Page 12 of An Inheritance of Monsters

Not one of the fear-laden fishermen or sailors of the bay, or the wary deliverymen hired by the island’s caretaker, but someone young, someone without fear of this place.

The sea had rippled with welcome, and the stones of the island rattled and cried out when she stepped foot on it.

Even the wind had carried her name to us:Juno.

She had stared into the maw of the idol proclaiming this territory’s sovereign, and from within it, the Void had stared back.

And found her acceptable.

No,morethan acceptable. The Void had shivered with anticipation as she gazed into it.

It wanted her, and her alone.

From within the dark, quiet confines of the closets, the liminal spaces of this house, I watched as she entered, taking everything in with big, dark gray eyes.

There was a whisper of a moment when I thought she’d seen me, that piercing gaze focusing on one of my doorways, but she’d pulled herself away, following Elizabeth.

She was lovely. Delicate like a fawn. Her hair had made me laugh under my breath—from sky blue to a pastel peach at the ends. Zirin would find it irresistible.

But beauty could disguise many things.

And yet, she hadn’t screamed when I’d crept out from the shadows. It was the briefest contact, nothing more than a desire to satisfy my curiosity—what would she taste like?

Her long, colorful hair had smelled of sea spray and peppery violets. It wove in my hands like silk.

Her skin was smooth and soft beneath my claws.

She was a slip of mortal satin, brilliant against the dark backdrop of my comfortable shadows.

I crept from doorway to doorway, remaining in those shadows as she crossed through the house. When night fell, I took up residence in her closet, watching and waiting.

The sound of running water was overlaid with the soft tones of her voice—and then the splashing began.

Soon there was nothing but the sound of dripping water.

She had gone to the Void.

I slid from the closet, vanishing down the hall in a stream of black smoke. It was second nature to move from closet to closet, moving through the house in the blink of an eye.

It was my charge to protect the island and the doorways to the Void. The Lady of Dark Waters had not shared with me why she had allowed so many people to set foot here; some would not survive the coming month.

The arrival of the comet would mark a time of blood and death.

And some of these humans reeked of ill intent.

I swarmed into one of the closets I’d marked for careful consideration, the interior cramping me into a denser, smokier form. Muffled male voices carried to me easily as I looked through.

“—as easy as dropping a brick on them. Just make sure the footage is completely destroyed, and presto—a one-way ticket to the Sci-Fi Network for us.”

It was the smaller one speaking, leaning eagerly towards his master.

The one with stiff, unnaturally shiny black hair lounged in a wingback chair, a notebook open on his lap. He tapped a pencil against the pages in a frenetic pattern.

“That’s stupidly obvious, Jack. If I could just get a look in that Black Book of hers and see what they’re planning…” He scowled down at his own notebook, then slammed his fist on the arm of the chair. “I have to be better than her.”

He almost hissed it at his scrawny companion, eyes bulging.

The smaller one leaned back in his chair, holding up his hands to placate the master. “Okay, fine, yeah, that wasn’t the best idea. But she’s never separated from that fucking notebook.”

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