Page 4 of The Monster’s Obsession (A Monstrous World #5)

Chapter Four

Saber

T he Monster’s Den is always busy, but it’s rarely as chaotic as it is when I show up for my shift the next day.

Not only do we have a nightmare demon pretending to be a paranormal council agent—while wearing his body—but we also have six additional council agents visiting The Den. All because Kash promised them a good show.

No matter how I lie to Aline to ensure she goes through with the performance, I’m not able to get in touch with Laz or Vivie at all, and I call them both repeatedly.

I’ve seen Aline and Vivie swap places multiple times when the paranormal council has come nosing around. I’m sure Vivie doesn’t give a fuck if Aline has to wear a glamor to look like her.

It’s a little white lie to protect Aline, and honestly, it’s the least of my concerns.

The show Atlas, Hex, and Aline put on goes off without a hitch, but it’s fucking weird seeing Vivie up on stage with Atlas.

It’s not actually Vivie, and I know that, so I have no idea why my instincts are on edge. It probably has to do with the fact Vivie seemed wrecked last night when she left the club.

Not that Laz was in any better shape.

Neither is answering their phone, and it has me about to crawl out of my skin, but I make it through my shift without my sphinx forcing himself into the driver’s seat. He really didn’t like seeing Atlas fuck Aline while she was wearing Vivie’s appearance.

By the time I help clean up from their performance, it’s time for me to clock out.

That doesn’t mean I actually get to leave.

Some shit goes down with a wyvern, and I’m stuck making calls for Dread for hours.

Charity is apparently missing, but I leave that up to those better suited to handle it and bolt for Laz and Vivie’s apartment building.

I’m torn on which door to try first, but I go for the one on the right, which is Vivie’s.

I knock and rock on my heels as I wait.

There’s no answer, so I shove my ear to the door and listen. It’s silent, even with my enhanced hearing. At least if they were fucking, I’d feel confident that they’re okay.

The lack of sound is starting to freak me out.

Levitating my palm over the door, smoky white magic spills from my skin.

I’ll have to have a conversation with her later about adding additional protection spells to prevent anyone else from entering, but I smirk when my magic pops the lock with no trouble.

It’s dark and all the curtains are drawn.

This would normally be prime working hours for Laz and Vivie. I can’t imagine that she would be asleep, because all of our internal clocks are set to sleep during the day and be up all night.

Shutting the door behind me, I don’t bother tiptoeing.

Her apartment is small but cozy, and it smells exactly like Vivie. That sweet rosewater scent of hers permeates the air, making my sphinx chuff in my mind as he stands, shaking out his coat.

It would throw off anyone who isn’t used to sharing their mind with a second being.

I can see what’s happening in the real world, but I can also see a mental image of his massive ass in my mind’s eye.

The front door opens up into the living room, and the kitchen is back to the left with a small dining table. If I don’t head that way, the only other way to go is straight ahead down the hallway that’s immediately after the living room.

The door on the right side of the hallway is a bathroom, and there are folding doors on the left that must be the washer and dryer. That means the door at the end of the hallway is her bedroom.

Her scent is everywhere, and there’s something different about it. My beast paces in my mind, urging me forward.

What the hell am I even doing?

Am I really going to pop in there like I have the right?

She’s here.

Her scent wouldn’t be this pervasive if she was over at Laz’s place. Or anywhere but here, for that matter.

A fucking shiver runs down my spine, settling in my cock as my nostrils flare, breathing in her pheromones even more deeply.

The door is pushed to the frame, but not all the way clicked closed, and my forearm lands against it, giving a solid shove.

Vivie’s scent gets stronger, and I exhale in pure relief as I finally pick up her heartbeat and the soft cadence of her breathing.

Maybe it’s my beast that drags me forward, or maybe it’s the man. I haven’t been able to shake the pit in my gut since last night when Vivie walked out.

She’s curled up in a ball under the comforter, based on the shape. I crawl onto the mattress on the side I think she’s facing and pull back the blanket.

“Vivie,” I murmur, pushing her hair away from her face. My eyes glow, helping to enhance my vision in the dark room. Her skin heats mine, and my heartbeat picks up. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

She groans and jolts in her sleep.

I don’t let up on being annoying. This time, I dig my fingers into her scalp and give her a little massage. “Come on. It’s time to wake up.”

“Laz?” Her eyes jerk open, and she grabs a handful of my T-shirt, pulling me closer.

“Not Laz.” I struggle against her hold, trying to stay stable on my knees on the mattress. “It’s Saber.”

She releases her grip on my shirt and brings her hand to mine on her cheek. “Why does it feel like that when you touch me?”

I quirk an eyebrow. “What do you mean? What does it feel like?”

She feels the matebond , my beast projects the thought in my mind.

“I don’t know,” she mumbles. “Crackly? Sizzly? Have you never touched me before?”

