Page 17 of An Invocation of Monsters

I alighted on the peak of the house, keeping a close eye out as she skirted the water’s edge. One wrong move, and she would be within the Klee’s territory.

And soon she would be out of mine. The Mlul’dra that infested the house itself had been watching since she arrived, but Kiraxis was shy.

He wouldn’t show himself to her, fearing to drive away this human who had sent such an explosive blast of energy throughout the Void when she arrived in our lands.

When Elle opened the doors, I crawled over the roof until I found the window leading into a dark attic, slipping through the small frame silently, sniffing the air for traps. The Hunter knew the denizens of the Void were here, and would stop at nothing to capture one.

But the air tasted of nothing but stale dust. Perhaps they didn’t expect us to infiltrate their castle.

Nonetheless, it was the height of stupidity to venture in here, but I couldn’t resist. I had to know more about this Elle.

I felt Kiraxis’ presence below, and glided from shadow to shadow, slipping in and out of reality as I descended through the house. Before every step, I looked for traps, until I made it to the rooms that smelled of her.

They were underlaid with a cloying floral scent, but Elle’s sweet, vanilla-like smell was already driving it out. I clung to the ceiling, wrapped in the shadows above the mantel, and Kiraxis shifted under the sofa.

Her footsteps grew louder until the door finally opened, and she came in. Seeing her this close, in her own quarters and unafraid of intrusion, made me even more curious.

Kiraxis shuddered, and Elle stopped again, staring at the sofa. It had been the most minute vibration, but she was on high alert, her arms wrapped around herself.

Finally she exhaled. “I’m losing my mind,” she whispered to herself.

I cocked my head, watching her as she shed her jacket and tossed it on the couch. Did she not believe what her eyes saw, what every sense screamed to her?

How could she be crazy when she was as real as we were?

She retreated to the bedroom, and quick as a flash, Kiraxis had snagged the jacket on a claw and yanked it under the couch. There was a low, rumbling purr as he took a deep whiff of it.

I crawled through the shadows of the ceiling, ducking under the door and moving above the sheer canopy above the bed. If she looked up, I would be nothing but another deep shadow from the corner of her eye.

The woman kicked off her boots, dropped the phone on her nightstand, and then just stood there for a long moment, staring out the window at the lake.

I was almost concerned for her sanity until she shook her head and began stripping off her clothes. My throat went dry when she pulled her shirt up, revealing pink-tipped breasts, and my lungs felt shallow as the pants followed.

All the blood in my body flowed to my cock, my claspers twitching to grab her.

This was wrong… she was not us. She was with them.

I should not feel this desire for a human.

Elle crawled into her bed, only feet below me, and yanked the sheet over herself. The lack of visual stimulation did nothing to reduce the urges pounding through my body.

She flopped back, closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply once more.

Within minutes, she was dead asleep.

I crept down from the ceiling, rising to my full height over the bed as I watched her.

She didn’t look evil.

She looked soft, the stress easing out of her face as it relaxed, making her appear younger and more vulnerable than she had in the forest.

A massive, dark shape appeared on the other side of the bed as Kiraxis peeked over the edge of the mattress, all six green eyes narrowed.

“She’s asleep,” I whispered. “Don’t wake her.”

“I see that,” Kiraxis grumbled. His top two eyes widened, taking her in. Elle let out a tiny snore, and he ducked down again, ears pressed flat against his skull, rising only when she didn’t move.

“She is very beautiful.” The Mlul’dra’s claws, dug into the edge of the bed, flexed lightly, then he dared to reach out and stroke her arm.

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