Page 30 of Guarded By a Monster

I felt Jade’s head move against my chest as she surveyed the room.

“I’m okay. A bit overwhelmed, to be honest. This is…”—her forearm muscles bunched under my arm as she waved her hand—“a lot. I don’t know what I was expecting. I knew there were six of you. I just didn’t think you’d all be as scary as Thurl, I guess. I’m sorry, that’s presumptive of me. You’re probably all marshmallows.” She sucked in a breath. “Sorry, I talk when I’m nervous. I’ll shut up now.”

Kragen chuckled and I felt the need to tear him apart until I saw he wasn’t laughing at her.

“It’s all right. We are a lot to take in. I don’t know that I’d call us marshmallows, but I guarantee you have nothing to fear from us.”

“Good, yes, that’s great.” She tilted her head toward my chest and whispered, “Don’t let go, okay?”

I felt my voice vibrate through her. “Never.”

She relaxed and so did I, finally stepping together through the door.

I waited as my brothers introduced themselves and their roles in our small group. Kragen, our leader, went first, followed by Drym, his second in command. They were the brains of our unit. Roul and I were the brawn. I specialized in weapons and acquiring them. Roul was the best at hand-to-hand combat and infiltration. Cavi was our doctor and Quin served as field medic.

Silence fell once everyone had given Jade their name until she cleared her throat. “Um, I hope you guys are hungry. Nanna insisted on coming with me and she’s cooking what I suspect is everything in Thurl’s house at the moment. She’s invited you all to dinner.”

Kragen’s head tilted. “Are you okay with us coming to dinner? It will be tighter quarters.”

She seemed to think about it for half a second before nodding. I heard the smile in her voice.

“Who else is going to eat all that food?”

I kept a close eye on Jade as we walked back. We stayed at the back of the group. I didn’t want her to feel the weight of them behind her. I kept my hand curled around her shoulders, and she gripped my finger tight in her fist.

She shook her head. “How did they keep you for so long?”

I wasn’t sure she meant to ask aloud, but I answered her. She deserved to know our story. “They constantly monitored us. If scientists weren’t present, there were cameras watching our every move. Any outside missions were done with heavy artillery pointed at us. Trackers were implanted beneath our skin. It was made clear there was no way to escape.”

“How did you escape?”

“One scientist saw what they were doing and knew it was wrong. She’s a witch, and helped us escape.”

“I hope you burned the lab when you got out. Are the scientists in jail?”

It was probably an unconscious move, but her fist left my finger and dug into the fur of my forearm. I moved my arm lower so she wouldn’t have to reach behind her so far. I encouraged any touch she’d give me. I might lose it completely with my next answer.

“They are dead.”

twenty-one

I should have known.These beasts who had such horrible things done to them their whole life wouldn’t leave their torturers alive.

What shocked me was how good I felt knowing they were dead. How relieved that they were gone and wouldn’t trouble them anymore.

I could feel Thurl tense behind me.

“Good. I’m glad they’re dead and can’t hurt you anymore.”

He melted into me, and I sank into his side.

“The organization still exists. They continued without us, and I’m sure they still look for a way to retrieve us.”

“You can’t track them?”

His muzzle dipped and his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell twice before he answered. “We are looking. There are others who are helping us, but so far, they remain elusive.”

I chewed on my lower lip. In such a short time, I’d come to care about Thurl. Maybe it was the mate thing causing me to fall a bit in love with him every minute. Could I ask if it affected me in this way?Hey, Thurl, does me being your mate make me want to mash our parts together? Does it make me love you?Was there a way to ask without sounding like a total ninny?

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