Page 41 of Their Pretty Little Monster

“Ah yes, he is the leader of the people on this vessel, but the ship belongs to me. Something I built with my team long ago for the King to explore the world, for easy travel, and for war. The Queen named the ship Howler, after her son. Though today, the vessel resembles very little of what it once looked like, carrying an army, weapons, but now…” He shrugs, staring back down into the water.

“It’s your home,” I finish for him, remembering Killian telling me in our vision that the kingdom was ruined. The dreams I had my whole life—were they flashes of what this world faced? I still have no idea why I was privy to the past, but I’m hoping those nightmares have stopped as they did last night.

“We lost our home thirteen years ago,” he explains in his gravelly voice. “The Howler is temporary until destiny brings us a new opportunity.” He glances at me again, his eyes staring into me strangely.

“I get it because I grew up never feeling like I fit in back in the village, and now that I’m here, I don’t feel I belong either.”

“Belonging is a journey, not a destination,” he answers, then dips his attention back to the pond. “We all find our place in time.”

I can’t help but feel slightly bad for him. “So, what actually happened in this world? I keep hearing bits and pieces like the world wasn’t always like this.”

“It wasn’t,” he explains. “Once, it had more land, a world ruled by a kingdom, the royal family of Silvercrest. Then we experienced devastating world destruction… a natural event that shook the world and broke it apart. Fires spread, then rain came… so much of it that it flooded, and the oceans and rivers rose, stealing land. It was at this time that the royal family was betrayed by another, claiming himself as the new King. His supporters were in far greater numbers than those who opposed him. He promised them a dry home, while the rest of us who knew he stole the kingdom were banished into the waters.”

“Oh, fuck,” I whisper, the gravity of what he’s saying sinking in. My heart aches for what they’ve been through. To lose everything, to be cast out into the water—it’s heartbreaking.

“What happens now? Everyone’s trying to get the kingdom back?” I think of Killian, Wolfe, and Nyko, the leaders of these people. Is that their goal, too?

“That’s the intention,” he answers, glancing my way with that intensity that leaves me shifting uncomfortably on the edge of the pond.

I’m not sure what to say as I feel the weight of his words pressing down on me. The future of a broken kingdom, a world submerged, and I’m now trapped in the same plight.

“But on brighter topics,” he begins. “I hear you’ve been matched as a true mate with Lord Killian. That is rare. You must be ecstatic.”

I laugh, unable to control myself at his statement. “Not sure that’s the word I’d use for it.”

Clay’s face remains impassive, the shadows on his face darkening. “I was once the King’s navy chief in command,” he begins, his voice carrying the weight. “Now, I’m reduced to ferrying people around the seas.” There’s a bitterness in his tone, anger simmering beneath the surface. I can’t blame him; just hearing his story makes me tense and furious for him, for all the monsters on this vessel.

“Do you know much about the new kingdom?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.

“Not really,” I admit. “I had no idea about Blight either.”

“So, before you came to our world, Blight, there was nothing? No visions or dreams about it? Sometimes, that happens when you are far away from your true home.” His gaze deepens, almost as if he’s searching for something in my eyes.

I shake my head, trying to keep my voice steady, not trusting his intentions to reveal my nightmares. Unsure why, but something about him makes me not trust him.

“No, nothing like that. Why do you ask? If I experienced those, does it mean something?”

He tilts his head, his birdlike eyes narrowing. “It’s just rare for a Shadowfen to not be matched to another true-blood Shadowfen. In the old kingdom, such unions were forbidden, carrying a significant punishment.”

I shift uncomfortably, pushing out a fake laugh. “Well, lucky that’s not happening now.”

He holds my stare for a moment too long before he gives me one of his creepy smiles. “Yes, very fortunate.”

Why’s he so interested in me? Before I can ask him why, another monster bursts into the room. He’s a barrel of a creature with deep brown skin and spiky hair all over his body. And he’s naked, something dangling between his legs. His gaze locks on me.

I instantly look away, blushing, staring down at the water. How can he walk around like that?

“Captain,” the monster states urgently. “He’s changed course again, demanding he wants to go to land immediately.”

Clay stiffens, his demeanor shifting to anger in an instant, his brow pinching together, shoulders bunching up. “It’s too damn early,” he snaps. “We have to build up our defenses more. When did he change his mind?”

“Early this morning, before the ritual. I missed it, sorry.” His head bows forward pitifully.

I keep my gaze low, pretending I’m not in the room. The tension in the air thickens. Clay huffs, clearly perturbed, and excuses himself from me with a curt nod.

“I must attend to this. Enjoy the calmness I’ve now lost.”

I watch as he marches out of the room, leaving me alone once more. My heart is still racing from the barrage of questions and the unexpected confrontation.

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