Page 21 of Wishing Upon a Monster (Monster Brides Romance #40)

Aurora

I slept in this morning as much as I could, today being my first night working with the night shift crew.

The only beings I knew on that team were Rocio, Yari, and Irene.

Rocio, a Cuélebre with violet scales who seemed to be mentoring my husband in all things modern, often worked between the two teams. Yari also worked with both teams, a vampire from Japan who drank the essence of flowers rather than the blood of humans.

He didn’t sleep, and his monitoring of the preserve as a whole was invaluable.

Of course, I also knew Irene, the auburn-haired beauty with cutting green eyes and a voice that could bring grown men to their knees.

She was a badass Banshee who had served as a protector for the preserve when it was first formed.

There was some normalcy, seeing Vickie at the front desk, changing into my forest camo uniform, and meeting to receive our assignment in the conference room. That’s where the similarity ended, though.

“Alright, folks,” Irene’s accent reminiscent of a Charleston southern belle, “Before we send you out, I want to formally introduce you to Aurora Aurum. She used to work with the day shift, and she made it through my intensive training, so she is qualified to work with us on the night shift.”

Everyone nodded, including the two who I did not know.

“Aurora has met Rocio and Yari, but if Isla and Cletus would introduce themselves?” Irene asked before sitting down.

Isla stood up; she was a Cymbee, with deep blue-green scales and webbed fingers and toes.

Her eyes were yellow and slitted like a crocodile’s.

She wore a wetsuit that was printed with the same forest camo as our uniforms. “My name is Isla, and while we haven’t met officially, we have spoken in passing when I have assisted the day crew.

Welcome to the team. I cannot wait to have a new sparring partner in training! ”

I smiled. “I love a good spar! Nice to meet you.”

The other being I didn’t recognize was male, and he looked sort of like a Big Foot, with one notable difference.

Gray fur covered his entire body, and his features were more human than those of the Big Foots I had interacted with in the past. He stood, wearing a forest camo uniform much like mine.

A long, lion-like tail rose from behind him and flicked back and forth. I wondered if he was nervous.

He held a pair of goggles in his hands that he passed back and forth as he talked.

“My name is Cletus James, but you can call me CJ,” he said in a very thick southern accent.

“I’m really glad to have you on the team.

It’s nice to have another being that isn’t automatically equipped with magical powers to see in the dark and fly.

I like to think that makes us craftier than this lot,” he gestured to our comrades, who rolled their eyes good-naturedly.

“And uh, I got you these! So you can see in the dark. They are night vision goggles enhanced with magic so you can see like it’s daytime.

” He passed them across the table to me.

“Well thanks, CJ,” I said warmly. “I really appreciate it. I was hoping that the blindfolded portion of my training was a worst-case scenario.”

“You never know, Aurum; you could lose those glasses during your patrol. You'll be thankful of my teaching methods if you do,” Irene replied dryly.

“Yes, ma’am, I sure will,” I agreed, not wanting to alienate my boss on my first day.

She nodded, satisfied.

I stood up. “Well, as you know, I am Aurora Aurum. I am a Talentless and a graduate of Westhaven College. I trained under Weapons Master Jameson and am the first Talentless to complete the magical enforcement track. I’ve worked on the preserve for the last thirteen years, but on the day shift.

I hope to prove to be an asset to the team. ”

“Well said.” Rocio knocked the table with her knuckles.

“Alright, tonight we are sending you out on a trapping mission. There are rumors that the trees in E6 have a family of tailypo of all things, causing a ruckus,” she said, scoffing.

CJ’s brow furrowed, “Ma’am, tailypo live in the mountains.”

“I’m aware. There’s no reason they should be this far east. Even in their wildest migration dreams, they couldn’t make it this far. I think some lunatic either brought one as a pet or maybe had hopes in training it as some sort of guard... thing, and it escaped—while pregnant.”

I snorted. Tailypo were devious, savage creatures who lived in the Appalachian Mountains. They were known for killing things two and three times their size. They were capable of rudimentary speech, like a parrot or a magpie. A guard creature is the worst job for such a feral thing.

“What about fighting rings?” Rocio voiced, “They are so vicious, I could see them being pitted against one another for sport. ”

“It wouldn't be the first time someone brought something stupid for those fights. We arrested those involved in the last fighting ring months ago, though,” Isla said, tapping her chin.

“Well, for now, we aren't going to worry about the why so much as capturing the little hellions. If you manage to find clues to suggest that or anything else, I want it documented. Catch as many of those things as you can. While you're out, keep an eye out for young Cora O’Shea, the will-o'-wisp. She hasn't been sighted in a few days, and while that's not unusual, her mother is worried she’s taken up with a bad crowd.” Irene looked at a paper on the table in front of her. “And that’s it for tonight. If anything goes awry, radio it in. Y’all are dismissed.”

We filed out of the conference room, making our way out back to the vehicles.

“Aurora, if you'd like, you can ride shotgun,” CJ offered, opening the door for us ladies.

Charmed, I shook my head, “No thanks, CJ, I’m good with the back. And y’all can call me Rorie.”

The woods were quiet. Too quiet. We crept through the foliage with stasis bags on our backs and stun sticks clasped in our hands.

The batons were ingenious, really. One tap of the end and a small being would knock right out.

Anything larger might lose feeling in the area it was tapped for an hour or two. Ask me how I knew.

I was on edge. Tailypo were the beasts of my childhood.

My brother used to tell me the story of how old Joe was eaten alive by one.

He would hide outside of my room at night, calling, “Tailypo, tailypo, give me back my tailypo.” He had me so afraid to get out of bed that I developed a UTI from refusing to get up in the night to pee.

