Page 54 of Charming Her Monsters

I glance down the hall and see all the doors are closed. So Floof must have gone down the stairs. Am I that obsessed with the witch that I allowed something to slip past me like this?

I am. I did.

Fuck!

I race toward the stairs and almost collide with Jade. Fortunately, Flint is quick with his reflexes and snatches her out of the way.

I’d stop and explain, but I fear I’ve fucked up. I can’t look her in the eye and confess I lost her pet. Or worse, that I may have allowed a spy amongst us.

Either way, I’m pissed at myself.

Off the living room, I see the patio door slightly ajar. I’m out that door before it registers that Flint touched Jade.

I hear Arran and Maxum rushing out of their bedroom and figure they can handle whatever mess I made with the gargoyle and the witch.

My eyes frantically search the shadows. I’m completely screwed. A hamster could literally be under a leaf and I wouldn’t see it.

Maxum joins me outside, flapping his huge wings as we both hover over the yard behind the house. “What the fuck is going on?” He rubs the sleep from his eyes and glances around.

I land, but continue to scan my surroundings. “Floofer is gone.”

He touches down next to me. “What the hell is a floofer?” he asks, completely baffled.

“The hamster.” I growl. I hate that he never took the time to get to know the creatures. “You should have investigated them!”

“You told me they were just magical creatures,” Maxum says with confusion.

“I thought they were. Maybe instead of sticking your dick in the witch, you should have been probing their minds.”

Maxum tenses, realizing this is more than a missing pet. “Explain yourself. What do you think is going on?” His eyes dart about, trying to catch sight of our potential infiltrator.

“Something felt off. It’s possible he was a spy.”

“Then you should haveaskedme to investigate.”

I sigh. He’s not wrong. “I should have. And this is just a guess. However, disappearing like this isn’t a good sign.”

Maxum glowers at the dark forest that surrounds the lake, and we walk toward it. “He’s going to have a hard time getting outside of my wards.”

“Unless he’s a shifter and a mage. If he’s powerful and skilled, he could break through.”

“But why would a mage be spying on us?” he asks, confusion filling his face.

“OnJade,” I correct him.

Maxum lets loose a string of inventive curses. After a moment, he gazes again into the darkness. But this time, I feel the swell of magic gather around him.

I try to shut down, quieting my wild and crazed thoughts so he can focus without me broadcasting all my messy ideas and worries.

The demon shakes his head and frowns. “Whoever… whatever Floofer is, I can’t sense their thoughts. So either they are truly a dimwitted hamster or they are powerful enough to block me completely.”

Dammit. I was hoping he could sense the hamster.

“If they are that powerful, why are they wasting their time masquerading as a hamster for a witch who isn’t even at her full power?” he asks.

So many accusatory answers pop up in my mind, instead I focus on what we know for sure. “If she is ignorant of her power, then maybe someone wants to keep it that way. If she didn’t know about the pendant’s intentions, its presence would suggest someone wanted her magic weak. Or the hamster could be someone, other than Rob, who hoped to use her ability.”

“None of the possibilities are good.” He turns his attention fully on me and studies my face. “You really don’t believe she’s innocent?”

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