Page 4 of Enticing Monsters

“I will gut you,” she hisses, her fingers inching towards some of the other blades I know she has hidden on her person. “I can protect myself, and him, just fine.”

“He’s right.” The words are a croak as Foster rubs his hand over his face, hauling himself to a standing position. He meets my eyes, and the heat, the anger, and the sadness that live in them flare to life. “If something happens to you, to any of us, I’m worse than useless. I won’t keep being useless.”

There’s clearly a double meaning in his words, a hidden depth that my kitten catches but doesn't understand as she shoots him a worried look.

All of her mates hold secrets, and for the moment, I’ve allowed them to keep them. But not for long. Secrets are just lies, hidden behind walls. They require lies to keep them hidden.

And I abhor liars and their lies.

My kitten will learn my past soon enough, and though it is dark and blood-soaked, I know she will accept it. Not because she is my mate or anything as melodramatic and falsely romantic as that.

I’d been under misapprehensions when I met her. Sure, she’s lived in a gilded palace, hidden away from pain, fright, or darkness, a weak-minded human female who didn’t have to experience more than a bad grade, the breaking of a nail, or a lack of popularity.

But what my kitten has lived through?Thrivedthrough? Her agony is different from my own yet sings in harmony with mine. She won’t judge my pain, my darkness, my shame. She’ll seek vengeance in my name, the way I wish I could against what is hurting her.

It is so much harder when the enemy is her body itself. I can’t seek vengeance against it, offer my support in that way. I can only be there for her.

And take out new threats like the pigeon currently half unconscious on the ground.

“I saw you run into the woods and knew something was up,” Foster tells her, the shaking in his limbs under control now that more oxygen has reached his muscles. He lifts a hand to adjust his glasses, studying the boy on the ground. “I thought I could follow you, but I got lost. I have no idea how you run that fast.”

“Training,” she admits with a shrug. Her hands are gentle, and a bit hesitant, as they stroke across his cheek.

A different heat flares in his eyes at her touch.

“You don’t have to do what he’s asking.” Her words are meant for him alone, her eyes holding him entranced as she cups his cheek. “You have your own skills, Foster.”

“And now I’ll gain new ones.” The smile he offers her is shaky, but he meets my eyes over her head, the certainty in his making me grin darkly.

Yes, the pyro is a good choice for my kitten’s mate. He may not be a fighter or a killer, but he’ll do what needs to be done to protect her.

“What’s going on?” he asks, gesturing to the griffin. “I assume you aren’t out here to meet him.”

Sera shakes her head, looking between me and the bird. “I interrupted the two of them. I felt…” She shrugs slightly. “I don’t even know how to explain it.”

“Your magic drew you in.” Interesting. Was it drawing her to me? To pain? To trouble?

Something for us to experiment with.

She makes a small noise, part agreement, part uncertainty. “I found him beating the hell out of this guy. He says he’s not innocent, but that’s about when you interrupted.”

“Prince V?” Foster arches a red eyebrow.

Well, the fire user doesn’t judge, it seems, waiting calmly for facts rather than jumping down my throat about a lack of morality being the only reason to break someone.

Time to see if my kitten will be mad at me or enact some justice.

Either way will be entertaining.

CHAPTER TWO

SERAFINA

Never in a million years did I think I would be tugged out of my math class because mymagicwanted me to witness my psychotic mate beat the shit out of a teenager. Pretty sure that wasn’t on my bingo card for the year.

At first, when I felt the incessant tugging in the center of my chest, propelling me forward, I thought one of my mates was in trouble. Then, when I neared the clearing behind the school, I assumed there was another murder. Or murders, as the case may be.

We have a list a mile long of shit we need to deal with. Does V really feel the need to add to it?

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