Page 149 of Their Pretty Little Monster

She eats it quickly, then takes another, and I join her.

“You know, I met my real father.”

She stops mid-bite, her eyes widening. “You did? What was he like?”

I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words.

“He was… complicated.” A fucking asshole. “Powerful.” A bastard monster. “Ruthless.” A murderer. “And terrifying.”

My mom’s hand trembles slightly as she reaches for another puff.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No,” I reassure her. “He tried, but no. He’s not someone you can easily trust but not someone to worry about ever again.”

Her brow furrows, and she catches on to what I’m saying. I reach over and squeeze her hand as I sip my tea.

“Anyway… Let me tell you everything from the start.”

“Please.” She settles comfortably in her chair, taking another Moon Puff.

“I met Killian first,” I begin, my mind racing back to the night that started it all. “He told me that I’d been selected to be offered to monsters. So, he took me to his world, Blight. The vessel, the monsters, the mind-blowing world—it was all so surreal.” I explain it all in detail, and my mother’s eyes grow huge. Her hand grips mine like she’s scared for me.

“Sage, that sounds terrifying. And wait, so Killian, the Viscount, is a monster?”

I nod. “Yes, he is. Anyway, I wasn’t alone in the world. I had three Shadowfen who looked after me.” I go on about the devastating state of the old kingdom and how my father killed the old King, knowing I can’t shield her and she deserves to know the truth.

She gasps aloud. “No, he wouldn’t!”

“He did.” My voice wobbles as just thinking about everything brings up so many emotions, so many memories. “Someone even tried to kill me.” My mother looks pale, but I quickly say, “I was saved by the three Shadowfen, who turned out to be my true mates.”

“True mates?” she mimics, the bridge between her eyes bunched up.

“It’s a perfect match for life. Like soul mates,” I say. “There’s Wolfe, Nyko, and Killian. Each one is different but amazing in his own way.” I go into more explanation about each one’s personality and how they spoiled and protected me. “And they had a plan to take revenge on my father,” I continue. “Wolfe is the son of the King my father killed. It’s so twisted.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

I go into everything else, and finally, I reveal, “I have a half sister.”

She’s almost crying, and my heart breaks. I reach over to her, embracing her. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. What is she like?”

I pull back smiling. “Elara is amazing, younger than me, and we get along so well,” I say, feeling a warmth at the thought of my sister. Then I add, “I can’t stay here in Nightingale Village. I think you know that, right?”

She nods, understanding. “I know, Sage. I see that now. I’m so sorry for everything you went through, my baby.”

I hug her back, having missed her so much. “It’s all right because I feel stronger now, as though I am who I was meant to become all along.” I break away.

“Killian is going to the Elite City to ask their King about getting approval for me to come back and visit you more often, unless…” I stare at her. “You want to join me in the monster world?”

She shakes her head almost instantly, her shoulders back. “Oh, I don’t think I can do that. I won’t like it. This is my home, where I feel safe, where I have a close friend next door…”

“But I can’t stay here,” I say, feeling the weight of the decision.

“I know,” she says softly. “But now that you’re safe and you have three men looking after you—which is a little bit strange, I must admit—I can stop worrying. Especially if you keep visiting me and bringing me monster treats. And maybe one day, I can meet your half sister.”

“Of course,” I say, hugging her again, feeling exhausted from talking so much. “When I say it all, it sounds like a crazy, made-up story.”

She chuckles, and I notice that she hasn’t coughed since she took the drink.

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