Page 53 of My Monster's Keeper
Stix snorts and inclines his head.
***
Waffles are amazing. Especially with syrup and ice-cream. Puppy doesn’t appear to be a fan, but I’ve ordered the four of them a hamburger with the lot, too. I love places that sell breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast. It’s all kinds of wrong that my stomach loves.
The hamburgers arrive, and Puppy, much to my dismay, gives me a look that borders on shock before he devours it.
I finish my waffles in peace. Ignoring everything, including the small child that is staring at Frost with huge eyes.
“That man is white, Mama.”
The child’s mother turns red. I almost say something but manage to keep my mouth closed at the last minute.
“Ben, don’t say things like that, it's rude,” the harried woman hisses.
“Why? Look, he is white.”
Frost slowly turns around and raises an eyebrow at the suddenly silent child. I snicker and pick up my milkshake and drink it down.
“Okay, you ready to go fight bad guys?”
Stix tilts his head to the side. “We don’t fight them, poppet, we destroy them.”
The child that I’m still watching has turned in his seat, glued to our conversation with huge eyes. I wink at the kid and stand up.
“Come along, then.”
Puppy hesitates, and then his tongue flicks across the table and snaps up the last of my waffles.
The kid sits up straight, his eyes wide, and his mouth open. “Mum!”
“Not now, Ben,” his mother says distractedly.
Puppy smiles, showing off far too many teeth, stands up from the chair and leaves the diner with a bounce in his step.
I look back at the poor kid and shrug. “Radioactive spider,” I mouth.
The kid’s eyes get even wider. I snort to myself as I get outside, right up until I walk straight into a wall of muscle.
“Oomph.”
Wilder grips my upper arms and ducks so he’s down at my level. “Was that satisfying to you, human?”
“I wanna say yes.” I try to shrug out of his hold, but he’s got me tight. “Wilder!” I pant.
He stills, and then he abruptly lets me go and steps back. “The Shadow will take you.”
I turn, but Stix is gone. “He’s gone-” I turn back, and so are the other three. Great, these mother fuckers have left me here alone.
I pull out my new phone and scroll the contacts until I get to our illustrious lord and leader’s name.
The phone rings. “Diablos,” I whine, full bitch whine because I am fucking pissed, and if I have to be standing here embarrassed, he’s going to hear about it. “Your toys left me at the diner all alone while they went off to eat your crime scene.”
Diablos curses. “I leave you to sort this out. You’re the human. This is your planet.”
“I don’t have a magical ability to teleport or keep up with them or I would,” I snap back. “What am I supposed to do? Perhaps you should have put in some time training them.”
“I did! You should have seen the half feral wrecks they were. Fuck. I’m getting a massage. A really nice one from a woman named Jolene. She has magical hands.”
