I have no choice but to trust him for now. The alternative is that I’m alone in this weird fairytale town with no way home.
Behind the door, there’s a faint thumping of music. It’s so loud that, as Gideon knocks more loudly this time with his knuckles, I’m not sure it’ll work. I can hear something click-clack behind the door, and suddenly the music cuts off. When the door swings open, my eyes widen.
Standing in front of us both is a man, well, kind of. His top half is human, with broad shoulders covered in swirling intricate tattoos that seem to shift beneath his skin. The lower half of his body is that of a muscular horse. Right in the center of his very human face, a single spiraling pink horn juts from his forehead.
He’s a unicorn-centaur.
The man’s violet eyes flick between Gideon and me with a curious amusement. He crosses his arms over his chest with a broom just under his armpit. “What the fuck is this, Gideon?” His voice is gruff but reminds me of someone from the heart of Texas. It’s a thick southern drawl that feels oddly out of place.
“We need your help, Silas,” Gideon’s voice is hushed and tinged with urgency as if he doesn’t want anyone to know we’re here.
Silas raises his eyebrow while his eyes scan over me briefly before landing back on Gideon. “I don’t think you need help playing pretend. Why did you glamor her into a human ‘pet.’” His nose wrinkles up before he says, “I know you’re into some weird shit, but I don’t think I want to be involved.”
I bristle at the word “pet,” squeezing Noodles to my chest. He hisses as if he understands the word and is rightly pissed that I’ve been reduced to a less distinguished title than Mom. Good boy.
Gideon squeezes in closer to Silas in the doorframe as if wanting by. “She isn’t in a glamor, and this isn’t a sex thing.”
Silas’s eyes grow wide a moment before he furrows his brows in disbelief. “How?” He shakes his head, the question clearly rhetorical. He takes several steps backward, making room for us both to come inside.
The inside of his house is sleek and modern with a black leather sofa, though it’s close to the ground. Its gray throw pillows and soft warm lighting makes it feel far more welcoming than I expect. The walls are covered in guitars, each one mounted almost like a trophy. There is a record player and a towering bookshelf with stacks of old albums. Its clear music is this guy’s entire life.
Noodles squirms from my arms, clearly irritated by being held for so long. “No, you can’t get down right now,” I whisper sternly, but it’s no use.
The cat kicks at my chest, his sharp claws scratching until he leaps from my arms. With a soft thud, he hits the floor and prances forward to Silas. He gives a sweet little meow before he nuzzles the centaur’s front leg.
“Noodles!” My face heats in embarrassment as my cat starts to purr. “Oh, my god, I’m so sorry.”
Silas only waves his hand dismissively at me. “It’s fine. Animals love me.” He reaches down and pats Noodles’ head softly. “Now spill.”
I don’t know what to say. It’s clear the app somehow put me here. I was using it, and the next thing I know, I’m here in this weird world with the snake man I swiped right on. My mind swirls as I think harder about what happened before I woke up. I was on the couch; I swiped and then—the voice!
I want to answer, but Gideon beats me to it, and I’m surprised to hear his story matches mine.
“I downloaded an app.”