Page 17 of My Monster's Keeper
“Shops?”
“Fuck me!” I growl and run my fingers through my hair. “All right, you can come with me if you’re brave enough.”
He snarls, but I grip his pinkie finger and drag him with me out of the house. I go down the drive and onto the street. There’s a shop a long way down the road.
“What are we doing?” Wilder asks in a gruff voice.
“We’re getting us some snacks,” I say determinedly. “And you’re going to help me carry it back.”
My first problem is easy to identify and leaves me absolutely stunned while I watch Wilder bumble his way down the aisles of the convenience store.
Wilder has clearly never been in one before. He picks up chocolate bars, brings them to his nose, and drops them absently. He touches everything, but I can see he doesn’t know what to make of them and is trying really hard to hide it.
It’s almost endearing. I grab his arm and give him a basket.
“Just throw things in. I’ll show you when we get back to the house,” I say under my breath, glancing at the suspicious clerk.
We fill up three baskets with drinks and snacks, and then we carry it back. Neither of us talk, but the tension in him says he’s waiting for me to screw him in some way. I’m not sure what or how? Because he’s him, and I’m just little me. But the awareness of his rage and the danger I’m in makes this a very uncomfortable walk.
He watches me intently when I unload it onto the kitchen table. I hum as I look through and finally choose a chocolate bar and open it.
“Taste.”
He takes it, sniffs, and then bites down. In the blue light, I watch as his face widens with shock.
I open a packet of chips and laugh as he groans. Okay, first threat defused. I pop a chip in his mouth before he can argue with me and then climb up onto the counter and sit there with my legs swinging. I’ve got a bottle of water in one hand and the chips in the other, and I’m alternating.
“This is going to be hard,” I say to the room. “We’re different species, with different beliefs and values. But we have the same goals. At least, I think we do. But I can teach you about all of this. I can help you.”
Wilder watches me. I can see the gleam of the reflection of light in his eyes. It’s not quite human.
“This is the right decision. I can’t beat the entire police force on my own.”
He still doesn’t say anything.
“I want to protect my city.”
Something flashes across his face. “I want to protect my home, too.”
I stare at him. The pale light only illuminates part of his face, but I fancy his expression is softer. There’s a thread between us now. Something that connects us. And if there’s a connection, perhaps he will be less likely to kill me.
That’s how the others find us, drawn by the scent of the strange foods I’ve brought in. I bounce to the ground and grab a spicy jerky and tear it open, popping it into Puppy’s mouth before he can hiss at me. Then I grab a hot pie and pass it to Frost. He’s more reluctant to try the food, but he does try it. The suspicion is still there, but he devours the pie in two bites.
Then comes Stix, moving towards me in that mesmerising gait. He reaches out, dragging his fingers over the food, exploring the pile and different wrappers. But his eyes don’t leave me. My stomach tightens and flops, and I find it almost impossible to speak.
I pull out the item I selected for him and hand it over. He looks down at the cornetto and frowns. I take it from his fingers. Peeling it for him feels strangely intimate, and when I pass it over to him, his finger touches mine. I jolt, nervous, aware of my body in a strange way and the tingle of where we touched. I try to hide my strange reaction.
“This is human food. If we’re going to live together, then you’re going to have to change some things around here. Like food and electricity and running water,” I mutter. “Also, this place needs to be cleaned up, it's disgusting.”
I look up and find them all staring at me. Wilder looks bored and irritated. Frost confused. Stix’s eyes smile at me. But the fourth with his stupid yellow and black eyes looks like he’s still considering eating me.
“Now, I gave you food. You stay out of my room.”
I give them a stern look that I hope gives weight to my demand. I grab up another drink and a chocolate bar, leaving the rest for them, and find my way back to my room.
The plastic sheets I bundle up in the corner and then I flop down on the bed and exhale. It doesn’t smell great, but I’ve slept in worse.
It’s at times like this where Grant would be lying beside me. He’d turn his head towards me and give me that half smile of his.
