Page 13 of Monsters Within (The Creatures We Crave 1)
“Much, much better.” He breathed out a sigh of relief, like he’d been in physical pain before holding me.
Sprawled against his chest, my hands began to skim his skin absentmindedly, like this was normal for us. My heart ached, wishing that was the truth. Just feeling his warmth and the safety of his embrace had my heart humming in pure joy.
“Lucien,” Kylo growled in warning, causing me to giggle. “Be careful with her in this state.”
They had an adorable relationship. Kylo would always growl and scold Lucien like a disappointed parent, and Lucien would push his buttons further because he thought it was fun.
My eyes drifted to Elwin, my absolute sweetheart. I desperately wanted to be closer to them all.
“Can you guys change into your human forms as well? I want to be able to feel you all,” I admitted, feeling shy about my question.
I shouldn’t have, though, seeing as they’d been created to be my best friends and soulmates, but it just felt so different this time. A blush stained my cheeks, the heat tingling under my skin there making it clear. Thankfully, it was dark in here, so they couldn’t see that. Not even the glow from their chests could provide enough light to see it.
“Of course, love,” Elwin responded, nodding his head in agreement. Seconds later his shadows dispersed, leaving the gentle giant in its place.
Whereas Lucien had the dark, bad boy look that was typical here on Earth, Elwin had a beautiful appearance that was all sharp jawlines and cheekbones, highlighted by his stunning emerald green eyes and blonde hair. Despite his eyes’ luminance, if you looked closely enough, you could see that his black pupils were made up of constantly swirling shadows.
This was due to his ability to pull disease and pain out of people as well as the land itself. Every time he siphoned it from them, it was always the darkest of shadows that left them, wafting around Elwin like a second skin. When he was in his human form and did this, it was like seeing darkness and purity clashing together with the juxtaposition of his soft features shadowed.
I truly felt bad that this was his burden to carry with his power. Over the years, I wasn’t sure if the shadows that haunted his eyes were his own or others’ anymore. It seemed to take a huge toll on his mental state every time he pulled it, like he absorbed the pain himself.
It wasn’t that my other two monsters were without the effects of their own powers, though. Lucien pulled an array of hate, anger, and wrath from people. It had to be why his need for violence was so high.
Then there was Kylo, who tore envy, greed, and pride out of humans. So far, it felt like he had absorbed the most from humans, and it had made him more bitter towards them with every encounter. I’d never forget the day he asked me why we should care enough to pull these sins from their souls.
My answer had been simple, but the truth: Because I wanted to leave the world a better place than how I found it.
He’d never questioned me again. Although we had quickly realized that if there was too much of any of those traits in a person’s soul, it was impossible to cleanse them. It was too entwined with their being, and if we pulled too hard, they would die.
Lucien had loved to remark that their deaths were still leaving the world a better place, but it didn’t always sit right with me. It didn’t feel like the right answer for everyone.
Elwin dropped onto the bed, the frame squeaking with his added weight and pulling me from my thoughts. I wiggled around until I was lying on top of them both, snuggling into their warmth as I looked up at my final monster. This moment was almost perfect, but I was missing one important piece. “Kylo?”
“Yes, darling?” he murmured, seeming lost in his thoughts while still standing at the edge of the bed.
“Will you join us?” I inquired, tilting my head sideways and trying to get a read on him.
A deep sigh came from him and my heart dropped at the sting of rejection I felt coming. “Darling, it seems like you’ve had a really rough night. I don’t want to just brush that under the rug. It pained us to see you in such a state, and I want to make sure you’re actually okay now.”
Well, that was not what I had been expecting to hear at all. How did he know I had a rough night? Was it because in my dream, they were pulling from what my subconscious was thinking about?
My mouth popped open in an O, but it was quickly occupied a second later after Lucien tilted my head to look up at him. “Snooze ya lose, Kylo. I’m ready to pick up on where we left off, angel,” he said and sealed his lips to mine.
Fuck, there were no words to describe the feeling of this kiss. My toes curled in delight as my heart soared. It felt like coming home as tiny jolts of electricity lit up throughout my body. It was the first time I’d felt so damn alive and full of energy.
His hands grabbed me, pulling me firmly back onto his lap as Kylo let out another warning growl. “Lucien. Stop.”
His lips were addicting, and I was questioning if I would ever have the self-control to pull away until Kylo asked softly, “What did you mean by saying even if it isn’t real?”
Instantly my body stilled, his words shocking me from the heady, lust-filled haze Lucien had pulled me into. A soft hand stroked my cheek, and I blinked rapidly until I was able to focus on Lucien once more.
“Did you mean our love wasn’t real?” he asked.
A large hand took mine, and I glanced over at Elwin as he asked, “Or did you mean we weren’t real? Why did you clutch the notebook when you said that?”
My brain short-circuited, making me doubt if this really was a dream. They knew things that had happened to me in reality and in the true way they happened. Not in the manner in which I would have depicted them in my writing. If they were pulling from my subconscious, it should have followed that same stream of thought process.
Was this real?
