Page 26 of Wishing Upon a Monster (Monster Brides Romance #40)

Olan

“ Y ou mustn’t do this. She would be so upset if I let you outside, Sashimi,” I said, scolding the little kat as she flicked her small tail. She watched as a killdeer hopped around chirping from the grass. She looked back at me imploringly.

I sighed. It was my fault; I had started this with the Disian mouse, creating it from shadow.

“Very well. I will not let you outside, but... It is very hard to say no to your small face,” I said, waving a hand at the shadow from one of Aurora’s hanging plants. It peeled off and formed a killdeer and began hopping around the living room.

Sashimi crouched down, slowly stalking her shadowy prey.

“You spoil her,” min elskede whispered from behind me.

She was wearing one of the shirts she purchased for me to try.

I still preferred what I fashioned from my shadows.

Seeing her now, I liked how the maroon oversized V-neck tee-shirt covered her, hanging beguilingly off one shoulder.

It draped well past her knees, and knowing she chose to wear my shirt over anything else made me feel proud, protective, and, as we liked to joke, territorial.

“You both are easy to spoil, min lille skat . I was thinking about making chocolate chip banana pancakes for lunch this afternoon.” I walked over, scooping her up in my arms and kissing her deeply.

She became pliant in my arms. I savored her feelings, her lusty thoughts, her trust in me to take care of all of her needs. It was heady, and I felt my hane stiffening in my pants.

I broke our kiss, nipping her lips lightly and soothing them with my tongue. “You must eat. It has been hours, and I need to see you fed.”

She made a frustrated sound. “Is this an offshoot of the whole breeding me thing? I feel like that should take precedence.”

I chuckled, loving that she felt so comfortable with me that she could tease and be a bit of a brat from time to time. “Food takes precedence because you need to be healthy overall. A healthy wife is more able to take my cock as many times as necessary in order to be bred.”

“That actually makes sense,” she grumbled.

She wiggled and sighed. Taking the hint, I left her down.

“Then I suppose, being a healthy wife, I should shower, alone , while you make lunch.” She giggled, dodging my swat on her r?v as she left the room.

Not even ten minutes later, she came back in the room smelling harshly of antibacterial soap, and her hair was tossed up without the usual Essie’s Beauty Potions products smell. She wore a long white tunic and black leggings and slides, clothes she wore around the house.

“Olan, Rocio just called. They are calling everyone in who will come. Nash and Irene never came back from the O’Shea house. They won’t pick up anyone’s calls. I tried, too. Will you take me in?” She grabbed a banana, peeling it quickly.

“Of course, min lille skat .” I quickly took the pan off the stove. With a snap and a puff of velvety dark magic, the cookware was clean, and the ingredients were put away.

I snapped, and Sashimi had a serving of her cat food for the evening, because I was not allowing min skat to face this unknown without me.

“Let’s go.” I opened my arms, and min elskede leapt into them.

We traveled by well, of course, and came around to the front to see every space filled. People were even parked on the sides along the road.

I took us swiftly inside the deserted lobby. We could hear excited chatter, the sound brittle, like unfired clay.

“The conference room,” she said, worry evident on her face.

“We will find them,” I assured, because we would.

Quick strides down the hall led us to a room almost overflowing with enforcers, some I knew, like Rocio, Isla, Cece, Selene, and CJ.

I also recognized the mistress of the preserve, dressed as casually as I’ve ever seen her in dark gray sweats.

There were others whom I didn’t know, all dressed like her, likely pulled from their beds or morning activities.

Their voices raised in speculation as they talked over one another.

“I had thought maybe they had finally gotten together, you know?” Vickie implored them to understand.

“Maybe they talked to the O'Sheas, then got a little sidetracked on the way back. But when I next looked up, I realized almost four hours had passed. So, I called Nash. He wouldn’t answer; I called Irene... she wouldn’t answer.

Then I saw their personal cars were still here, and the SUV they took wasn’t back. ”

“No, Vickie, this isn’t your fault,” Rocio comforted and patted her shoulder.

“You couldn’t have known, Vic,” CJ rumbled.

“Their trackers last pinged at the O’Shea residence, but they went dead shortly after that last transmission. Someone knew how to block the enchantment on their uniforms,” The vampire interrupted.

A piercing whistle cut through the din of voices as young and old enforcers alike stopped their babbling.

“Now,” Palmer said, her voice strong with command, “explain what we know and why they went out to begin with.”

“We’ve been trying to figure out why things have been out of the normal, lately,” Rocio explained as the most senior member of the nightshift.

“We’ve had an increase in violent, invasive creatures appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

This evening, most of us stayed behind here to map out where all of the incidents have been the last two months to see if we could identify a pattern.

Once we did, we realized the only zones where there wasn’t any activity besides where we currently are were ‘A’ through ‘H.’ We did find one incident in the northern sectors of F through H, but just one, and it was resolved quickly.

“It was just strange that Cora O’Shea was reported as missing, but the mother and Cora’s boyfriend, Xander, came in to report she had been found. We realized we had no proof that she had been, and with Xander's pretty negative record... we felt a wellness check was in order.”

“Nash and Irene volunteered to go together and check?” Palmer asked.

“Yes, and since it was time for us to clock out and for day shift to come in, we didn't think anything of it,” she said.

“Nash and Irene gave us our orders to check ‘A’ through ‘H’ before they left,” Selene said, taking up the narrative, “and while it wasn’t free of incident, nothing out of the ordinary was observed.”

