Page 1 of Knox
Chapter
One
"God dammit, he’s an idiot." Adrian stared at the laptop screen, brow furrowed. The latest chapter ofMonsters of Veridiahung open in his browser, staring back at him as he tried to make sense of what he’d just read.
Did Knox really think he could just waltz into the Shadow Court andbeat some sense intothe Shadow King? Had he learned nothing from the past five hundred chapters?
He was going to get himself killed in there—if there was any way the author was going to kill their main character.
Suppressing a sigh, Adrian opened another tab on his browser so he could start writing his review (it would be scathing this week!) when a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies landed with a soft thud beside his laptop, interrupting his inner rant.
"Don’t frown so much, dear," his grandmother chirped. "You’ll get wrinkles. Besides, it’s just a story."
Adrian pushed his glasses further up his nose. Of course it was just a story, but did that mean he wasn’t allowed to be upset that his favorite character was acting like he didn’t have a brain?
He’d been followingMonsters of Veridiafor three years, devouring every weekly update and discussing it in detail with other fans online. He was owed some proper storytelling in return for his emotional investment—and in return for all the money he’d spent on merchandise.
His grandmother, Evelyn, wouldn’t understand, though. "It’s a really good story," he said. "Usually."
"Maybe I should try reading it one of these days."
Adrian made himself laugh and shake his head. "I don’t think you’d like it."
Monsters of Veridiawas full of complex world-building, deep character arcs and explosive romance—and also tons and tons of sex, and while Adrian knew his grandma had done the deed at some point, he didn’t want to discuss sex scenes with her.
He could only imagine her disbelieving reaction to that chapter in which Knox and Zev and Luca all got together and explored magical dildos.
"Why wouldn’t I like it?" Evelyn asked. "You seem to adore it."
"The main character is an incubus," Adrian said.A really hot one,he thought, but he did not say this out loud.
"An incubus?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t that a sex demon? I don’t see what’s wrong with a little sex."
"It’s not just sex," Adrian said, and immediately, he regretted his words. Now he would have toexplain. "Incubi can make people want things they wouldn’t normally. They can drag their victims to bed and literally make them…"
"Make them what?"
Come until they die.
Adrian didn’t want to say it. "Just trust me that you wouldn’t like it, Grandma."
Evelyn made a non-committal sound and ate one of the cookies. Adrian took one as well, closing his laptop and hoping that would be the end of that conversation. "Thank you for the cookies."
"You’re very welcome. These have a little cinnamon in them, did you notice? I got the tip from Mrs. Peterson from my knitting group. She has a grandson your age, you know. He’s a lawyer, very handsome, and?—"
"And I’m sure he’s very nice, Grandma," Adrian interrupted, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. "But I’m not really interested in dating right now. Especially not a lawyer."
He tried to keep his tone light, but a familiar tightness constricted his chest. It had been nearly a year since the last disastrous attempt at a relationship, a year since he’d fled his shared apartment and taken refuge in his grandmother’s spare bedroom.
Evelyn sighed, her gaze softening with a knowing look that made Adrian want to squirm. "Adrian, dear, I know things haven’t been easy for you lately, but you can’t shut yourself away forever. Life is meant to be shared, you know."
She reached out and patted his hand. Adrian forced a smile, pushing down the memories that threatened to surface and suffocate him. Real-life relationships were messy and painful in a way that fictional relationships never were. At least there you were guaranteed a happy ending.
"I’m sharing my life with you, aren’t I?," he said, forcing a lightness he didn’t feel. "And I’m focusing on my work right now. Besides, I’m not exactly meeting a lot of people these days."
Which was a blatant lie. He was meeting plenty of people—online. His blog, "The Realistic Romantic," had a decent following, and he spent hours every day interacting with other book lovers, dissecting plots, analyzing characters, and indulging in his favorite pastime: pointing out the flaws and unrealistic expectations of most romance novels.
He loved the online community—the witty banter, the shared passion for stories, the feeling of belonging without the pressure of actual face-to-face interaction. It was safe, controlled, and infinitely preferable to the minefield of real-life dating.
