Page 72 of A Monstrous Claim

He steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder, whipping me around to face him.

“Do tell,” he says, keeping his voice low. “How exactly should I treat an uninvited guest who does nothing more than breathe my air, eat my food, and pose a constant threat to the safety of my house?”

My jaw drops as I stare into his red eyes, and I’m keenly aware of his hand still on my shoulder.

“I-I didn’t—” I stammer, trying to find the words. My mind is a jumbled mess. “Why didn’t you just let me go home? You wouldn’t even have to deal with me then.”

“At the time, you were nothing but a threat,” he explains. “A threat to the monster realm, a threat to the security I’ve established here, and a threat to me. Killing you was the easiest option.”

“And now? If I’m such a threat, why keep me here?”

He drops his hand from my shoulder but doesn’t move. “Mate claims are sacred amongst monsters. I cannot deny my most loyal employees from theirs.”

Employees. They must have told him about me claiming Elio when he arrived earlier.

“That’s almost nice of you,” I tease. I’m no longer breathing hard, and my heart rate has returned to a reasonable pace.

A wicked grin breaks across his face, and I don’t know whether to smile back or run for the stairs. His normal unamused glare is way more fitting of his features. More believable.

“Careful. I might have to remind you just how menacing I can be.”

A tingle starts at the nape of my neck, and zips down my back.

Was that a joke?

A threat?

A promise?

The lines are blurred at this point, but I’m not taking any chances.

“I saidalmost. You’re still a scary asshole.”

He leans forward, and his closeness makes me shiver. I brace myself for a hand around my throat, or something worse, but he whispers in my ear. “Don’t forget that.”

Brushing past me, he leaves me in the middle of the foyer and heads for the stairs. I’m tempted to follow, hypnotized by his allure, but I root myself to the spot until his ascending footfalls fade to silence.

“Don’t poke the bear, Devyn,” I whisper under my breath as I make a beeline for the dining room to decompress.

We might have had one decent conversation, but I’m sure he doesn’t need a reason to take his frustrations out on me.

* * *

I’m still sitting in the dining room when Elio and Azarius return from scouting the area, and I leap off the couch when I hear the front door open. I explode into the foyer, making them both jump, and hurry across the marble.

“What happened? Did you see anything? How close were they?”

“Slow down,” Azarius says, pulling me into his arms. “Everything’s fine for now. It’s just a little weird. There’s a group of thirty or so Malevs a mile passed the woods.”

I gape up at him, my eyes bulging. “A mile? That’s so close. Were they headed this way?”

“That’s the strange part,” Elio cuts in. “They aren’t moving, so we have no idea where they’re headed or what they’re doing.”

“It’s also odd to see so many of them together,” Azarius says. “Malevs are stupid and loners most of the time. I’ve never seen a group that big where they weren’t slaughtering each other.”

I shiver at the thought of dozens of hulking Malevs fighting in a bloodbath. That’s what nightmares are made of.

Azarius lets me go and I slip into Elio’s arms, hugging him around the middle.

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