Page 26 of Monstrous

“I have an idea, and it’s close by,” I tell him.

He sweeps out a hand toward the street.Then lead the way, and we will follow you, Marianna.

It’s probably not the safest spot, but it’s only a few blocks over and I have access. Those two things have got to count for something.

I head down the street with Zane hot on my ass and Arc and Vexx bringing up the rear. They seem to be staying in their mortal man-ish forms but I also notice the shadows deepening around us once again to create a small barrier between us and the rest of the world.

My life at the bank feels insanely far away. But for the first time in alongtime, I feel awake. Alive. And I wonder if it’s the danger or the men.

Probably a little bit of both. Alotta bit of both.

Still, I hurry along in my socks until Zane sweeps me up in his arms again. Just when I’d been thinking about how cold my feet are and nervous about stepping on a rock or broken glass.

He winks at me because there he goes reading my mind again. I can’t say it’s a bad thing.

I give him whispered directions until we arrive at a cute little two-story brick building just outside of downtown. The front window is huge and shows the open room inside with wide plank wooden floors and white painted walls. Perfect for displaying the works of art inside.

“Walker’s parents own this art gallery,” I tell the guys.

And I have always wanted to have my own pieces displayed there but I’m not nearly ready for that. I’m not as good as the other artists they feature, especially not after his death and my diagnosis. Not after the pills that stole my art away from me.

The dream went on a high shelf where it’s been collecting dust since then.

I draw in a breath, grappling with the unexpected tide of emotions threatening to take me under. The longer I look at the gallery, the harder it becomes to breathe.

Zane cradles me close as I direct them around to the back door. It’s another alley but kept clean, with two black trash bins lined up neatly, and this time, different memories rise. Memories of Walker stealing a kiss from me before we snuck inside to take a look at the upstairs apartment.

Walker making a joke about how he’ll have to stand in line to hug me once I made it big with my first featured show.

I clear my throat to center myself in the moment, fighting against those long-gone moments.

Odds are good Mr. Toth still keeps the key where he used to hide it, in the loose brick next to the security box. “Over there. The door requires a key and a code to get in. Not to mention there’s an alarm,” I say.

A few pries get the brick loose and there it is. The key is still there! Relief sweeps through me.

Zane sets me down on my feet, Vexx breathing hard behind us as I slide the key home and hurry to enter the security code so that the alarm doesn’t go off.

Another thing I know Mr. Toth will probably never change, because the code is Walker’s birthday. It’s probably a little on the nose but no thief is going to rob the art gallery. Especially not with the owners donating most of the money from the sales to local food banks. Everyone in the community knows the couple and understands what they’ve gone through.

Zane pushes open the door to give us a better view of the inside of the gallery.

A long hallway stretches out in front of us, leading to a storeroom and the front gallery space. Upstairs is a small apartment I know is now mostly used for extra storage. I pointedly push aside the thoughts of what Ihad planned to do to that apartment. How Walker presented it to me as an option to start our married life and what I envisioned for the space.

The whole of my future spread out in front of me, shining brightly. And he’d followed along behind me laughing the whole time, excited and teasing me about how I used my hands to talk.

Not talk, I’d corrected him. I used them to illustrate my point and paint the same picture for him that I saw.

The guys’ footsteps echo behind me as I navigate the stairs, trailing my hands over the dusty rail.

“Here we are,” I tell them unnecessarily, pushing open the door. Dust has taken up residence here as well, and I wonder when Walker’s parents had last visited the place. Like me, could they not stand to be reminded of what we lost?

Arc pushes Vexx through the door and draws a symbol in the air above the wood, pressing it down to set it and magic flares for a moment before dying.

This will work, Zane says. He stares around at the space before nodding at the rest of us. A little gesture to indicate a job well done.And the ward above the door will keep us hidden.

“For how long?” I ask.

As long as it takes to regroup, he answers simply.

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