Page 88 of The Monster's Desire

“Someone will eventually take notice that Milania is no longer human,” River says pensively.

“They will,” I agree. “It’s inconvenient, but keep her home for as long as possible. Blame it on the fact that she just gave birth and do your best to keep her out of sight. I believe Nadia will be working swiftly to finish the ward and, once that’s complete, we’ll be getting the fuck out of here.”

“Will she be safe?” Brant asks.

Unsure if he means Nadia or Milania, I frown. “I believe you’ll have a better chance once Nadia is no longer in the picture. I don’t think I need to explain what will happen if you betray our trust.”

“Ahh, there it is.” River chuckles derisively. “At least she’s someone worth defending. Trust me, we have no interest in harming the woman who saved our mate.”

Brant nods. “Without the council standing in the way, we can help make North Falls a safe town for monsters and humans alike.”

“I’ll try to bring Nadia by prior to leaving town. Be aware, it’s highly likely Milania has latent omega DNA.”

River’s jaw falls.

“It seems to be something in her magic that activates those once-dormant characteristics. I wouldn’t be surprised if Milania displays more of those qualities over time.” I yank at my shirt sleeves. “So, keep that in mind and plan accordingly. The reaper said, without that, it’s unlikely Nadia could have saved her.”

“Thank the gods,” Brant mutters, looking quite pale.

I awkwardly pat him on the back and prepare to take my leave. I have other leaders I need to visit before I can get back to my tether.

I’m nearly to my car when I hear River say, “I never thought I’d see the day he turned on Imogen.”

My head shakes as I fight the urge to zip back inside and slaughter the both of them. They’ve built opinions of me based on who I’ve been as a puppet. A puppet whose strings were pulled by a vile woman I physically couldn’t contradict due to the nature of our bond.

I sigh. They have every right to be leery. What they think ultimately doesn’t matter, even if it burns my pride. It’s not that it hurts my feelings that all the citizens of North Falls think so little of me.

I’ll be relocating with Nadia to Haven as soon as the ward is complete. The slate will be wiped clean, and I’ll have an entirely new opportunity to prove that I’m not who I was previously forced to be.

* * *

I finish my rounds, finally making it back to Constantine’s mansion. I haven’t been gone long. No more than two hours, at maximum, but I’ve fulfilled my obligations and I need to set eyes on my witch.

My portion of the collective mission was successful. And the last few monsters I visited were considerably less disrespectful to me and my position. So, that’s a bonus.

As I zip into the massive kitchen, I shake away the lingering bitterness.

I blink at the djinn currently stuffing his face. “Where are they?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re fucking somewhere on the second floor,” he replies, scooping a huge amount of ranch dip onto a cracker. “I’m undecided on the flavor, but the texture is a significant improvement from the last time I was in this realm.”

I blink at him, but hold myself back from saying something condescending. My head cocks, listening for sounds to indicate exactly where they are. “Thanks.”

I zip out of the room and up the stairs. My hearing guides me to the left side of the upstairs corridor. I don’t bother knocking. They’re clearly otherwise engaged.

The reaper and sin eater have quite the Nadia sandwich going on. I watch shamelessly, approaching slowly. Wraith’s head swivels nearly completely around to face me. It’s creepyas fuck, but I toss my palms up to assure him I’m not a threat. He nods, which also weirds me the fuck out, and then slowly twists his head back in the opposite direction.

I continue until I’m near Nadia’s head and kneel, giving her temple a quick kiss. My cock is like stone, but it has been for the last hour. I’m genuinely fucking baffled. The tether never linked us so strongly before. I can only assume...actually, I have no idea.

“You’re such a good girl,” Wraith growls, slapping into Nadia’s ass. My eyes bug when I catch sight of the knot at the end of his shaft. “I’m going to breed you full of my babies.”

Nadia opens her mouth, likely to protest, but Knight shoves his forked tongue in instead. They share a dirty kiss that doesn’t help the state in my trousers. He winks, and I simply shake my head. Everything changed, and yet, I’m completely fucking giddy to find out what giant upheaval comes next. It seems a pretty consistent theme with the darkling.

* * *

Wraith eventually decides he’s done for. He wraps himself up in his robe, taking a seat on one of the club chairs near the desk I’m perched on top of.

Knight still lies across the couch with Nadia’s nude form resting on his chest. They fucked her into exhaustion. She was tired prior to leaving for Constantine’s fucking party. She’s mortal. She’ll always require more rest than any of us.

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