Page 96 of Misfit Monsters
As we sit on the benches inside the vehicle, tension coils around my insides again. But the only emotions I pick up from the men around me are tangy curiosity and concern as comforting as fresh-baked bread.
Thisismy team. We’re more than just fellow students—and bonus teacher—now. We might have argued and clashed with each other, but we’ve accomplished a lot too.
All the same, I find I can’t look anywhere except at my hands, clasped tightly in front of me. “I told you the sorcerer captured me and kept me caged for a little while. It was actually… a pretty long time. I think. It was hard to tell how many days and weeks passed, but it was definitely years altogether.”
Raze lets out a fierce growl. “He’s going to pay for that.”
I can’t appreciate his protectiveness when he doesn’t know the full situation yet. “He didn’t just keep me caged. The mementos he kept—the people he wanted to hurt—he figured out my power, how I could do so much damage if I got upset… He made clothes that protected him from the worst of the effect. He’d bring me to places where he wanted to sabotage people, and then he’d hurt me—say horrible things and stab my feet until all the awfulness burst out of me…”
Jonah’s voice stays even but quiet. “That isn’t your fault, Peri. He was using you.”
“But I stilldidit.” Tears well in my eyes. I swipe at them, swallowing hard. “I hurt so many humans. Lots of them were people he didn’t even care about, they just happened to be nearby. Hundreds and hundreds… Because I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t control my powers. Just like I can’t now.”
Mirage makes a dismissive sound. “Extreme circumstances mean extreme impact.”
Hail’s tone is drier but almost soft. “If someone smashes a nest, you don’t blame the twigs for spilling the eggs.”
“Still…” I inhale shakily. “I hated him, and I didn’t want to do it, but some part of me was made to lash out. I don’t know why. I want so much to make up for it now that I can—to bring more joy than I ever caused pain—but I don’t know if that’s even possible.”
Raze slips his arm around me and strokes his hand up and down my arm. “It will be.”
Mirage cocks his head. When I let myself glance at the fox shifter, something in his expression sends a wobble through my pulse. He doesn’t normally look so serious.
“How did you get away from him?” he asks.
I cringe away from that memory too. Why does every good thing come with a dollop of bad?
But they need to know everything.
“The sorcerer had a daughter. Gracie. That’s how I know a bunch of time passed—she was just a kid when he first brought me to his house, and by the time I left, she was a teenager. He didn’t tell her much, but she knew about the beings he kept in the basement. She’d come down when he was out and talk to us, bring us bits of food… One day she managed to break the power source that kept the blazing lights on us all the time, so we could run off through the shadows.”
Jonah smiles. “That was very brave of her, going against her father.”
I duck my head. “I know. I heard him yelling at her while I was dashing away, and I wanted to help her, but it bothered me so much—I was afraid I’d end up hurtinghertoo. So I just kept running. I have no idea what happened, if she’s okay. She used to talk about going to college in this one city. I want to look for her, when I’m sure I’m safe.”
A shiver runs through my body. “If he’s gathering shadowkind up here now… When he was keeping me, he lived where it was a lot hotter, more like around the academy but rainier too. He’s come a long way. We don’t know if he dragged her with him.”
Our sorcerer’s voice stays soothing. “You don’t know how long it’s been. She might have grown up and gotten away from him too.”
Yes. If she was strong enough to stand up to him for us, she must have been able to stand up for herself, right?
Pretty, pretty please with sugar on top.
Hail turns to look at Jonah, unexpectedly deferring to the other man’s authority. “We need to track this prick down, don’t we? We can’t do much about the rift if he’s going to keep meddling—if there’s a chance he’ll break any protection you give us and capture us.”
“He’s definitely the biggest threat in this situation.” Jonah’s dark gaze fixes on me. “Peri, I know you don’t like thinking about that time, but we need to know everything you can remember about who this man was, how he behaved—anything that might help us find and stop him.”
I square my shoulders. Of course. This is why I spoke up to begin with.
“I think I know his name. Sometimes he’d answer hisphone when he was in the basement with us, and if he was close enough I could make out the voice on the other end. Someone called him ‘David’ and a couple of other people called him ‘Mr. Blaver.’”
Mirage perks up. “David Blaver. We find out what he’s up to, and then we smack him down!”
One corner of Jonah’s mouth quirks upward. “There might be more than one. David’s a pretty common first name. What else can you tell us about him, Peri?”
I think back to all those days I spent in the sorcerer’s basement. “He collected those trophies and medals. He liked to eat tandoori chicken. Like I said before, he was on the shorter side and kind of wide—he had light brown hair, but it might be going gray now. Dark brown eyes. Oh! I think he went to college at a place called Stanford. He ranted a lot about how stupid other humans are, and sometimes he’d mention things that happened when he was ‘at’ Stanford.”
Jonah taps notes into his phone. He aims a wider smile at me. “That’s really helpful for narrowing things down. Keep going.”
