Page 36 of Land of Monsters

“I don’t care what the price is.” The statement rushed between my teeth in a hiss before my mind slammed my mouth shut. It was too late.

Dzsinn’s eyes sparked with understanding. “Ahhh… I see.”

I wanted to deny it, to tell him he didn’t see shit, but I didn’t.

“Like I said, she’s important.” Wars will start if Sonya hurts her.

Dzsinn dipped his chin in understanding. “Give me until tomorrow night—”

“Tomorrow night?” I exclaimed. “That’s too late!”

Dzsinn slanted his head at me. I moved around in my chair, taking a breath and pinning my mouth together.

“This is not a small ask. And I need to call in some favors, get more information on the fortress.” His dark eyes pierced me with the magnitude of what he’d be doing for me. I didn’t want to think about the favor I’d owe him later. It didn’t matter; Raven was my only concern.

“Tomorrow,” I restated.

The genie watched me for a moment, seeing far more than I wanted him to, before he rose from the table. “Talk soon, Ash.” He slipped away, the crowd swallowing him up, and I could bet no one took notice of him walking out.

?

Chirp!

“I told you no.”

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

I didn’t have to look at the tiny imp on the table to know I was getting flipped off. Her curt, angry tone told me how cranky she was. I took away her mushrooms.

Rubbing my head, I paused my constant pacing, feeling like a caged animal. Two dim firebulbs glowed, putting the room in shadows. The moonless sky and the dark and quiet outside reversed the mood from the night before.

A noise worked up my throat, and I sat down on the bed, my head in my hands. Memories from last night wormed into my brain, reminding me of her cries, her moans, her taste, and how she looked at me as I watched her and him.

How her lips felt wrapped around my cock, like she owned me.

“Fuck me.” I popped up again, my body agitated, my mind relentless.

“I wasn’t! That was a total misunderstanding!” Opie popped out from the drawer, where he had found something of interest.

My gaze slid to him as he peered around, realizing I wasn’t speaking to him.

Chirp!

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything,” he huffed, crawling out of the drawer. “You think with those big ears, you’d hear better.” He plonked down on the nightstand, wiggling his big hairy toes, which glistened with a gel-like substance. “Ohhh… my toes are getting warm! They feel all tingly!”

I snorted. Warming lube.

“Wait. What are you wearing?” I hadn’t really taken notice when I came back to the room, my mind buzzing over my conversation with Dzsinn. Every moment I sat here, not knowing what they were doing to her, was torture.

“Oh.” He swung out his legs, waggling his gel-coated toes even more. “It’s just something Ithrewtogether.” Gold tassels hung off his hips, one placed right in front of his crotch, and two were on his nipples. What looked like strips of the bedspread were tied into his beard, and he had more of Maestro’s gems decorating his cheeks, torso, and penis. “You like?”

I peered over at the lamp, whichusedto have gold tassels hanging from the shade. “Opie…” I palmed my face again.

“I had very limited material to work with!” he huffed. “You locked us in here! What was I supposed to do?”

“You’re sub-fae. You can’t be locked up anywhere,” I replied, slanting my head.

“Oh, well… I got… stuck.”

---