“Except when we got back, and I checked the computers, I couldn’t find a fresh ping on their location. Something happened to their location charms. Someone knew about them or has them somewhere where the tracing charm is nulled,” Yari explained, “That’s when we decided to call you, ma’am.”

Palmer considered their words for a moment, the room silent.

“We should assume they found the worst. I want day and night shift teams to go to the O’Shea’s.

My reserve enforcers, Mac, Allison, and Martín, will go with you.

Gerald, Edgar, Wanda, and Helen, I want you to stay here just in case we get any calls for other emergency situations, or this is some sort of plot to take over headquarters.

“It is my hope that this is a huge misunderstanding. But with what Yari said, especially... It is better to overreact with force than underreact,” she concluded, “let’s get you out there in fifteen or less.”

The meeting ended, enforcers rising and sorting themselves out.

“I can’t get a hold of Kenny either,” Selene said, hitting end on her phone. “I hope his wife is okay. He had said Jessica hadn’t been feeling good lately.”

“Kenny is a lot of things,” min skat said, “but he does take caring for a sick partner seriously. Chances are, he got so involved taking care of her that he ended up falling asleep at her bedside. We can do this without him; we have the manpower.”

“Oh yeah, we can!” Cece agreed, her snakes writhing excitedly, “It will be nice working with you and the other night shifters!”

I caressed my wife’s cheek. “I’ll leave you to get ready?”

“Alright,” she rose on her toes, and I bent down to meet her, receiving a full kiss that made me hope this would be a quick, uneventful trip that would send her back home in an hour.

I watched as in less than twenty minutes they suited up and left in SUVs to take the dirt roads that would lead them to the O’Shea home.

I walked over to the large map in the lobby, the one that showed the preserve sectioned off into square areas. It did not take me long to find F4.

“It's hard when they are human,” Palmer said from behind me.

I swiveled, facing her, my bearing relaxed, “Yes.” I agreed, not pretending I didn’t understand where this conversation was going.

“I was against her working on the preserve initially,” she said, looking past me at the map.

“That was foolish.” I slid my hands into my pants pockets.

“It was. I don’t like Magic Users. They are brash.

They use magic like they are the ones doing the Powers That Be a favor.

Aurora seemed to be devoid of that failing, perhaps due to her supposed bad luck of being born without magic.

I was not pleased when it was suggested to us to hire Mr. Hemlock, and when my husband then wanted to hire someone who her own kind considered a dud…

” She tensed, holding out a hand as if it could stall my obvious anger.

“I was prejudiced and very wrong, Olan. Hemlock actually has a brain, and your wife could probably take me down before I could even get my hands on her to siphon even a speck of her lifeforce.

All of this to say, I trust that she will come back to you whole and healthy.

“However... it is hard, when they are human. I cannot stop one such as you from following her.”

I inclined my head, acknowledging that I knew she came over here to try to stop me from following min skat into battle, even if it was to just observe from afar .

“But as a woman, I warn that it is wearing on the psyche when one’s partner does not trust one to be able to take care of themselves.

” She sighed, no doubt seeing the look on my face.

“My advice was not asked for, but I would not interfere unless you find their situation dire. Then I ask that you do step in as a deputized member of the Nyxian Council; I will back you should there be any consequences of your interference.”

I mulled her words over, finally nodding, “Very well.”

“I would take this road,” she pointed to the road the enforcers had just taken, “But when you reach F3, crossing this bridge here, I would cut through the trees and stay elevated. There is heavy foliage in that area, and you should be able to, with your coloring, stay fairly hidden.”

“Many thanks,” I said, ending the conversation and striding outside.

I flew into the air and glided quickly along the road, much like I did with min lille skat when we first bonded.

The afternoon was sunny, and the light dappled the forest floor as I traveled.

Deer and other creatures scattered as I made my way.

Eventually, I made it to the bridge. I veered off the road and leapt from branch to branch.

The O’Shea property was small, and the closer to it I got, the clearer Aurora’s emotions grew.

Selfishly, I hoped that she never discovered how to block her emotions from me. Did that make me, what was the new age word... a stalker? I cared not. A stalker for min elskede , I would be.

I felt her concern as I surveyed the O’Shea property from a large pine. The house was in disarray, the front door blasted off its hinges and in the yard. Evidence of a battle, marred landscaping, jagged, broken windows, appeared as I leapt closer.

The enforcers swarmed, one trying to radio and shaking their head. I checked my phone, noting the lack of bars. Trying to call the enforcer's headquarters was futile; the call would not go through .

I watched them as they searched, until Rocio transformed into her dragon form and twisted through the air to gain altitude.

Then I heard the wail of a banshee. It was the most unsettling of sounds. It gutted you, made you feel the most negative emotions and the vilest of thoughts. I clamped down my mental shields, dampening the effect. The three seasoned male enforcers and the boojum collapsed, clutching their skulls.

I flew towards the sound, the men gesturing painfully to the women to go.

Rocio roared, diving through the trees almost a mile from the property, the other female enforcers tearing through the woods towards the danger.

Still trying to respect my wife’s autonomy, I stayed in the trees, lightly touching down for a moment before leaping.

I arrived moments before they did and saw Irene, beaten and bedraggled, hugging Nash’s prone and bleeding form to her body, her wail keeping the ring of monsters and.

.. the enforcer Kenton Hemlock at bay in front of a large metallic building.