Page 4 of Fated to Monsters

“I…” I get lost in thought as I imagine an endless supply of food at my fingertips. “I must go there.”

Tremont holds out his hand when I stand. “Perhaps another time. Not tonight.”

Despite wanting to snap his neck I comply and sit back down. We’ve only just got here; Costco can wait for another day. There’s so much to learn of this world before I foolishly step out into it. I’ve never been one to shy away from danger but it’s not just me who is affected now.

I shift my stare across the room at my long-lost sister who is no longer the little girl that was taken from me all those years ago. Now she is grown. She has seen things, and the world has treated her with such cruelty. And if it weren’t for the fact that this Everest fellow brings a smile to her face, I would rip the skin from his flesh and gouge out his eye sockets.

"Here, try this." Dash hands me a plate with a strange-looking goo on it.

“What is this?” I ask him while shoveling a forkful of it into my mouth. “Mmm,” I mumble.

“Peanut butter pie. I had trouble getting it out of the pan, that’s why it looks like that.”

I scrape every last bit of it off the plate and lick the fork clean. “Is there more?”

Dash grins and nods. "Yeah." He walks through the large, but dimly lit kitchen to retrieve said pie from the counter. "Does anyone want any more?"

When no one takes him up on his offering, he comes back over and sets the thing in front of me.

I blink at it, and then at him. “Did you want some?”

He shakes his head and nudges it toward me. “It’s all you.”

“This building,” Wren says while looking right at Tremont. “Who does it belong to?”

Tremont pats the corners of his lips with his napkin. "An old friend." But when his gaze doesn't meet hers until after the words are spoken, I grow suspicious.

“And where is this friend?” She takes a cautious look around the big, open space. “Is he human? Or supernatural?”

“He is long from this world.” Tremont pushes his plate forward and puts his elbows on the table. “As is his wife. Although, I would assume the house was inherited by their son. They had a rather difficult relationship, so I’m not at all surprised to see the house unoccupied.”

“Who would abandon such a place?” Jade trails her finger along the stone countertop and walks from one end of the kitchen to the other.

"Given the provisions stocked in the freezer and refrigerator, I would assume it hasn't been abandoned completely. It just isn't his main residence. Which means our time here is limited. I advise we keep a low profile. Recover from the cross-realm travel and depart at sunup. Now that I know where we are, I can navigate us from here."

Damn, just when I was thinking we could finally stop for more than a few hours, we’ll soon be on the run again.

“Feel free to find a room to sleep in and a bathroom to freshen up but do so by candlelight, and try to stay away from the windows. We don’t need to bring any unwanted attention to us.”

“I thought you said they were friends.” Wren stares across at him through her lashes.

“Were.Past tense. Things were different then, and I’ve been gone for years. There’s no telling how a homecoming will go, especially with having many guests.”

“You didn’t say what they were,” I add. “Human or supernatural?”

Tremont breathes through his nose sharply before exhaling. “They were witches.”

“And their son? Is he a witch, too?”

Tremont nods.

One measly witch is nothing I haven’t handled in the past. Sure, they have some tricks up their sleeves, but they aren’t a major threat.

My focus moves to Wren as she presses her fingers gently along her neck where I had marked her. I’m not entirely sure if she knows she’s doing it, or if it’s simply an unconscious reaction. Either way, it completely entrances me.

“If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the first room on the right at the top of the stairs.” Tremont latches onto one of the candles lighting up the space and takes it with him. “And this should go without saying, but please don’t break anything.” His gaze lingers on me far longer than it does on anyone else.

Once the door to his room creaks shut, I’m the first to break the silence. “Should we make a run for it?”

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