Page 19 of An Inheritance of Monsters

“May I just…” I slid to the edge of the bed, letting my legs dangle over the side. I had no idea what to ask for, what to do. I was completely out of my wheelhouse.

So I stood up, looking up at the dark monster, and stepped forward with my hand held out.

Rask didn’t move a muscle as I approached. Seeing was one thing, but feeling… even if I couldn’t provide it as proof to anyone else, I wanted the proof for myself that he was real and here.

That I wasn’t totally losing my mind.

I took a deep breath and reached up, putting my hand on his shoulder.

He was warm, his skin leathery but still soft under my fingertips. The dark fur that grew thicker along his spine was silky against my palm.

I exhaled a shaky breath, and felt a tremble in the floor. Rask was rumbling deep in his chest, the sound filling the walls.

I looked into his eyes, wanting to touch those pointed ears and the claws and sharp teeth…

And a door in the hallway slammed open.

Probably Crispy—who had a bad habit of rummaging for midnight snacks.

The effect on Rask was immediate. He almost snatched himself away from me, the shadows condensing and filling my sight as they flew back under the bed.

Within seconds, I was alone in an empty room, my palm still warm from the monster’s shoulder.

Chapter6

Juno

“You look like shit,Jefe.”

I basically flopped into my chair at the table in the kitchen, staring at Crispy through bleary eyes. The circles under my eyes were so dark I looked like I’d gone on a sleepless five-day research binge.

But seriously, how was I supposed tosleepafter last night?

I’d woken up sprawled on the bed, my head hanging over the side. Rask had not made a reappearance, even while I’d carefully aligned his gifts on my nightstand and dropped another bobby pin under the side of the for good measure.

After the presence of the monster, the empty room had felt quieter and more empty than ever.

But when I’d rushed to look in my Black Book, the drawings of Zirin were there. My skin no longer glowed, but there was a faint film in places where it had been.

I’d reluctantly taken a quick shower in the tiled stall tucked into my bathroom corner, a little sad to lose one of my bits of proof, but if I was lucky, I’d find a way back to that world of monsters tonight.

I tried not to think about that tentacle on the seafloor, the one that had stretched miles below.

If I thought about that too hard, I’d never go back, and there was absolutely no way I could pass up discovering a paranormal dimension while I was given access to the island.

Crispy pushed an empty mug across the table towards me, followed by a steaming pot of coffee. “Drink up, I need you looking perky for some scenic shots today.”

Oh. Right.

We were supposed to be filming a show, not having mental breakdowns over the discovery of new worlds.

“We should look at our overnight footage first,” I said, pouring myself a cup and trying to sound super casual about the fact that he’d see a giant clawed monster in my room. “See if we caught any phenomena to work with.”

I stirred sugar and cream as Sierra walked into the kitchen, wearing yoga pants and a sports bra. The scent of patchouli and amber oil wafted across the room as she sat gracefully in the chair opposite me.

Before either of us could open our mouths to say good morning, she was followed by Carson and Jack, and Rosalie came in after them, lugging an enormous stack of books with no less than three pencils shoved in her bun.

I eyed them with jealousy, wishing that I could trade Rask something for my pen back, and pushed the coffee pot to Sierra.

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