Page 106 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

Dave looked at him too. “He and I came to an understanding long ago. He was free to rifle through my trash bins if he kept me updated on your well-being when you weren’t at work.”

Stratton studied the dog more. There was no way in hell that could be thesamedog. Not this many years later. And what did Dave mean by having an agreement with the thing?

Astria let out a small laugh. “My mind is kind of blown right now. I always just thought you were an eccentric guy who liked cheap devil suits, and who had a thing for Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops.”

The others laughed as well.

Dave grinned. “Throws the humans off my scent, so to speak. I like to have fun with what I am. And I’m sort of doing my version of retirement. Sure, I waited over two hundred years to finally do it, but I’ve been pretty content down here for the last forty years.”

She blinked. “Are you serious? You’re that old?”

“I am,” he said.

“I thought you were in your early fifties at best when I first met you. You’ve not changed at all since then.” She pushed stray strands of her long dark hair behind her ears.

Dave hugged her again. “I age like fine wine.”

She drew back. “Are you the reason why I wasn’t attacked for nearly four years while here in Grimm Cove? Before coming here, things would come for me a lot. Until the incident at the house, I’d not had any issue with them throughout college.”

“Partly,” he said. “But your father had a hand in making sure your time here went smoothly.”

Astria stepped back more, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. He’s why I have issues to start with. All of this is his fault.”

“None of this was his doing,” corrected Dave. “He’s only ever wanted you to have a life free from violence. In fact, it’s why he didn’t stay with your mother when she told him she was expecting a child.”

Astria shook her head as tears slid down her cheeks. “What do you mean? Yes, he did.”

Stratton hated seeing her upset. He found himself moving around Dave, going right for Astria. He made a move to touch her, but she shook her head.

“No,” she said fast. “People who get close to me get hurt. I shouldn’t have given in to the pull I felt to you at all. I should have ignored it. You could have been killed tonight.”

Dave huffed. “Oh please. He’s seen far worse than this little scuffle tonight.”

“Little scuffle?” echoed Astria. “Did you see how many of those things showed up here? And there are how many others running around still? They’re deadly, Dave. They kill without reason, without remorse, and they leave dead bodies in their wake wherever they go.”

“I’m aware,” said Dave.

“Then you know what they are?” she asked, tipping her head, looking past Stratton at Dave.

It was Bram who responded. “Their origin story can be traced to a time that Mary Shelley wrote about.”

Astria cringed and nodded.

“So, Astria was right about them being Frankenstein’s monsters?” asked Austin. “I have to admit, I didn’t really believe her. I’ve seen a lot of crap in my life, but this is new.”

“She was telling the truth,” Bram said. “However, I am curious to know how it issheknew what they were.”

Astria’s pain washed over Stratton.

He was to her in the blink of an eye, dragging her to him. “I’m going to hold you, period. Accept the idea.”

She sank against him.

Torid growled, acting just like the dog she’d had years ago.

Stratton stared harder at the animal.

He barked and growled at Stratton.

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