Page 7 of Monster's Naughty List
Whatever they were here for, it was obvious they wouldn’t be sticking around, so I needed to cut off these attractions to them. I wouldn’t give myself to them and be left in pieces when they inevitably left to go back to wherever they were from.
Because it wasn’t a question of if they’d break me—it was a question of when. And I refused to settle for less than what I deserved anymore. I wouldn’t let them have any piece of me, just to be left in the dust.
Chapter Four
TINSLEY
I’m not sure what I expected them to be doing when I eventually padded back out into the living room, now dressed in red flannel sleep pants and a long-sleeved black shirt, sans face mask. But it definitely wasn’t this.
They looked so peaceful, like they were asleep all together sitting on my couch. But the most adorable part was that the tips of their tails had all entwined together, like their form of holding hands.
It melted away some of the barriers I had just given myself a mental pep talk to carefully construct, feeling like I had solid mental armor in place before I came out here.
Damn them.
Their heads were resting against the wall, eyes closed, and I wanted to ask what they were doing, but just as I opened my mouth to ask, I quickly slammed it back shut. Part of me enjoyed seeing them in this vulnerable state.
So, I went to the kitchen and poured myself another glass of spiked eggnog.Take two—let’s hope I don’t spill this one as well.Sipping on it, I leaned against my counter, observing my three strange guests and trying to make sense of my life.
Why was it the creatures who scared the shit out of me immediately—and that I knew I couldn’t keep—that I found myself drawn to?
Why couldn’t it have been a boring banker who treated me well? He’d give me a white picket fence, and we’d have two kids we loved. We might not be madly in love, but it would be an amicable and happy relationship.
But no, the first person to make my heart race with a thrill of true intrigue was, in fact, not a person at all, but a monster. And not just one, but three.
When my mom had told me my standards were too high, I don’t think she’d realized my standards were actually otherworldly. The amusing thought made my lips curl. If only she could see me now.
Focus, Tinsley.This is the perfect time to sort through what you’ve heard and try to connect the dots yourself.
As my eyes drifted across the slumbering creatures, I worked through what I knew of each in the order in which they sat.
Delgalath was furthest from me and closest to the Christmas tree and empty loveseat. The lights danced across his gray skin as his chest steadily rose and fell. He was the broadest of the three and had those stunning, emerald eyes that glittered with black dots.
I was the most fearful of him, but I had no reason to be. He wasn’t aggressive and was the quietest of the trio. It had to be something to do with his powers inciting that emotion within me. It had sky rocketed to new heights when I had locked eyes with him.
Oz had mentioned feeding off of my lust, so I was assuming they all fed off of the different emotions I felt with them.
My brows furrowed as I recalled Delgalath not keeping eye contact at the end of our previous interaction, like he hadn’t wanted to amp up my fear to feed on. Why would he prevent himself from creating the very emotions he needed to feed on?
That wasn’t a question I had the answers to, so I shook my head and, with a sigh, moved on to Rez. He was in the middle of the trio and, as the tallest, sat the furthest up. Everything about him made me feel like my toes were in the sand at the beach on the most beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky and not hot enough to sweat, but with just enough warmth to feel like a house cat soaking up the heat in relaxation. The waves were softly breaking, and the seagulls were chirping. Not a worry in sight or mind.
What did he feed on? Happiness? Calmness? I couldn’t put a finger on his source completely, but it was definitely a positive emotion, and for that I was grateful and found myself trusting him more.
Last but not least came the seductive Oz, who had lit a fire within me with those damn fingers around my throat. The flames had been stoked higher with the kiss and the feeling of his mouth and hands on my nipples.
Just the memory had my legs rubbing together uncomfortably, searching for some kind of relief from the sexual build up I was struggling with. He had lit that fire, and I was clearly incapable of dousing it myself.
However amazing his body had felt against mine, it wasn’t what drew me to him the most. That brief moment of vulnerable openness when I’d seen the hurt on his face had made it feel like the connection between us wasn’t just physical, and that was the most dangerous part.
Who knew if that was their whole plan? Trick the silly human, who knew nothing. Make her fall for us, use her body, and then move on once we got what we wanted. That would fit the bill for how my life worked.
Believe it or not, though, I just couldn’t bring myself to think that was the truth of this situation, much to my displeasure. It would have made all of this much easier if I’d felt rage at the thought of them using me. The truth was, I didn’t think they’d do anything to me without my consent, and that meant I’d be a damn willing participant to whatever happened.
And on that thought, I gulped down my entire glass of eggnog, needing some liquid courage to wake up the sleeping beasts and get them out of my home.
Placing the cup on the counter, I strode to stand in front of them, crossing my arms beneath my breasts and putting on my best “don’t fuck with me” face. Just as I opened my mouth to tell them to wake up, Rez cracked a shining blue eye open and asked, “Oh, are you ready to talk now? We were giving you as much time as you needed and must have dozed off. Our apologies.”
The kindness with which he spoke and the genuine concern in his words had all my fight melting out of me once more.
