Page 73 of An Invocation of Monsters

Before Kiraxis could answer for me, I replied: I eat fish only on rare occasions. I feel their minds as I consume them; I do not enjoy it when my food screams at me.

“I do,” Kiraxis said.

Elle had looked horrified at my statement, then she rolled her eyes at Kiraxis and picked up another meat-bone. “I like mine quiet and already dead and cooked for me.”

I found that it did not bother me that my chosen mate ate flesh. She was a human, with different customs; at least, unlike Kiraxis, she did not like her food alive to shriek as she ate it.

She went through her meal at rapid speed, losing interest in conversation as hunger overcame her. I was simply happy to watch her regain color, the slight tremor in her hands vanishing.

Finally she slumped back, patting her full stomach. “That’s a solid six-pound food baby, right there.”

Kiraxis paused mid-bite. “My Gods. You give birth after feeding?”

Elle stared at him. “Of course. All humans do it.”

Then her lips twitched. She couldn’t hold the serious stare for long and started laughing, clutching her stomach. “Ahhh, the look on your face! It was just a joke. There’s no baby in there, trust me.”

I watched with fascination. Human humor was… strange. Incomprehensible and unknowable.

“You eat the rest.” She pushed the plate towards him, and the M’luldra swiftly cleaned it.

“Yes, I too sometimes feel that I will give birth after a feast from the little man.” He frowned, lying next to Elle. “But then it is merely defecation.”

Elle cackled.

I just shook my head.

They were truly eldritch beings, these humans.

23

Elle

I probably shouldn’t have made the food baby joke, but the look on Kiraxis’s face had made it oh, so worth it.

And eating and laughing made me feel so much better. Somehow being chased by the creature seemed like a distant event, washed away from my memories thanks to the feeling of happiness I got just from hanging out with the monsters.

I managed to stop cackling, staring up at the swirling sky.

When was the last time I had genuinely laughed like this?

Like I didn’t have a care in the world, like every bad thing had vanished for the time being?

I wracked my memories. I’d only really laughed… when I was with Juno.

And it wasn’t exactly the same kind of happiness. I loved Juno; we were close enough to be sisters.

But being with my monsters was entirely different.

They gave me the sort of lightness I had never felt before, all the weight lifted from my shoulders.

I sighed, patting my stomach again. Kiraxis had returned with a giant platter of food: barbecued drumsticks and wings, roasted veggies, and chips with dip.

I avoided dining with the Wendigo Society so often I’d been skipping more meals than I could afford to; I’d have to start sneaking into the kitchen to eat.

Or I could just allow Kiraxis to terrorize poor Tater into sending feasts to the Void.

No. That was wrong of me; I’d have to find a way to bring the food in myself. The techno-loving chef didn’t deserve to be tormented.

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