Page 20 of Monster Whisperer
“You should have screamed in pain if phoenix fire landed on you. What are you, River?”
She just shrugged and looked uncomfortable.
“I don’t know, but I’ve never been burned a single day in my life except for a sunburn.”
I flew right out of that room and back to my cell. Women that could talk to monsters and my fire didn’t burn made me extremely uncomfortable.
Chapter 14
River
M
anaging to keep the fact that fire didn’t burn me and I could talk to animals had always been this enormous burden, and it seemed to unravel right before me. Everyone seemed to accept I could speak to animals and monsters, but Demos freaked the fuck out when he realized he couldn’t burn me. What was I anyway?
Would Charley and Finn know? They were so lovely. I’d risk facing Demos again just to find out. I walked out of the apartment and back into the prison. Charley and Finn were just leaving.
“Wait!” I called.
They both turned like they were always in sync with each other. Charley gave me a kind smile.
“Yes, River?”
“Do you know what I am?”
Charley walked over to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. She was so tiny, but she just radiated with power. She pulled me down and whispered in my ear.
“Precious cargo that needs to be protected. Never take this off,” she said, slipping something in my pocket.
She pulled away and grinned at me.
“We may or may not be back, but I’m working on it. I hope we’ll be back to take down a bitch. Remember what I said,” Charley said, eyeing my pocket.
I nodded and watched them leave. Why was what I was such a big secret? Hades knew, and he was blackmailing me to find out. Charley knew, and I had no idea why she wasn’t telling me.
Finn looked behind him just as he exited the prison.
“Your father didn’t know about you, River. He’s on your side, but this is a test. Don’t fail.”
Great. My deadbeat dad had a test for me, and he was in cahoots with Hades. I had to beat a Goddess to prove myself to my father. Everyone here said I wasn’t a demigod, so what was with this shit? I stomped back to my apartment.
My eyes went to the size of saucers, and my mouth went dry as soon as I stepped through the door. Kimon was standing there wearing nothing but a towel, and that towel wasn’t meant to cover a minotaur. I knew he was a monster and had the head of a bull, but damn, did the part of him that looked like a man look fuckinghot.
My eyes followed a drip of water as it fell all the way down his hard chest, down to his eight pack, to the hard V of his hips, to that towel he was gripping and was barely covering anything. Kimon blew smoke out his nose and grinned at me.
“Like what you see, baby bird?”
Cerberus jumped between us and bared his teeth at Kimon.
“Cut the shit, Kimon. Put some clothes on.”
“My clothes are finally being washed, Cerberus.”
“Then, go sit in your cell!”
Who knew a three-headed dog was such a cockblocker?
“It’s okay, Cerberus. Do you want a sheet, Kimon?”
