Page 81 of The Monster's Desire

“Holy fuck,” she whispers with wide eyes. “You brought a djinn.”

“It couldn’t be avoided.” I raise my hood. I prefer reaping when others don’t have to see what my face turns into while I feed.

“Athos,” he says, smiling widely. “Your reinforcement, at your service.”

“She’s not interested in your affection,” I mutter, yanking on my sleeve. “She’s already built her pack.”

“Thank you for coming.” Nadia stares straight into my eyes. They’re currently in void form, but somehow, she instinctively knows exactly where to look. It makes my heart beat in a strange pattern. I bow my head, preparing to suck the souls out of a few monsters who thought they could hurt my witch. A small hand grips the front of my robe as I move to spin around. She gives a little tug. I bend to make it easier as she kisses the hell out of me. “I really love that I knew you’d come. I didn’t even have to question it. I trusted that you’d be here if you got my call.”

I smile, shaking my head. She’s exceptionally cute and not afraid of me at all. She shouldn’t be, but it is surprising, considering I could suck out her soul if I’m not continuously careful.

The tether between us would never allow for that. Nor would I.

“Can you unfreeze Echo and Ridge?” She licks her lips.

“You realize you’re straddling an incubus while the sin eater sucks the life force out of a succubus, right?” Athos asks, drawing my attention.

“The sins,” I correct.

Nadia glances down, frowning. “Oh, you can unfreeze Garth too. He’s just trying to pay off his mate’s debt.”

Now I’m the one frowning. I swipe my hand over the demon with a death wish, and he pops into our timeline, or unfreezes, as Nadia put it.

“Would you care to return my jar to me?” Athos asks, nodding to the container she still holds.

“Holy fucking shit, that’s a reaper,” Garth says with comically wide eyes.

“Indeed, and your grubby hands are on my witch,” I say in warning.

“Oh, fuck me. That’s disturbing.” Garth jolts. He must have caught sight of Knight. It is quite unsettling if you’re not expecting it.

“Goddamn,” Knight mutters, having moved on to the next monster. “This female vampire is good to go, but honestly, I think I’m going to puke. I’ve never been this full. The succubus was a snack compared to this hag.”

“I’m coming,” I grumble, moving to bring Echo and Ridge into our timeline. I don’t fully understand how my magic works, but that’s how I choose to view it.

I’m pleasantly surprised to see the two of them fighting outside foes. They stagger when they spot me, but both manage to stay upright.

“Glad to see you made it.” Echo shakes out his hand, glancing down at his bleeding knuckles.

“Of course.” I nod, heading for the especially terrible vampire.

“Hey, wait. Don’t do Imogen just yet,” Nadia grumbles. My eyes fly to her as she climbs off the mattress. “Damn, this jar is heavy.” She immediately steps over to Echo with Athos’s canister on her hip. “I don’t know how his magic works, but if you want to kill her, then I wouldn’t take that away from you.”

Echo’s mouth opens and closes several times. I move on to the succubus instead. She’s not at the level I’d feel comfortable devouring, so I simply swipe a hand to reap her. Her light gray energy slowly flows into me. I’ll need to deposit her soul in the pit within the next few days. Next, I move on to the male vampire Knight has just finished cleansing. He’s the one responsible for Nadia’s compulsion.

“Oh yeah, fuck. I’m definitely going to puke.” Knight staggers over to the window and shoves his head out.

“Does that have negative effects on the environment?” Athos’s nose scrunches as he frowns at Knight, who is busy heaving.

“Not once he’s cleansed the sins.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Although, I’ve seen him eat the sins of ten or twelve monsters and never need to purge.”

“Will my compulsion die with Warren?” Nadia asks Echo as I weigh the male vampire. He’s getting devoured. I move my mouth only a few inches from his and suck slowly. He’s a vile creature, so it takes a while, but I continue until the final remnants of his soul flow into me.

“It will,” Echo says from behind me.

“Leave Constantine and Imogen for last, please?” Nadia asks.

I nod my agreement, moving to the greed demon instead. He’s not terrible, as far as monsters go. I reap him for rebirth in the pit. He’ll be cleansed for a few hundred years and be able to try again.

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