Page 2 of Charming Her Monsters

No answer, and she’s not in my room. I shout for her and Calder over and over. I check Maxum’s room, the bathroom, then Flint’s bedroom, and finally head to Calder’s.

“What’s all this racket about?” a tiny voice grumbles at me. It’s Jade's accidental and unofficial guinea pig familiar, Trouble.

He’s giving me a glare for waking him and the rest of Jade’s small rescue animals who now have taken up residence in Calder’s room.

“Where’s Jade? Or Calder?”

“I don’t know where Calder is.” Trouble yawns. “But I heard Jade talking to the grumpy ghost. She left… maybe two days ago.”

“Twodaysago?” I shake my head at his complete miscalculation. Most animals don’t have any concept of human time. I have the same battle with my wolf half.

“Did you overhear where she was going?” I ask.

“Death.” He does the guinea pig version of a shrug. My stomach turns, and I almost vomit at the thought of Jade dying.

“Calder’s car is gone,” Flint reports.

I turn back to Trouble. “Did Calder take Jade somewhere?”

“No. I think she left by herself. She was arguing with the ghostman.”

Since Maxum and Flint can’t hear them like Calder and I can with our shifter abilities, I tell them what the magical creature said. “He says Jade left on her own to go to Death with Osen. What the fuck is going on?”

“Osen’s death spot?” Maxum guesses. “He probably coerced her to go there to investigate.”

“Open a portal,” I demand.

Maxum glowers at me because he doesn’t appreciate being bossed around. Yet, he wants to find Jade just as much as I do, if what I sense about his feelings for her are correct. He opens a portal, and we all step through.

I realize now that I’m naked and hope there are no police officers on the other side. Otherwise, Maxum will have to fuck with someone’s brain so I can escape a public nudity charge.

It’s late enough at night that no one is around. At least, no one we can see. Supernatural creatures might lurk in the shadows. It’s what they do in this neighborhood.

We spot Calder’s car parked on the side of the road, not but a dozen yards from the alleyway where Osen was murdered.

The heavy, metallic scent of blood fills the air. I glance over at Maxum, and see by his flared nostrils he smells it too.

“Danger,” Flint announces. His sense of smell isn’t like ours, but he can pick up danger or if someone needs protection.

Part of me doesn’t want to look down the alleyway. I fear that the woman of my dreams is already dead.

She might still be alive and need my help. I have to push forward and see what’s going on.

When I brave my fears, I see both Jade and Calder sprawled out lifelessly on the ground. There’s so much blood pooling around them. I’m sure they are dead.

Then I notice a glowing bubble over them like a protective shield. A small flower faerie huffs with the effort to keep it going.

“Help!” she shouts at us. But her voice is faint, weak from the strain of casting magic outside of her own realm.

“Are you slowing down time for our friends?” Maxum asks as he runs up to her.

“Yes. My mate and I stumbled upon these poor things being attacked by a strange warlock. We projected images of giant trolls, and he took off.”

“Smart,” Maxum approves.

“My mate left to get someone to help them.”

“A healer?” I ask.

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