Page 17 of Marked By Feral Monsters
He. Fucking. Smirks. "I just… I couldn't believe it. That you worked here. I needed to see it for myself."
He looks around the room, eyes snagging on Keely, who's a few paces away, laughing in a minotaur's lap. Her perky nipples are visible through her sparkly, see-through shirt.
It takes me a moment to process his being here. Wondering what I ever saw in him, if he was just convenient because we worked together. But I don't like this sticky feeling, seeing him here, tainting my new life. Looking at Keely like that, like he deserves to breathe the same air as her. And despite whatever complicated feelings I've had the last few weeks, especially the last few nights, this place makes me happy, and I don't want him around. I'm done with Danny.
It's a relief.
And so, I don't even think about it; I wrap my hand around his arm and drag him back to the entrance.
No one stops us, and I even get a few nods, letting me know the monsters are on my side. If I need assistance, I have it.
I love this place.
Danny protests, but I keep dragging him until we're in front of the entrance. The floor manager sees me and runs over. "Oh, Lily, I've been meaning to track you down. Have you seen Mara yet tonight? She needed to speak with you."
"One second," I say, then turn to Danny. "You need to leave."
"Lily, look. If this is about—" But before he can launch into what I'm sure would be a riveting tale about how his dick accidentally fell into Veronica, there's commotion at the door. The bouncer roars, and five big hulking men barge their way into the club.
The biggest one, with a shaved head and tattoos, trades blows with the bouncer. The floor manager rushes into the fray, then suddenly Keely and Braden are next to me and we all jump back as one guy gets thrown to the ground in front of us by a troll. Danny shrieks like a child. There's never fighting at the playhouse. What would drive a monster to violence here in their safe space?
"Wait! Fuck! That's—" Braden tries to stop the fighting, but he's unwilling to get punched for it, so he dodges and weaves around the flying fists.
Then, a man with messy, jet-black hair skids to a stop in front of me and drops to his knees. "Baby. Oh fuck, baby, we've been looking everywhere for you." He clasps my hand in his, but I snatch it back.
"What?"I say at the same time as Danny snaps,"Baby?"
"This is all one big misunderstanding!" Braden shouts. He lets some of his fae magic feed the fight, and everyone's enchanted. The fighting stops, and my manager mutters, "Fucking werewolves." And then, all five of the hulking men are crowding around me.
I still have the drink tray in my hand, and I clasp it in front of my chest, like a protective shield. My heart races,stomach churning, because it feels like something important is happening, but I have no clue what is going on.
"Who the fuck are these guys?" Danny demands.
"Who the fuck areyou?" the one on the ground snaps back. He's beautiful. Painfully, achingly attractive. His skin is golden brown, like he spent his summer on the Mediterranean. His lips are full and pink, every feature perfectly proportionate, dripping with sex appeal. I'm certain I've never seen him before in my life. I'd remember that face.
He growls, "We are her mates. She is the center of my fucking universe." Then he pauses and looks up at me, eyes swimming with adoration. "What's your name?"
I… have no words.
"Lily," Keely gleefully provides. We're drawing a crowd now.
"Lily," all five of them echo, a chorus of relief. The one on the ground comes to a stand and reaches for me again. I try to pull my hand away, but he doesn't let go. "Lily. It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Nico."
"Teddy." Another man nudges Nico aside. He smiles with his whole face, and it's genuine and warm; the kind of smile that makes you want to hug and squeeze him like his namesake. But then he pulls my panties from his pocket, the ones I dropped a few nights ago. "We've been looking for you everywhere," he says, hugging the cotton close to his chest.
These fucking psychos.
"I thought I banned you five." A stern voice joins us, and I look over to find Mara gritting her teeth. I'm getting whiplash, and my heart is racing. Everyone is staring at us.
"They wouldn't let us in. You didn't tell her, you said you would tell her—"
"It's only been two days—"
"She's our fucking mate! Amomentis too long to keep her from us!"
There's too much shouting. Everyone is yelling. The guys get into an argument with Mara. I understand only half of what they're saying. They were banned a few nights ago for starting a fight. They shifted in the club—I gasp.
Five werewolves.
