Page 132 of An Invocation of Monsters

It was a poor substitute for an actual embrace, as my wings were held delicately off the floor, and I could not relax in this house that had been an adversary for so long.

But Juno’s sharp eyes took that in.

“Elle, we have all the time in the world to explain what happened,” she said gently, patting her cousin’s knee. “But for now, you should focus on yourself. You’ve just been through a massive ordeal, and I think your mates would like to reassure themselves that you’re alright.”

Elle nodded, slowly standing up with a groan. I followed her, relieved to lower my wings, but she whirled around in the doorway.

“You’ll still be here when I get back, won’t you?” she asked Juno.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going anywhere until I’ve checked out your awesome new inheritance.” Juno stretched out. “Also, my back hurts and I’m hungry and I don’t want to move right now. Go rest. Shower and eat. I promise I won’t move an inch.”

Elle finally consented to leave, relaxing once more.

Drazan and Kiraxis awaited us, their anxious eyes betraying their desire to see their mate.

She dropped the blanket, holding out her arms for them as Juno’s mates disappeared towards the house where their Lady rested.

We would never need to feel anxious again. Juno’s words had reassured me; the invocation had succeeded.

Elle belonged to us, now and forever.

41

Elle

It took me a few days to get past the shock and horror of it all.

My monsters were there to support me the entire time, and Juno and her horde went out of their way to help me.

They combed every inch of the circle on the cliff and the lake below, but the storm of my father’s appearance had left no trace aside from the damaged forest.

The bodies were gone, sucked up into the vortex he’d created.

Juno surmised that they had been part of the invocation required to call forth such an ancient V’uthli into our world; he had accepted their sacrifices.

I was a little sad that I had nothing to bury, especially in regards to Kase, but I went out with Kiraxis and Toth and chose a nice patch in the wildflower field. We would choose a spot there to memorialize them.

Then we found and marked the doors. I was insistent on marking them with a quick-and-dirty system that let us know when one of us had gone through one; I didn’t want to walk in on my pregnant cousin getting her brains banged out.

Some delicacy was called for when two people living in the same house had their own harem.

On a sunny day not too long after the invocation, I found myself standing in the yard in front of the shed. I’d been trying to think of what material to build the memorial with, and had just as abruptly decided I was going to figure it out later.

I didn’t want sunshine right now.

I wanted stars and twilight and my monsters.

I went into the shed, checking the little post we’d nailed next to it. We’d painted popsicle sticks red and green; the stick sitting on the post was green.

Good. I swapped it out for a red one, ensuring Juno would know I’d gone this way, and stepped through.

Tension immediately drained from me as I entered the Void, leaving the sun behind. I shed my clothes, leaving them folded up next to the door.

Clothes were so passé in the Void.

“Kiraxis?” I called, stepping into the meadow of glowing flowers. “Toth? Drazan?”

Toth dropped from overhead, joining me when I made it to the beach. He held out his arms. “Excellent timing.”

---