Hardly ever, in fact. At least not in places she wasn’t covered by clothing. It’s easier to keep a handle on myself when I keep a solid few feet of distance between us.

“What do I smell like to you, Vivienne?” I ask, teasing my thumb over her pink cheek.

“Busting out my full name? Am I in trouble?”

I scoff. “Not yet, but I’d like it if you answered my question.”

“I can’t,” she whispers, shaking her head.

“Because you’re with Laz?” I ask, tilting my head to the side as I try to think of any other reason.

“No, you jerk,” she hisses. “Because he took that from me too.”

“What?” My eyes narrow. “Who?” Is she too out of it from the fever to coherently answer questions?

“Doesn’t matter,” she mumbles, falling to rest her head on her pillow.

I’ve never heard of a fae without a sense of smell. Their genetics are coded to heal any wound, and I assume that would hold true for something like blindness or a lack of a sense of smell.

Once she’s more coherent, I’m going to need to ask some important questions. Mainly if the “he” she mentioned is dead, and if not, how do I find him?

“Now tell me what’s wrong,” I murmur, brushing her sweaty hair back from her face.

“My quickening is coming,” she groans. “But Laz hasn’t come home, at least not that I saw. I brought myself to bed, hoping he might let himself in like he always does, but he hasn’t.”

“You haven’t seen him since the club last night?”

“I’ve been in here for an entire day?” she asks, and her eyes pop open. They’re red and glassy. “I thought time moved slower when you’re in pain?”

“Gods,” I whisper.

“I’ll be okay. The cramps come and go. If you wait long enough, you can survive anything.”

I frown.

This isn’t the Vivie I know.

She’s much too defeated for my liking.

I’ve never seen her anything less than dressed to the nines and ready to take on the day.

“Lie down with me?” she mumbles, grabbing my wrist. “I might not be able to smell you, but something about your presence is helping.”

My instincts scream to give her whatever she wants, yet I still shake my head.

I don’t think it would help anything if Laz found us snuggling together. Leaning down, I mark her cheek with mine. I would do both, but the other is buried in the pillow. Even if she can’t scent my pheromones, she’ll still be able to soak them up directly through her skin.

“I’m going to find Laz. Don’t move.”

My head tilts, and I snort as I step into Laz’s living room.

“Damn, fucker, you might actually be in worse shape than Vivie,” I say with a laugh.

I’ve never seen such a mopey fucking kraken, but Laz is in partially shifted form with a bottle in each of his top two tentacles.

He frowns and crosses his arms over his chest, still managing to bring the tequila to his mouth via one of his tentacles. He takes a long swig and rolls his eyes. “Perfect time for you to make a move. You can’t pretend like you haven’t been biding your time?—”

“Fuck you,” I growl, jabbing a finger at his chest. “You gonna sit here feeling sorry for yourself? Or are you going to get your shit together and go claim your woman?”

His head shakes. “She doesn’t want to see me. She made that perfectly clear last night.”

This is why I’m cordial with people, but I keep enough distance so they don’t ever mistake us for being actual friends.

This shit is exhausting.

“So you’d rather lie around, moping, while leaving your mate over there to suffer alone?” I scoff. “I never thought you’d be the type.”

“What’s wrong with Vivie?”

“First of all, she feels fucking terrible about what went down at the club. Second of all, she’s going into heat. You gonna leave her over there to suffer alone?” I quirk an eyebrow. “I could probably slip in and handle this quickening if you’re not up for the job.”

“You’re such a dick,” he grumbles, swiping a hand over his face. “But I guess you’ll have to. I don’t want her lying over there in agony, and I won’t be able to touch her until she passes the eggs.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” I ask, rocking back on my heels.

“My stinger secretes a fluid that signals to the eggs that it’s time to be fertilized…

” He looks at me like I’m stupid and finally goes on.

“That means I can’t fuck her at all until she passes those eggs.

Vivie has a birth control spell, but it won’t override the fertilization of the eggs. It controls her ovulation.”

“I thought her body had to accept the eggs for them to be fertilized.”

Laz raises a hand, twisting it from side to side.

“Kinda. Her body has to consent for the eggs to be implanted for successful gestation. They can be fertilized and still degrade and pass if she doesn’t accept them as her own or agree to incubate them, but my kraken is very attached to those eggs.

He’ll do everything in his power to keep his offspring safe, meaning he’ll do his best to push her into accepting them. ”

“So…” I shrug. “Keep his ass locked down. It’s what I do with my sphinx when he’s being a pain in the ass.”

“You’ve never been around your mate in heat,” Laz says, a cocky smirk crossing his face. “Have you, Saber?”

My eyes narrow.

This isn’t the first time he’s made shitty little comments that he thinks Vivienne is my mate.

“Are you planning to get up, or am I dragging you over there by your tentacles?”