Page 6 of Monster's Heart

There were many trails to and from the castle. Some were well worn, used daily by students, faculty, and staff. But the one he took, I’d never even seen. It was as if the darkness revealed the path to him alone with each step. I hurried to keep up.

“I’m busy, Luna—”

“Amrin,” I corrected.

“Amrin with the moon in her eyes,” he whispered, but I caught it and froze.

My eyes were enormous. Bug eyes, my sisters always called them. And they were very light. An exceedingly pale shade of amber that sometimes made them look yellow. I never liked the color of my eyes, but when he said that a twinge of something shivered through my blood. And for once in my life, I felt as if maybe, just maybe, I was pretty.

I shook my head and shoved the paper at him once he stopped moving. He took it, careful not to touch any part of me, and leaned against a tree.

Shit.

When did we get to the forest?

I hated the woods in general, and these woods in particular, because they were enchanted. And not in a good way.

The forest here was dark and scary, and students were forbidden to step foot past the tall copse of trees that stood about a hundred yards behind me.

Fuck.

This was stupid.

The sky cracked with lightning, and thunder rumbled angrily above. It seemed to rain most of the time since I’d arrived at Northumberland Island, and I’d never been one to shy away from a storm. But goosebumps broke out across my flesh as Sten stood reading.

“You want me to pretend to be your love?” he barked, blue eyes glowing out of his head as he lifted his eyes to mine.

“I mean, I’m not asking for your firstborn or anything, but look. Professor McEwan wants me to chart a course to my true love by the Spring Equinox and that’s two measly weeks away! How can I do that without a little fiction?”

“You don’t have to actually prove to him you have found a mate, you do know that don’t you?” he asked.

“It specifically says I need to bring him the chart and show him my date the night of the festival.”

“Then use your boyfriend, for fuck’s sake.” Sten glowered at me just as another bolt of lightning crashed above.

The skies opened up, and rain pelted down on us. Of course, Sten just lifted his hood, but not me. I wasn’t even wearing my robes anymore. I’d dumped them in my dorm, choosing to play hooky from the rest of my classes for the day. The oversized white t-shirt I had on stuck to my skin and I tried desperately to hold it off my belly rolls. There was no way to hide the thickness of my thighs beneath it since I was wearing bright pink leggings. The last thing I needed to do was give Sten another reason to say no to me.

It was a crazy plan. A flawed plan. But I needed him to pass.

“No,” he said, shaking his head.

“Look, you do this for me, you help me chart the skies and pretend to be my date on the night of the festival and I will do anything you want!”

“What?”

“You heard me!” I shouted over the roar of thunder.

I knew I looked desperate and ridiculous, but his blue eyes raked over me from head to toe before a smile curved at the corner of his exceptionally pretty mouth.

“Anything?”

CHAPTER 4

Sten

“Oh, this is vile. This is ghastly,” Amrin said, holding her breath while she stuffed a pile of dirty clothes into the washer.

I admit, it’d been a while since I cleaned out my room and things were getting pretty ripe in there. She was wearing one of my t-shirts, since hers was completely ruined by the rain.

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