Page 56 of Monsters in Love

“At the lake?”

She nods. “I built a house there three years ago. I love this town, but there’s something peaceful about the water that drew me to it. I treasure the quiet, foggy mornings. You have to come by. It’s a pretty good house, if I do say so myself.”

“Of course. I’d love to see it.” I glance at my watch and realize that we’ve been lingering here way longer than I thought. “Crap. I have to go. I need to get groceries and get back to the manor and the cats before it gets dark.”

“Sure. Just let me give you my number before you go.” We swap phones and add ourselves to the other’s contacts, then I skedaddle to the little corner market I saw earlier.

The sun is setting by the time I get back to the house, and it’s dark once I have all the groceries put away. It’s a miracle the refrigerator still works, but like everything else, it’s covered in a blanket of dust and grime. I do my best to clean it, along with the countertops and sink, but I suspect it will ultimately have to be replaced. Which is fine; I prefer something more energy efficient anyway.

I collect the cats and make my first foray to the second story, where the bedrooms are. I don’t relish the idea of sleeping in a pile of dirt, but fortunately I had the foresight to bring fresh linens and pillows with me. It won’t help with a mite-filled mattress, but at least my body won’t actually be touching it.

I examine the five bedrooms on the floor and select the one that seems cleanest, which also sports an enormous canopy bed, complete with fanciful carved posts and curtains all around. On one hand, that means that more dust could rain down on me from above. On the other, it fulfills all of my childhood princess fantasies.

I’ll take my chances.

“All right, cats,” I say. “Let’s change these sheets and get this room as clean as we can for the night.” Naturally, they ignore me. Biscuit goes to explore the closet and Snicket immediately hides under the bed.

I roll my eyes and strip off the old linens. Just as I’m about to fluff out the new mattress pad, I hear a huge thump above me.

“What the hell?” I freeze and listen closely; there are more faint sounds that seem to be coming from the attic. There’s no way anyone could have broken into the top floor, because it’s way too high up. We’re talking four stories and a rickety exterior. It would be impossible. Which points to one thing.

Dammit.

I flop down on the bed with a dramatic sigh. It would seem the house doesn’t justlookhaunted, it actuallyis.

“Well, cats. It looks like we have a ghost.”

Annie

My family has a history with hauntings. It’s as if the Winslows just won’t let go of that last thread of existence or something. Maybe it’s Celeste banging around up there, waiting to impart some useful knowledge to me. Like why she never sold this place when it was still worth something, or what the hell I should do with it now that it’s mine.

I know a banishing spell or two, but I’m hoping it won’t come to that. Maybe I can get the ghost to quiet down, or finish its final business and move on. Though honestly, I’m filthy and exhausted, and the last thing I want to deal with is an excitable ghost, even if it is certain to be some long-lost relative who’s simply happy someone is living in the manor again. I was really looking forward to a shower and about twelve hours’ worth of sleep.

I heave myself up, turn on my phone’s flashlight, and head to the stairs. The lights are on for the first three floors, but I’m not sure what’s happening with the attic. I think it has a separate breaker box that’s turned off. Besides, it’s a giant, cavernous space with lots of nooks and crannies, so I feel like the flashlight will be necessary.

As far as I remember from childhood, the home’s layout is fairly typical. The main floor has the kitchen, the formal living and dining rooms, a family eating nook, and the parlor. The second floor is all bedrooms, while the third is a huge library and two studies that would essentially function as his-and-hers offices. Plus bathrooms scattered about. I’ve never been into the attic or the basement, though, and I wasn’t planning on tackling those areas any time soon. But this ghost has forced my hand.

I clamber up two flights of stairs, armed with my phone, wondering what I’ll find. True to form, it’s basically a horror movie. The attic is dark and ominous, all creaky floorboards and rustling critters. I try the light switch, but as expected, nothing happens. I shine my meager light around the corners, but something is wrong. Ghosts emanate a faint luminescence; they don’t glow, exactly, but that’s the closest description. In this dark, I should be able to see a ghost perfectly well.

But there’s nothing but shadow.

I continue swinging the phone around, and when I get to the large picture window that faces the back of the property, I see it. It illuminates in pieces: a talon here, a wing there. At least eight feet tall, enormous and terrifying.

It’s no ghost, that’s for damned sure.

There’s a creature—a monster—in my attic.

Holy shit.

I shriek and stumble back toward the stairs, while a low, chilling voice shouts, “Trespasser! Stop!”

I ignore that with every bone in my body and flee down to the third floor, to the welcome light and dusty furnishings. But the thuds behind me tell me that my pursuer is close at hand. Almost without thinking, I summon my magic, ready to throw some sort of barrier in between us.

In a few seconds, the monster emerges and I get a closer look at it. Huge, with a pair of enormous leathery wings that must span fifteen feet when fully extended. Muscular chest and legs, limbs that end with talons, a tail swishing around in irritation. Its skin is an interesting blue-gray color and it has long hair with little braids woven in. His—it definitely seems male—face is interesting, with surprisingly human, patrician features. He has full lips, an aquiline nose, and solid black eyes, iris and all. His ears are even pointier than Haven’s and he has a shallow cleft in his chin.

What the fuck is this thing and how did it get in my house?

“Don’t come any closer!” I shout, hand lifted so I can cast at a moment’s notice.

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