Page 50 of When Monsters Fight
Am I coveting Rue or what she represents?
Shame heats my blood when I recall the many nights Iwatched her sleep. Wanting. Wishing it was me pressed against her body and not Shem.
Wishing it was my body she caressed with such tenderness, not his.
Is it Rue that I crave, or the acceptance she represents?
To feel wanted again.
To feel loved.
To feel…humanity’s touch.
Yes, I’ve missed that. Missed walking among humans and being accepted. Loved. Wanted. That was the beauty of my watcher life. The beauty of not being a monster.
Is that all Rue represents to me?
A gust of wind hits the sails, and I grip the wheel tighter, holding it steady. The world ahead blurs.
Is that fog?
Yes. Thick, soupy fog.
My gut tightens in warning.
“Kabiel!” Kokabel shouts from the bow. “I think we should drop the sails.”
“Do it!”
He and Yomiel scramble to bring the sails down as we move ever closer to the ominous fog.
I grab the rope attached to the helm and tie off the wheel to hold it in place before leaping onto the deck to help them.
We’re almost done, and the ship is slowing.
But then the night is filled with song.
I want to listen.
I must listen.
Chapter 26
RUE
Ihelped Jilyana strap the relic bundle to her chest for bed because the only way for her to shield them was to keep them in contact with her body. It was awkward, and I was so grateful to her for doing it. Sleeping with them strapped to her couldn’t be comfortable.
“Is that okay?” I tightened the scarf that bound them to her.
“Yes. That should hold.”
“But is it too tight? Should I loosen it?”
She turned to me with a smile. “I’m fine, Rue. Honestly. I’m just glad I can help.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
Being on a boat fueled by testosterone would have been unbearable without Jilyana. We’d spent a lot of time together the past two days. Talking. About her life in the djinn world. About my life at base. About Bastian and Bee and…and about Shem. Yes, it was nice to have someone to talk to about him. Someone who’d loved him. Someone who was heartbroken like me.
