Page 48 of Forgotten Monsters
“One drop of its blood transformed a mortal into a vampire.
A gold scale gave another a mermaid tail.
Pieces of its beak broke off and created hybrids; griffins and chimera.
Its feathers could rearrange bones, and it let his closest friends pluck his tail. Shifters were born.
Before it flew into eternity, it looked at the mortals left and cried, for it had nothing else to give them.
Its tears splashed over them, giving them control over the elements.”
I place a loving kiss on my husband’s shoulder, thrilled to be able to touch him again. “It’s beautiful, but I don’t see how it relates to us or the hollows.”
“I don’t either.” He caresses my hair.
Eyes half-mast, I ask, “What happened with Flynn? He told me you guys fell out.”
Cole squares his shoulders. “He drank himself to the brink, and I didn’t know how to deal with him anymore, so I sent him away.”
“To guard Dark Falls?”
He nods. “The time difference made it easy to avoid him.”
“You should talk to him.”
He waves my concerns away. “Maybe later..after all this.”
His non-committal response creates an empty space in my belly, and I’m about to argue when Lydia’s voice echoes through the stacks. “Hey, guys. I don’t want to intrude, but it’s really time to get dressed now.”
I glance at her over the books. She’s holding one hand in front of her eyes, and I can’t help but giggle at the sight, my heart so full of joy it might burst. I’m back in Dark Falls, and even thougheverythingis messed up, I’ve got my infuriating husband, my best friend, Flynn…
“Allie’s back. Your father is with her, and he’s really antsy to see you, so…”
My eyes widen, and I pat my messy hair, well aware that I look, for lack of a better word, freshly fucked. Cole quickly slips on his pants, clearly not thrilled by the idea of my father finding us naked.
I clutch my blouse in a hurry and button it back up. “Hold on. We’re coming.”
“I think you’ve already come,” Cole says wickedly.
I slap his arm. “Shut up.”
“Three times.”
A nervous giggle pops out of my throat. Men.
18
GREEN TAILS
Tension is palpable on the library’s first floor. Clouds obscure the moon, the glow of the chandelier warm and inviting compared to the forest outside. Trent chats with Flynn and Lydia at her desk, apparently chummy with them now.
Brie sits a few feet behind them, in all her pissed-off mermaid glory, arms crossed over her chest. Her clothes and Cole’s are color-coordinated, and my stomach clenches. I guess Cole, Trent, and Brie somehow traveled in from Faerie together.
Silence washes over the room as we draw near.
Mallory stands up from the bench she shared with Barron. “Hi.”
“Mal…You’re a girl again,” I say.
