Page 71 of An Inheritance of Monsters

“Why not? My mouth is large enough and my fangs are sharp.”

I snorted despite myself. “Because it’s bad.”

But even the silly banter with Rask wasn’t enough to tamp down the furious flood driving through me.

How dare someone steal my things? And of everything they could’ve taken, they’d chosen one of the few objects that was actually meaningful to me.

Bastards.

“You are not relaxing, mate.”

I sighed, wriggling closer as he continued petting me. “I’m furious, it’s impossible to relax right now.”

Rask’s hand paused on my hip, warm and rough, then he moved fast enough to nearly send me tumbling off the bed.

Three hands caught me, and he carried me to the bathroom, grunting as he strained to squeeze through the tiny door. He deposited me on the sink counter and turned to the tub, dropping the plug in and twisting the hot water knob.

“Humans like baths. You will sit in this until you are happy again.”

I smiled up at him as he plodded to me, his six eyes casting a dirty look at the low ceiling.

Claws snipped easily through the remains of the shirt and leggings Voraal had damaged. There was no saving these clothes now.

“Thank you,” I said, slipping off the counter and stroking his arm as I passed.

Rask crouched over the head of the bath when I stepped in, looming over me. The hot water soaked into me when I stretched out, tilting my head back to look up at my monster.

“I don’t deserve all of you,” I whispered. How could they be so perfect, and attracted to such an imperfect human?

“Of course you do. We are exactly what you deserve.” Rask carefully smoothed my hair, his purr a non-stop rumble that drowned out the wind outside.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his fingertips carefully touching me, and the water sloshed in the bath, even though I hadn’t moved.

I didn’t sink through, but felt Zirin’s tentacles wrap around my legs as he pulled himself up through the door.

What bothers you, lovely one?

When I opened my eyes, he was fully with me, the door to the Void closed. I ran a hand over the tentacle searching my waist, suckers popping here and there on my damp skin.

Rask informed him of my stolen notebook, and Zirin nodded in understanding.

We will help you, of course. He leaned forward, poised over me, reaching out to touch my cheek…

I had never kissed him, not the way I had with Rask or Voraal.

As he drew closer, I tilted my head, eyes closing as I rose from the water…

Zirin drew back, his tentacles tightening around me, eyes flashing.

“What’s wrong?” I was frozen, my heart hammering.

All I had wanted to do was kiss him… it wasn’t like he hadn’t done other things to me, but he gazed at me from across the bath, his eyes unreadable.

His webbed fingers rose, touching the tentacles where his mouth should be.

My mouth is… not like yours. He turned his face aside, every ring on his body glimmering an anxious orange.

Oh.

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