Page 45 of An Invocation of Monsters

But then I heard a rustle of leaves from the forest. The snap of a twig, and a low, liquid sound that came from a living being’s throat, far too close for comfort.

My composure shattered like glass.

I sprinted down the last few steps towards the beach. A shrill, eerie sound rose behind me, driving me even faster towards the water.

I didn’t stop to take a breath or compose myself before jumping into the unknown depths of the lake. I just crashed through the waves like a bull, sending splatters of bioluminescent colors flying, my breaths sobbing in sheer panic.

I kept going even as the high-pitched sound grew in intensity, the liquid quality of it raising goosebumps all over me. As soon as the water deepened, I plunged in headfirst and swam like my life depended on it… because I was very sure that it did.

The ear-grating sound finally vanished when I was underwater, but I kept kicking, swimming desperately towards the center of the lake. If the thin-limbed thing could swim, I was fucked… unless I found the door first.

But even as I desperately breast-stroked away from shore, another bone-chilling thought occurred.

If the monsters could cross into our world… who was to say that this thing couldn’t do the same?

I was sure I was going to die here. No body to be found, my cousin left to mourn without answers, my left-behind belongings hidden by the Society. Nobody would ever know what had happened to me.

Oddly, I found myself wondering if the monsters would care that I’d died. I felt a pang of grief at the thought of never speaking to Kiraxis, Drazan, and Toth ever again, my own mourning for a beginning that would never have an end now.

My lungs were burning as I swam, rising for a breath and hearing that wailing shriek like a klaxon from hell—

And then tentacles curled from the darkness of the depths, wrapping around me and pulling me under.

14

Elle

My ears popped as I descended into the darkness, thrashing wildly, and then a low, masculine voice echoed through my head.

Stop fighting, Elle. I have you.

But I couldn’t stop. If he dragged me down, I’d drown—

A tentacle curled over my mouth, and I gasped in a bubble of air.

“There’s something in the woods!” I tried to shout, but all that came out was bubbles. Drazan patiently fed me another breath of air, then another, until my limbs relaxed in his grasp.

I was still shaking from the adrenaline rush of sheer terror. How strange that I would find the dark pressure of the lake’s depths a source of comfort.

I will not allow it to harm you, he promised, bringing me closer. Without thinking, I held out my arms until I could grasp him, gripping his shoulders and clinging beneath the nest of tentacles for dear life.

Never, in a million years, would I find this tentacle-faced monster anywhere near as terrifying as the thing on shore.

I was a little calmer now, sure that Drazan could and would absolutely annihilate that thing if it tried to enter the lake.

But I still wanted to be as far from it as humanly possible. There was something about it that was different from the monsters here.

I had the distinct impression that it wasn’t one of them, but an anomaly of sorts.

Something that should not be.

The Klee gripped me tightly, and I felt the water sliding over me as he moved. Tentacles delivered fresh bubbles of air to my mouth and nose as the monster carried me through the lake, striding through deep water.

For the time being, I was content to be protected. It was quite an unusual feeling for me.

I was used to looking after myself. When I’d developed the ability to heal with my hands, I’d dealt with the consequences alone.

I had chosen on my own to take the only route of survival—being alone forever. Never allowing myself the luxury of another person’s touch.

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