Page 16 of Their Pretty Little Monster

In a fluid motion, he pivots to confront the charging beast, his blade sweeping through its body like he’s slicing through air—no piercing, no blood, no visible wound. The creature unleashes an ungodly screech as if mortally struck and stumbles backward. Despite the apparent lack of injury, it recovers and charges again, unmarked by the encounter.

The beast lunges once more, and the blue man’s swords vanish into thin air before he charges. They clash with a thunderous force that sends vibrations through the ground beneath my feet.

I flinch, a cry caught in my throat. With deft strength, he wrestles the lizard into a chokehold, exposing its pale underbelly, then heaves it powerfully against the wall. The creature thuds heavily, clearly stunned but not defeated—its hide perhaps too thick even for poisoned spikes.

At that moment, the blue man turns toward me, and our eyes lock—those deep blue, familiar eyes now glaring from beneath thick, furrowed brows, his upper lip curled back over sharp-edged teeth, revealing a menacing snarl.

It’s definitely the Viscount, transformed and… monstrous.

“Turn off the fucking light,” he growls. “This damn beast can’t see in the dark.”

“You’re…” My voice trembles, my heart racing as reality blurs into a nightmare. The edges of my vision darken, the weight of revelation too heavy to bear. The ground seems to tilt around me, and I collapse into darkness.

Chapter

Five

SAGE

Warmth coats me, and for a brief moment, I believe I’m back in my bed, waking from another insane nightmare about the world falling apart. Along with the warmth, there’s the sudden reality of my bed never feeling this hard and the unmistakable crackling snap of fire—something distinctly absent in my bedroom. Couple that with a smell, rich and meaty, and the tearing sound of something chewing in food, and I flip my eyes open, pushing myself to sit upright so fast that my head spins.

I’m greeted by a small fire that blazes in front of me, its tongues licking upward, casting ominous shadows on the glittery cave walls. With it comes a knot in my stomach, tightening—the one that tells me this isn’t a dream. I’m really here, in this monster world, and the reality of it crashes through me with such force it nearly rattles my bones.

The Viscount sits nearby in human form, knees bent, his arms resting on them as he gnaws on some kind of cooked meat, tearing at it like a beast with his teeth. More of it hangs at the side of the fire, speared on the ends of sticks.

His shredded midnight-black shirt and pants still cling to him and cover plenty to not be flashed by him… Maybe a result of the lizard or him busting out of his clothes when he transformed into his monster form. In all honesty, I’d seen it in a flash and paid no attention to his clothes to remember.

My own clothes feel only slightly damp now from the storm. His dark hair, cascading around that strong face, is slightly damp, telling me I’ve been passed out for a while.

Those vibrant eyes are on me, studying me, and when I look at him, all I see is that large blue monster fighting with swords.

Or had I imagined him that way? I’m not entirely sure what to trust about my mind.

“You’re finally awake,” he states, smacking his lips.

“I saw you… you’re a monster… blue.” My attempt to laugh comes out like a strangled sound. “Isn’t this the part where you tell me I was hallucinating?”

He chuckles, and it vibrates oddly against the cave walls. “I could tell you that you were hallucinating, but I doubt that would help your current state of disbelief.”

My mind twirls with an overload of information. The scent of meat wafts to my nose as I watch droplets drip from the cooking meat. My stomach betrays my confusion with a grumble. At home, having meat was a luxury, and what little I could buy was used on medicine for Mom. Just thinking of her has my breathing quickening again.

“Hey,” he says, his voice pulling me back to the present. “Take a deep, slow breath, or you’ll make yourself pass out again.”

I draw in a shaky breath. “It’s… it’s just so much. Nothing prepares you for all of this.”

“That’s true,” he replies nonchalantly, taking another massive bite of his meat and chewing thoughtfully.

Watching him eat, there’s something unsettling yet fascinating about his intensity. Something primal and animalistic. I’m breathing heavily again.

Meat juices drip down his chin, and he casually wipes it away, the sight somehow making my mouth water despite my brain screaming that it shouldn’t.

“Wh-what are you eating?” I finally manage to ask, my curiosity piqued despite my fear. I involuntarily lick my lips.

“Want some?” He’s already grabbing one of the sticks with a sizzling piece of meat on one end from the fire and leaning closer, handing it to me.

Accepting it, I sniff it hesitantly; it smells gamey and rich. He couldn’t have hunted something ordinary like a rabbit out in this storm, could he? I doubt bunnies exist out here.

“You’ve cooked the lizard creature, haven’t you?” My voice is barely above a whisper, my skin crawling at the thought, especially remembering the creature drooling.

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