Page 1 of The Monster's Obsession
Chapter One
Vivie
Leaning forward in my chair, I study my eyes in the mirror, applying an extra coat of waterproof mascara.
Lazarus has been known to turn me into a sweaty mess, and not all makeup is created equally. If he plans to drag me off stage for a dip in the aquatic tank, I never bother, but tonight, the plan is to stay on the main stage.
Tossing down the mascara, I grab the powder to give my cheeks one more touch-up. My gray eyes narrow as I catch sight of my reflection. Sometimes I look a little too much like my mother, and it makes my skin crawl.
That female doesn’t even count as a mom.
Not after what she put me through.
You’re in the human realm.
Not in Faere.
Don’t panic.
You’re safe inside The Den.
The entire building is secure.
Rowan can’t get to you here.
My hands shake so much, I give up on perfecting my look.
I’ve been in the human realm for over a decade, and thoughts of Rowan still cause a pit to form in my gut. Then again, Isuppose that’s what happens when your own mother trades you to a true monster for wealth and a small bump in her social standing.
I’ll never understand how she could make the choices she made.
I work around literal monsters here at The Monster’s Den, and not even one has ever treated me as vilely as my own mother.
It’s taken years of being free of Faere, but I better understand my trauma responses. In the fae realm, I would have been expected to keep my composure no matter the circumstance. We’re taught to never show weakness and to always put our best foot forward.
Leaning my forehead against the small dressing table, I breathe through the panic.
I’m free.
No one willeverdrag me back to that hellhole.
“Are you ready, precious?” Lazarus asks, shooting me the sexy smirk he always gives when he’s about to fuck my world up in the best way possible.
“For you?” I toss my strawberry blonde hair over my shoulder and move to stand in front of the dressing mirror, checking my lipstick one last time. “Always.”
I’ve worked with quite a few partners while putting on shows here at The Den, but Laz is my favorite by far. He’s a generous lover and tender, even when the audience calls for a little degradation or violence.
Laz is very good at making themthinkthey’re getting what they’re asking for while still honoring every single one of my boundaries.
The kraken in human form steps up behind me and runs his hands down my arms as he rests his chin on my shoulder. Unlike some of the lesser demons and other species, he has two full forms. His monster form is much different from the man currently grinning at me in the mirror.
Laz’s white-blond, shaggy waves fall over his forehead as he tucks my hair behind my ear and leans in close to my ear.
Dammit.
He’s going to make my knees wobbly.
I can feel it.