As if called by that memory, I heard a mocking, “Tailyyypo.” The branches above shuddered.

“At the ready,” Rocio commanded.

“Readyyyy, readyyyyy.” The branches behind us shook.

“Turn on your infrared function, Rorie, two taps,” CJ whispered.

“Shit,” I murmured, tapping the side of my goggles.

“Twoooo tapppssss!” The high-pitched squeal made my hair stand on end.

Red signatures mottled my vision as I saw what exactly was waiting for us in the trees. “Hells Bells.”

“KREEEEEEEE!”

And then they leapt.

I dodged and swiped, my empathy at an all-time low as I felt small claws try to shred my skin.

My teammates and I fought in a circle, our backs towards the tight center, as we blocked and hit the furry demons.

The problem was that they had to be hit with the tip of the baton to be stunned, and they were as focused on rending our flesh as we were on staying alive.

We blocked, thwacked, and ducked, trying to cut down as many tailypo as we could.

They kept coming, all claws and jaws. I endured the cuts and the bites, but there was no time to adjust, no time to regroup.

It felt like for every one that we knocked down, two more would spring up. It was endless.

I felt myself drop down into my fighting headspace; my motions smoothed out, and my body flowed with the strikes and parries. The pain was gone, and so was the worry, until finally the assault ended.

The pain I had been ignoring roared to the forefront, and I gasped at the stinging sensation along my legs and side. I tapped my goggles, revealing in the dim moonlight that my uniform had been ripped away in large sections.

“Is everyone okay?” Isla asked, still on alert. Her uniform didn’t look any better than mine, though her scales protected her far more than my human skin, if the lack of blood on her body was any testament.

“I told them these suits needed to be reinforced against physical attacks,” CJ growled, ripping off the last of his dangling pant leg.

“I thought they were?” I asked, carefully sliding the stun stick into my holster.

“Obviously not enough,” Rocio grumbled, bending down to haul up a limp tailypo by the scruff.

“We were misinformed. How many did you think there were?” I groaned, bending down to start shoving tailypo into my sack.

“More than a ‘family,’” Isla chuckled without mirth, “they must’ve invited in their in-laws and extended family.”

“I’ll radio it in. We need more bags and enforcers. The reserves will have to wake up; heaven forbid this was just the welcoming committee.” Rocio grabbed the radio at her hip, turning the sound up just enough to hear Yari.

I filled my bag until I ran out of space. I walked around stunning the remaining bodies one more time for good measure.

“Fucking things,” I mumbled.

What felt like hours later, our backup arrived. Irene, Nash, Mac, Selene, Cece, and a few of the reserves I saw around crested the hill where we waited.

We worked together bagging the remaining tailypo, while Nash checked us over for severe injuries.

“How are you enjoying the nightshift?” he chuckled, prodding my side. “Do you miss us yet?”

“Like a hair on a biscuit,” I said, giving him a look .

He guffawed, “At least let me give you a healing potion before you ride back with your team. I promise it’s the good stuff.”

“I’m going to accept,” I groaned, cracking my neck, “even if it will make me feel loopy.”

The ride back to headquarters was silent. For once, Mac didn’t have a story to tell. I was exhausted, the potion doing an excellent job of speeding up my healing. This evening was intense, and it wasn’t lost on me that tonight was reminiscent of that afternoon when I met Olan.

Which is perhaps why I shouldn’t have been surprised that he was waiting for me outside. He looked as nonchalant as a giant shadow god could look, leaning against the side of the building. As soon as we parked, Olan was there, opening my door for me.

“ Min skat .” He offered me a hand like I was exiting a carriage.

“Hello,” I said tiredly but still with a smile, “Just let me change and go get––”

But like that afternoon, I should have known better. Olan scooped me up into his arms, carrying me inside the building.

I wondered if I should be offended. I had always been the self-sufficient child, born near the end of a long line of siblings and left to my own devices, especially after not manifesting magic.

But instead, I laid my cheek on his cool shoulder as he carried me bridal style to the women’s locker room.

He didn’t ask if he could go inside, still one hundred percent the self-assured being I’d come to care for over the last few weeks.

He sat me on one of the benches and asked, “Which one is yours?”

“Number fifteen,” I stretched a hand pointing to the end of the row.

He found it easily, waving a hand over my combination lock. With a click and no combination, he opened it and scooped out my clothing.

“Thank you,” I said, yawning, “I can––”

“You could, min lille skat , but I wish to.” He sat across from me, straddling the bench. “Lift your arms.”

I complied, letting him undress me. He was so careful, noting every wince as he redressed me in the leggings and blue tunic I wore to work.

“Would you put my uniform in that hamper over there?” I asked.

“Yes, min skat .”

He picked me up again, and I felt my eyelids drooping.

“I’m sorry I’m so sleepy,” I yawned again, “It’s the healing potion.”

“Let me take you home, I want to bathe you and put you to bed,” he said, nuzzling the side of my head.

“Normally, I would fight you on that, but that sounds lovely,” I murmured.

He laughed warmly, “Good, min elskede , I would hate to have to insist.”

“Mhmmm, I would like to see how exactly you would insist, but maybe another night,” I said, drifting.

The sound of my little clawfoot tub filling with water woke me. I was in my attic bedroom, cradled by my bed under thick blankets. Absently, I noted I was naked. I didn’t mind. I woke a second time as he stepped into my tub with me. I sighed as we settled beneath the warm water.

“The s-minotaur tub s-was a good idea,” I slurred.

“It was, min elskede . I am going to wash you now, hmmm?” he queried.

“S-sounds good,” I said, relaxing further as the washcloth glided over my skin.