Page 18 of My Monster's Keeper
“What’s up, buttercup?”I can hear his voice as clear as day.
“I miss your face.”
“I miss your face, too.”
I curl up on my side, facing the memory I’ve created. He imitates my pose and studies me.
“So, monsters, huh?”
I snort. “You’d love ‘em. You were always telling me there’s more to this world. Who’d have thought you’d be right?”
“I did.”
We share a smile.
I hear a creak, and my door swings open. The memory visage of Grant fades away. I turn my head to find Stix creeping into my room. He looks around curiously but eventually comes to stand beside the bed.
I watch him, waiting for an indication of what I need to do. He leans down and sniffs the mattress and then puts his knee on it, testing the surface. Stix’s eyes widen at the spring. He makes a sound that I can only translate as pleased and crawls up and lies beside me.
“Hey!” I protest. “This is mine.”
“Share,” Stix purrs and snuggles deeper. He reaches out and grabs one of the blankets and drags it over himself, making a sound that is distinctly like a purr.
I lay there stiffly, debating whether I should be arguing about him being in here. It’s not right, but I don’t trust the other one. Could I?
“Fine, you can protect me from the one that wants to eat me,” I snap.
He hums in agreement and rolls around until he gets comfortable. I hear another creak and tense, watching the door. Frost and Wilder appear at the edge, looking in.
They look over the room and then disappear, leaving the two of us alone. Stix is an uncomfortable bed mate in that he needs to be pressed against me, but he falls asleep quickly.
I lay there, listening to the noises in the house, waiting to see if Puppy is going to attempt anything tonight.
My head is reeling. Monsters and nightmares exist. The world is bigger than I thought it was, and Grant is gone. My job is gone. Everything I worked for has slipped through my fingers and vanished.
I make a silent promise. I’m going to get justice for Grant. For the other rookies and cops that died and for those poor women. It’s with that thought circling my brain that I fall into a light doze that then pulls me deeper.
At some point, I think I wake up to see a dark shape hanging from my ceiling. A long tongue dips out of its mouth and touches my cheek. It doesn’t feel threatening, and I’m so tired that sleep sucks me back into her embrace.
Chapter 6
Becky
Ihear the sound of a car, and it brings me out of sleep with a sharp jolt. For a moment of deep panic, I can’t remember where I am or why the sound of a car sends such fear through me, but the events of yesterday catch me up in a series of still frames in my mind. And I remember why I need to be awake for deliveries.
My team might try to eat the delivery men.
Yup. That won’t go well. I race flat out towards the front door. I slam into it, letting out a grunt of annoyance as it catches and resists opening. With a reluctant squeal, it gives way, and I find my delivery driver pressed against the side of his truck.
“Hands off!” I shout out.
Wilder curls his lip and looks over his shoulder at me. “Let us handle this intruder, human.”
“No, I’m not an intruder, I’m delivery. I got your parcels!” The man shouts.
“His skin is not pink,” Puppy says with a considering look between the two of us. My skin breaks out in goosebumps.
“You got something to say about my skin colour?” The delivery man snarls, his fear turning to outrage in an instant.
