Page 23 of Monsters in Love

"Epistêmê,"I whispered, knowing full well that I had probably butchered the pronunciation.

Regardless, I heard a click and found myself pushing open the door to the Cambridge Creature Library.

I was immediately greeted with the musky scent of books and earth. I stepped inside, my bones thawing as warmth hit me.

I had to blink a few times to get my sight adjusted.

I was standing in an arched entryway. The walls were stone, the dappled gray leading up to marbled molding. The floors were an odd black and white checkered, running out into the next room.

The silence was deafening. I let out a soft breath, one that practically echoed, and left the entry space.

"Whoa," I whispered, my head tipping back in awe.

The size of the room didn't make sense to what I had seen outside. The ceiling was at least twenty feet above me, the walls lined with thousands of books.

Hundreds of thousandsof books. I couldn't even see the back of the library.

In front of me, there was a massive oak desk. A candle flickered on top of it amongst stacks of dusty books, the wax rolling down like tears. There was a cup of coffee that was steaming still, the scent wafting through the air. At least a hundred coffee rings stained the top of the desk, proof that someone was here regularly.

I moved closer, my heart pounding.

There was something extremely odd about this library. Everything looked untouched even though it was obvioussomeonewas here.

"Hello?" I asked softly, still looking around like a child in a candy shop.

This was magnificent. The library of my dreams. Yes, itwascreepy, but the shock at the number of books squashed the weird factor.

Now, to find the ancient book.

I sucked in a breath, looking back at the desk. A book was split open, the yellowed pages holding the sweeping ink of an illustration. I moved closer, studying the colors.

It was a drawing of a crimson dragon guarding stacks of books. I leaned in, studying it closer. The ink was vibrant, the red scales glistening. Its teeth were bared, smoke curling out of its nostrils. The illustration feltalive, which was a testament to the artist's talent. Some of the ink was iridescent, decorating the page with gold, royal blue, and emerald green.

"Hmm." I reached out and ran my fingers down the side of the page. Parts of the drawing were raised and felt good against my skin.

Maybethiswas the book. It was fantastic.

I lifted the page and turned it, gasping at the next drawing.

I took a step back, my cheeks turning hot.

The next drawing was not anything I could have ever expected. It was of a woman, her legs spread as a monster lapped at her. Holding her was another monster, his claws clutching her neck.

She looked like she was having one hell of a time, but WHY was that in this book?

Alright, you puritan, I scolded myself. I stepped closer, swallowing a giggle as I studied it closer.

Jesus, she really was having a good time. The two monsters looked like Cyclopes. Except they weren't anything like the egregious ones that I'd seen in shows and books growing up. Their bodies were muscled with hard abs and even harder cocks.

"God, that's like ten inches," I muttered, shaking my head. "And what is that…." I drifted off.

The one holding her— his cock had a knot before reaching his balls.

She looked a lot like me, which was startling. Like me, she also had brown hair and curves. Her thighs were thick, her nipples taut. The artist hadn't attempted to hide her, including her rolls and stretch marks.

My eyes narrowed, my hands flattening my clothing for a moment.

The difference between her and me was that I would never, in a million years, manage to entice someone to be likethatwith me. Let alone two of them.

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