Page 31 of My Monster's Keeper
Frost glances at Wilder. It’s a strange look, one of silent command. I can’t work out who listens to whom. They both seem to alternate who is in charge.
“Are they out?”
“Did you think I would waste our time?” Wilder growls disdainfully. “Yes, Your Highness, the vermin are safe. The building is empty.”
Frost lifts his hand and wiggles his index finger.
The building bursts into sky blue flames. I watch with my mouth hanging open. But I don’t get to see much because Stix passes me back up to Wilder. Way up. The giant steed lets out a ferocious snort and stamps a foot. Clearly, it hates me. I don’t muchly care, the feeling is mutual.
“Balefire, behave.”
The horse snaps at Stix, who glowers back and then moves nimbly out of the way with a creepy grace that makes me hold my breath.
With a swift kick to the giant horse, Wilder and I fly down the road. The horse leaps and moves us faster than I can see, and I have to close my eyes and melt into Wilder to stop from being violently ill. It takes minutes, and then the evil beast jerks to a brain slamming halt.
“Okay, you can get down now,” Wilder announces in that haughty voice of his.
I shake my head. “Can’t.”
Wilder snorts and slides off the horse. He reaches up and grabs me and places me heavily on the ground. As soon as he releases my arms, my legs collapse. I’m grabbed back to a hard chest.
“What ails you, human?”
“Your horse moves fast,” I say absently.
Wilder scowls. I see that much before I squeeze my eyes closed. He walks into the house and stops dead.
“What is this?”
I peel open my eyes and look around. “This is what is called ‘basic human needs’”
Wilder investigates the couch. I pull myself out of his arms and slide onto it, laying down and moaning.
“The vines are not real,” he growls.
“Nope. Pattern, fabric. Ugh, let me die.”
“I shall not. I have much to learn about this planet. Only when you are rendered useless will I allow you to perish.”
I part my lips and pant, hoping that will help, but then something thick, wet, and muscular shoves its way into my mouth and down my throat.
I try to scream, flail my arms around, bite down, but I can’t even pierce the skin. I doubt I’m even denting it. My panic overwhelms me, and I reach out, grabbing shoulders, arching my back. Pressure builds in my head, and I go a little foggy. It’s so damn thick.
The tongue strokes the inside of my throat, and my eyes bulge. It does it again, and it doesn’t feel awful. A moan rising up through me, and I reach out, gripping the dragon’s head, pulling him closer.
“Puppy!” Wilder thunders. “Get your tongue out of the human.”
The tongue retracts, and I gasp for air.
“Why does your camouflage change colour to red? How will that help you hide? Perhaps it’s a warning pulse,” Puppy murmurs. He leans forward and runs his nose over my cheeks, which burn hotter, because no man has ever kissed me so thoroughly, and that tongue is doing bad things to all my poor sex-deprived brain cells.
It wasn’t a kiss, you ridiculous woman. He’s plotting to eat you!
I sit up and stagger away from all four of them. Inside, I find a fridge, and, inside that, I find food. In fact, the whole kitchen is packed with food. But it’s all wrong.
It’s going to take me hours to go through all this and put it in the right place.
Stix sees my dismay and puts his hands on my shoulders. “I will help you. Just tell me what you need.”
