Page 23 of Charming Her Monsters

I make him wait until I’m done with her hair.

“You are a miracle worker!” Jade swings her long, silver threaded strands.

I grin and then kneel to look her in the eyes. “Beast… mywolfmisses you. He would like to visit.”

Jade strokes my face. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah, he’s been patient.”

“May I ask how this shifter thing works? It sounds like the wolf and the berserker are separate from each other and from you.”

I take in a deep breath. This isn’t easy to explain, and it sounds baffling to most humans. But I remind myself that Jade writes stuff that isn’t far from the truth.

“I suppose it’s much like a split personality. Except I’m aware of him, and he is aware of me. His emotions are usually in line with mine. But similar to when you might feel conflicted about something, we can be at odds at times. Usually, that happens because he operates from his instincts and heart. I operate from my mind, humanlike feelings, and sometimes, if I’m lucky, with logic. Then there is the berserker.”

“So instead of a dichotomy, you now are a trichotomy,” she jokes, trying to ease my tension.

I nod. “Suppose so. We all are impulsive, and that can get us in trouble.”

“Like chasing me down from the bar?” Jade smirks.

Thank Goddess she thinks that’s funny now.

“Yeah. That’s one example. The other is how I got cursed.”

Jade covers her mouth. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want anything hidden between us. And now, this is part of who I am—unfortunately.”

“You mentioned it was a witch who did this. Is that why you don’t like witches?”

“Partly. Jade, I will understand if you no longer like me once I tell you how I was cursed.”

“Well, shit. That’s not a great setup to a story.” Jade places her hands on mine, calming me instantly. “Just tell me what happened and let me decide what I can handle.”

Choking down the emotions bubbling up in me, I begin, “Many years ago, Osen was attacked by a witch named Tanil.”

“I remember that name, vaguely.” Jade gazes into the distance, lost in the memory she plucked from Osen’s soul.

“You might also remember that she had gutted Osen and threw iron in his wound. For a fae-born supernatural being, iron poisoning can be a death sentence. Somehow, he managed to escape. I think she wanted him to be found in the wild, and we couldn’t pin his death on her. Using Flint’s sense of danger and protection, and Calder’s ability to sense death, we were able to locate him and get him the help he needed. We were supposed to wait until Osen recovered, then attack Tanil together.”

“But you didn’t go along with that plan,” she guesses.

“No. I was filled with so much rage for my friend and occasional lover that I raced off when no one was paying attention and attacked her. I tore Tanil apart. I could barely tell she was human by the time I was done.”

Jade waits for me to go on, but the tension in her body grows. She probably wants to drop my hands and run away.

“But Tanil wasn’t alone. Her coven mates attacked, cursing me with dark magic sealed with Tanil’s blood. From then on, whenever I feel potent emotions, my berserker is awakened and takes over.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” I squeeze her hands in mine, unsure what to make of her response.

“I mean, I’m so sorry they cursed you like that. But it sounds like there was an ugly cycle of revenge going on. I probably would have gone after Tanil too, if she had hurt one of my people.”

“So, you don’t think I’m a monster?”

“Technically? Yeah. You are. Butwhat-the-fuck-ever. Humans are monsters for much less and for no reason at all.” Jade shrugs. “Why did Tanil attack Osen?”

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