Page 34 of My Monster's Keeper
“Ice cream,” she says shortly.
I watch as she picks up a spoon and dips it in. I imitate her and close my eyes to the warm and cool, sweet taste. It’s so rich. I get a sudden image in my head over covering her in this syrup and licking it off her.
Would she like that?
I look down at the bowl and eat the rest in three quick mouthfuls.
“What did you think, Wilder?”
“Adequate,” I say stiffly, trying to erase the images in my head.
Puppy slouches in the seat and stares at the flickering light above our heads. I look up, too, studying it.
“Princeling?” I say in deep warning.
Frost follows my gaze. “Well, that’s just rude.”
Stix stands up. “Forgive us, poppet, we’ll return when thevermin is dead.”
“Hey, wait.”
We don’t listen. We file through the restaurant, following Puppy’s superior nose. As soon as we’re in the back, Stix walks up the walls and then walks on the roof like a giant spider. His form shifts and his long legs, arms, and fingers erase any pretense of humanity.
He finds the vent and rips it off, slithering into the dark. Puppy follows. A moment later, the creature falls to my feet. I stab down with my machete, pinning it to the floor by its own arm.
It looks up, still human, a small one, with huge brown eyes and a whimpering cry.
“What did I do?” It begs.
“Show yourself,” I hiss.
“Oh, goddamn it all to hell. What is wrong with you? That is a child!” Becky hisses. She shoulders her way past Frost, but when she reaches, she finds herself held back in his powerful grip.
She fights, kicking out at him, growling, spitting out what sounds like curse words. I want nothing more than to fill her mouth with my tongue the way Puppy did earlier. What does she taste like? What does she feel like?
The Lord of the Hunt does not want nor need for companionship. I have one purpose, to lead the hunt and do the Seelie Courts will. Not to mate. I’m not supposed to want.
I turn back as the nightmare drops from the roof, landing in a crouch.
“Reveal your true form, Kinkiada!” he growls out.
The child giggles manically, and Becky, my human, stops struggling. She goes perfectly still as the goblin’s body shifts and changes.
Ears grow long and pointed like a cat's, its muzzle grows out from its face and pointed teeth fill its mouth. Its skin is an off-green colour that doesn’t look healthy, and it’s covered in dry blood.
“What is that?”
“Poppet, this is a Goblin,” Stix explains. “It’s been following us. I thought I caught its scent earlier.”
“Why?” She wrinkles her nose as it lunges, snapping its teeth at her. The machete keeps it pinned, though.
“Marked, you are. Marked. Owned and collared. Marked and collared.” He pauses and then purrs a single word. “Omega.”
It giggles even more manically and then shrieks.
“Holy shit, shut it up!” Becky hisses.
Its body contorts until its bones snap. I hear them and glance at Stix.
