Page 54 of An Inheritance of Monsters

An episode I had yet to film past the intro, and a week was already gone.

Could I really decide I was a monster’s mate and walk away from it all… even when every fiber of me longed to do just that?

You can’t spend the rest of your life living in a dreamworld getting shagged by monsters, Juno.

I told my inner voice to fuck off for a moment and just let my live my fantasy.

Zirin just gazed up at me, his tentacles squeezing me tight. I heard the sounds of huffing behind me, a language spoken by no human—

And turned to see Rask bowing up on Voraal, whose shadows were growing denser and smokier by the moment.

“I should break them up,” I sighed, and Zirin nodded. He gave me one of his odd, hidden smiles.

I will see you soon, Juno. Do not rush. As I said before, we have all the time in the world.

Reluctance ate at me as I stood up, water dripping down my legs, and strode back across the sand.

IwishedI had all the time in the world. What was a month compared to an eternity here?

Then I shook my head. Where had that thought come from?Eternity?

The monsters seemed to think I was immortal, but I had a calendar and I was counting down the days, each red slash made with increasing despair that I would have to leave it all soon.

But I’d enjoy none of it if Rask and Voraal tore each apart now.

“Rask.” I reached up and touched his shoulder, feeling the vibrations of his low growls. “I would like to be tended to now. Like a realMlul’dramate.”

Voraal switched his gaze to me, the animosity draining away and replaced with curiosity. His chiseled features, that I had only ‘seen’ with my hands before, were breathtakingly handsome, like a statue come to life.

Rask’s growls quieted, and he picked me up before I could say another word.

“You are a realMlul’dramate,” he snarled. “And you, Voraal, will wait. I did not waste time in making my mark, as you did.”

Surprisingly, the monster of shadows inclined his head. “Because you have requested this, I will wait on you, Juno.”

Some of the tension leaked out of me as Rask prowled away. At least I’d avoided finding out firsthand what it looked like when monsters fought.

Rask carried me back to his cavern of treasures. When he’d asked if I was impressed, I’d been completely honest.

It was like a dragon’s hoard, with every conceivable object found under a human bed collected in here. The glimmering moss overhead sparkled off hundreds of objects, and even the floor seemed paved with coins and sea glass.

But this time, he carried me to the back of the cavern. I blinked against the darker shadows, but the four-armed monster settled down, laying me in… a nest?

I was in a massive bowl formed of thick blankets. The scent of clean laundry rose around me as I was cradled into a heavy jacquard comforter, Rask’s arms around me.

“I take from the laundry,” he confided, his voice still husky with annoyance. “And I bring them back when they are not clean and pretty. It is not fitting to keep a mate in a dirty nest.”

I snuggled deeper into the comforter, pulling a soft wool blanket over my shoulders. “It’s a lovely nest.”

He purred for me, then his six eyes brightened. “Look. I keep your gifts safe beside me, my Juno.”

I craned my head to see what he gestured at. There was a thin shelf carved into the stone walls of the cavern, and on it was arrayed everything I’d dropped under the bed.

Rosalie’s pen was arranged perfectly straight, next to the bobby pins and my tube of lip gloss.

“Now I give you more gifts. I was not expecting such a generous mate.”

Before I could protest, Rask was digging in a pile of treasures, and he pulled out a sparkling stone on a chain.

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