Page 16 of Only a Monster

‘They won’t escape,’ Nick said. ‘I signalled my people when we were first caught. They’ll kill any monster they find on the grounds.’

‘People?’ Joan whispered. He’d signalled people? She had a flash of memory of Nick hitting numbers on that corded phone before it had been wrenched from him. There were people coming? How many of them? She turned reflexively to the window.

Night had fallen. In reflection, the Gilt Room’s gold and silver leaf formed a constellation of speckled lights. Nick’s image stood in the middle of it, and—Joan took a second to register her own face. She’d never seen herself so scared.

She forced her expression into something more normal. She needed to keep it together. She had to think. ‘Look.’ Her voice wobbled, but she knew if she said the right thing—the exact right thing—no one else would die. Nick just had to understand. ‘Edmund was bad,’ she said. ‘Properly bad. But—but the other Olivers just seemed—I mean, you saw them. They were scared of him. They didn’t want him to kill us. They’re just people. Like me. I’m just a person. I mean, sure, we’re monsters, but we’re not like . . .’ She raised her hands and made bear claws. ‘Not like “Grr!”’

Nick was looking at her. Joan felt her chest loosen slightly. He was listening.

‘I mean, I would know, right?’ Joan said. ‘Dad’s side of the family is human. Mum’s side are monsters. But, really, both sides are the same. When you get right down to the bones of it, they’re the same. They love each other. They laugh. Sometimes they argue. But they’re all just people. If you talk to them. If you just explain to them—’

‘I’m sorry,’ Nick said.

It took Joan a moment to understand what he was saying. She felt her game face drop. ‘You’re going to kill them all?’

He wouldn’t. Would he? She’d once seen him rescue a wasp from behind a curtain—everyone else had wanted to squash it. Nick had set it free. Except . . . now there were four bodies in the room. And Nick had done that. He’d started out unarmed, and he’d killed four people in minutes. Like it was nothing.

‘You’re really going to kill them all?’ she repeated. Realisation hit her. ‘You’re going to kill me?’ she whispered. She took another step back.

‘No,’ Nick said, fast. ‘No, Joan. You were trying to protect me. I—I can give you safe passage out of the house tonight.’

The way he said it made Joan wonder if he actually felt something for her. ‘You didn’t need protecting.’

‘You thought I did,’ he said.

‘Nick—’

‘Edmund said that you travelled for the first time recently.’ Nick’s dark eyes were very serious. ‘Was it an accident? Is that what happened to you yesterday? Is that why you were so upset when you came back today?’

Joan couldn’t answer.

‘It was an accident, wasn’t it?’ For a moment, Joan thought she saw agony in his eyes. ‘Joan, I’ll give you safe passage out of the house tonight. But understand that if you ever steal time from a human again, I will kill you myself. I won’t hesitate.’

Joan’s throat closed up. You’re a monster, Joan. ‘And that’s that?’ she said hoarsely. She remembered the first time she’d seen him, in the library. She’d looked up at him, and she’d felt as though she’d known him her whole life. And now . . . ‘You’re going to murder all these people, just like that?’ she said. ‘Without trying to talk to them? Without anything?’

‘Not only them,’ Nick said.

Joan went still. ‘What?’

Nick made a slight movement, as if he’d stopped an instinct to step between her and the door. ‘Please,’ he said. ‘Please stay in this room. I can only protect you if you stay in this room.’

‘If you hurt my family . . .’ Joan couldn’t finish the sentence.

‘I sent the signal to my people,’ Nick said. ‘It’s already started. We’re hunting down every monster in this city tonight.’

Joan went cold all over. For a long moment, she couldn’t speak at all. When she did, it came out in a scared rush. ‘Nick, you can’t,’ she whispered. ‘You can’t.’ She imagined people knocking on Gran’s door. Grabbing her. Hurting her and Ruth. Bertie. ‘You can’t.’ When Nick didn’t respond, Joan heard herself take a sharp breath. ‘You hate us that much?’

‘It’s not about hate,’ Nick said. But his mouth went tight, as though that wasn’t quite true. ‘I only kill monsters who steal human life.’

Downstairs, a door slammed. Someone screamed. Joan shuddered.

Nick glanced toward the sound. ‘Joan, please.’ Was Joan imagining the emotion in his voice? ‘Stay in this room. My people are all over these grounds. They’re all over this neighbourhood. You can’t help your family. You’ll be killed if you leave here. You’re only safe if you stay here in this room tonight.’

‘Don’t do this,’ Joan said, pleading with him. ‘Nick, don’t hurt my family. You and me, we’re—we’re friends. Aren’t we?’

‘Monsters killed my whole family,’ Nick said. Joan stared at him. He’d talked about his family just tonight. Eight of us in a two-bedroom flat, he’d said. ‘I can’t allow monsters to harm humans,’ he said. ‘I’ll kill every one who does. Every one I can find.’

Joan was running to the door before she’d even realised she’d moved.

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