Page 58 of The Monsters Within
Sitting on the couch in the main room, I let my hand run absently over Tucker’s head. He had wormed his way into my heart and I wasn’t even a dog person.
Okay, so I didn’t know if I was a dog person. I’d never had a dog. The Nyght Nymphs were called away at a moment’s notice, sometimes all of us at once. It wouldn’t have been fair to the dog to be left alone for days on end. And it wouldn’t have been fair to the women and children we helped if they lost precious minutes because we had to find a sitter for the dog when we left.
But once I gave in and let Tucker get close, I found the joy in not only having him close, but he was good to talk to. He couldn’t talk back and he couldn’t tell my secrets.
I told him everything.
Maureen came to the clubhouse most mornings, Tucker in tow. And I started taking him for a walk. Together we walked around the grounds. I was conscious of the cameras now and knew they had sound. That meant I had to be careful where I talked.
The dog didn’t judge me. He didn’t care if I cried. And when I started to call to the monsters, when I could feel my hand reaching to scratch my leg, he always seemed to know.
He would nudge his head under my hand. I guess the way he saw it was, if I was going to scratch, it needed to be him. I wondered if he knew just how much he helped me.
Looking into his eyes as he laid on his back and stared up at me, I thought maybe he did.
The front door opened and Tucker spun around so fast, I braced myself for danger. What I saw was another dog that looked almost identical.
Aspen walked in behind the dog, followed by Banshee. A brother I hadn’t yet met but one who voted with Cash anyway.
That was loyalty and trust.
I stood from the couch and walked closer. Aspen’s dog—Cash told me his name was Diesel—growled as I got closer, and I wondered if he could sense the monsters.
I swallowed hard as the dog bared his teeth at me until Tucker nipped him. Diesel stopped growling but watched me closely.
“Hi, Kytten.”
“Aspen. How are you?”
She shrugged. Banshee came up behind her and whispered in her ear, and I watched as she smiled and nodded. That was interesting. I knew Aspen’s history. About her father trying to marry her off to Banshee, and when he refused, Kronos chose Pepper.
Knowing what I did about Pepper, and seeing Banshee in the flesh, it was clear Aspen got the short end of that deal.
The officers filed in a few minutes later, and King and Cash appeared from the hallway. They headed into church, Haizley following them. Cash motioned to me, and I walked over, confusion marring my face, I was sure.
“We all agreed, you should be in here too.”
“Why?” I asked. I knew Sypher sometimes joined church. Dante rarely did, but he didn’t seem to mind. He hung out with Amber and the old ladies instead.
“Because you saved her. She needs a familiar face at her side. Someone she knows is there for her.”
I smiled at his words. If he only knew how much it meant to be included. I grabbed his cut and pulled him down so I could kiss him. His groan went straight to my pussy as his arms went around my waist.
A throat clearing had us both pulling back.
“Sorry, Prez,” Cash said, taking my hand and leading me into the room. I knew where Cash’s seat was, and when I looked at him with a question in my eyes, he smiled and hitched his chin in Aspen’s direction. That was only one of the reasons I had fallen in love with him. His respect for what I did.
I pulled out the chair next to Aspen and sat down. Her shy smile told me she was glad to have me there. I reached over and held her hand.
“You’ve got this.”
“Aspen, we know you’ve been through a lot the last few months, but we need to talk about the Death Dogs,” King began.
“I understand,” she said. Her voice filled with bravado.
“You gave a brief rundown before. But now we need to know everything,” King said.
The room was quiet as Aspen told her story. How she was introduced to Pepper. How quickly the abuse started and the reason behind why he put her in the hospital.
