Page 8 of Guarded By a Monster

“We’ll let you tear him apart after we get her taken care of.” He turned to Kendal, standing nearby, her face a mask of worry. “We need your help.”

“Anything.”

My heart warmed. We’d been shown kindness only once before Kendal—when we escaped our captors. Our creators. Her daily hugs reminded us that not all touch hurt. She was kind and gentle and each of us would give our lives for hers.

He turned back to me. “You’ll need to carry her to the van. Gently. Try not to jostle her too much.”

I nodded and scooped her into my arms, ignoring the way she felt like she belonged there. I set her down in the back and fought the urge to crawl in with her. Kendal would take her to the hospital. Somewhere I couldn’t go.

She laid a small hand on my forearm. “I’ll take good care of her, Thurl.” She pointed over my shoulder. “Help your brothers clean up. I’ll keep you updated with text messages and call when I can.”

I felt empty when I pulled my arms from around her. “Thank you.”

Kendal nodded. I watched as she slowly backed the van out of the driveway and disappeared down the street.

I turned around to face the gauntlet of my brothers.

“What the actual fuck, Thurl?” Quin, ever forthright, said.

Kragen put a hand on Quin’s shoulder. “Let’s not interrogate him, Quin. Let him explain.”

Our leader was a strategist. A tactical mastermind. Like any older brother, he was harsh when needed, but we knew he loved us.

“I went for a walk in the woods last week. I couldn’t sleep. I ended up here.” I shrugged.

I knew they wouldn’t let it go at that, but it was worth a try.

“And then what?”

I looked up at him. “And then I saw her. In the backyard, calling for a cat. She was worried, so when the cat appeared a minute later, I put him inside.”

After a moment of dead silence, Quin snorted. “I’d get more information from a rock. Even Roul talks more than you.”

“I talk.” Roul grumbled from the edge of the group.

Quin waved a hand as if to saysee?

Kragen rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. “Go on, Thurl.”

“I came back the next night to check on her.” I hung my head. “And every night since. Tonight, she wasn’t home when I arrived, so I waited. I was only going to stay until she got safely inside, but then that,”—I pointed to the dead man—“came out of the bushes, snarled at her and then hit her on the side of the head with something. She slumped to the ground and I…”

Kragen dipped his head to look into my eyes.

I stared at the ground, not wanting to answer.

“You what, Thurl?”

“I lost it. I tore him away from her, and he was dead before I really knew what I was doing.”

Cavi stood from where he’d crouched next to the body. “He ripped him apart.”

I looked at my hands, covered in blood. My claw caps were gone. Probably torn to shreds inside the body.

Kragen sighed. “Let’s get this cleaned up and go home.”

The flash as Drym took a photo on his phone momentarily blinded all of us. He shrugged in apology. “We should see if Bacon or Bull can find out who he is. That’ll help determine if she was targeted or just a random victim.”

The idea that someone could target her, that someone would plan violence against her, made my fists clench.

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