Page 22 of Monsters in My Bed
“Nope. Just a hope and a wish.”
“And what is it you two wish for?”
Feral Seriq is a chatty asshole.
Xho and I share a look before answering in unison. “Your happiness.”
At first, Seriq is confused. Our words don't compute. We might be brothers and always there for one another, but we're not the type to express this verbally. It goes against our nature. After a moment, Seriq’s bafflement contorts into pure, unadulterated rage.
“Happiness!” Seriq spits venomously. “I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work.”
“No, you think you know what we're trying to do, but you can't understand because you're not in a state to get to where Xho and I are at. We're not trying to manipulate you. We meant what we said—the two of us want you to be happy because we love you.”
An expression of absolute appalment settles over Seriq, and I think he might actually puke. My mischievous side gets a kick out of it, and I elbow Xhoshad. “I think he’s going to be sick.”
Xho gives me a look to shut up, but I can't help but laugh. If you can't find the humor in even the shittiest of situations, you're not trying hard enough. In fact, the more I think about it, the funnier the entire fucking fiasco is, all boiling down to the classic human weakness of miscommunication. But then again, that's all we are—weak human emotions. They make us feel strong, but they aren't. In reality, the human negativity that we were born into keeps us mired in its abysmal muck. Because I've known no different, I thought this is how our lives are supposed to be.
“Listen, Seriq, Xho and I truly just want you to be happy. Hell,wewant to be happy… we should’ve been happy. The three of us had the most perfect gift—our mate, Alexis—and then we blew it. The three of us all fucked up somewhere, and the only ones that have truly been there for Alexis are those twin freaks and the True Heir.” Seriq snarls like a wild animal at the mention of Mark, but I push on. “It's killing you inside, tearing you up because you refuse to see what's plain before your eyes—what I refused to see until now—Alexis loves us all. She chooses us all and wants us all. But if we want to be with her, we're going to have to give something up. Xho, his control. Me, my trickery. You, your possessiveness.”
“Never.”
I growl in frustration. “You just think it's who you are because it's what formed you! But I think Xhoshad is right—we don't have to continue down that path. We can feed into other emotions and become something else, something more.”
Xho’s red gaze turns to me, a look of pride shimmering inside there. He claps a hand on my shoulder before walking towards Seriq.
“This is for Alexis.”
Then he leans in and hugs our green-eyed brother. Seriq freezes, his face mottled with fury, before he transforms into a shadow and swallows Xhoshad whole. I stare dumbfounded. Suddenly, shit’s not funny anymore. With a sinking feeling, I realize I only have one option for getting my brother back.
To be eaten by the big, bad asshole.
ten
ALEXIS
Someoneburstsintotheroom, and Mark startles awake, throwing himself upright to shield me. I peer over his shoulder to see Rastorj’s frantic expression, his purple eyes wide.
“Something's wrong with Roxy. Come quickly!”
Mark instantly rises off the bed and rushes out of the room. I follow close behind him. Down the hall in the opposite direction, I hear a faint whimper. One of the babies is awake, and I'm torn at which way to go. But I know Osz and Vizruk will take care of them, so I follow Rastorj and Mark into the bedroom, where Roxy is writhing on the bed, her face contorted in agony.
“What's wrong?” Mark asks.
“I think she's in labor, but she won't let me touch her. She doesn't want me to take her from this room.”
My eyebrows lift. Rastorj would never let anything happen to Roxy, but he's still trying to respect her wishes. I push past the two men and approach the bed cautiously.
“Rox, it's me, Alexis. We think you're going into labor. We need to get you to the sinqol pools. Can we please take you?”
“No… no. I don't want this baby.”
My heart bleeds as I place a calming hand on her feverish forehead. “Then come with me. I think I know a way that you don't need to have the baby.”
Behind me, her mate growls. Mark, though, remains level-headed as he assesses me. “What are you thinking, Alexis?”
“If we get her to the pools, she'll give birth to an egg—that's how I gave birth, that's how your mom gave birth. We don't actually have live babies. They hatch from these perfect balls into their shadow form, waiting to sense emotion to become their monster.”
Mark's orange eyes flare with the knowledge, hungry to know more. “So you’re suggesting that we just get rid of the egg?”
