“You bitch,” she spits, drops of salvia hitting my face. Focusing on my senses, I wait until I hear the rush of air indicating she’s attempting to throw another punch. Before her fist can connect, I grab her hand and twist it, smirking in satisfaction at the audible crack of bones.
Before her dad can retaliate, I jump to my feet and kick out where I suspect him to be. When my foot connects with nothing but air, I duck to the side just in time to avoid his lunge at me.
Okay, you can’t see him, Violet, but you have other senses. What do you hear?
Footsteps pounding on the road shake me out of my own head, and, trusting my judgement, I lift my gun and fire two rapid shots into the incoming monster’s heart. Behind me, the Invisible Girl releases an agonized shriek of pain and fury as her dad’s form begins to flicker, becoming visible once more. His eyes are wide in shock as he stares at the bullet holes in his nether region, blood rapidly gushing from the opened wound.
“Sorry,” I mouth, wincing. I never said I had good aim, did I?
Fuck, I’m a penis murderer. The guys will never forgive me for destroying this man’s cock. RIP, Little Invisible Man. It was nice knowing you.
Invisible Girl—I really should learn her name—shoulders past me and crouches beside her bleeding father.
“You bitch!” she screams through gritted teeth, hurling daggers at me with her eyes.
Badass rule number three: Run when you accidentally shoot off someone’s dick.
Saluting her with my still smoking gun, I race away from her, the wind whipping my golden locks back.
I’m so preoccupied with getting away from the perceived threat that I don’t notice the next monster until I’m plowing him over. We land in a tangle of limbs on the cement, my gun slipping from my hand and sliding down the sidewalk.
“Violet?” Cal asks groggily, alerting me to the body I’m still very much pressed up against. Cheeks flushing, I jump to my feet and extend a hand towards the rumpled cupid. He rubs at his head where it bounced against the cement, eyebrows creasing in confusion. “Why the hell did you just tackle me?”
“Long story short,” I begin, nibbling on my lower lip as I help him to his feet, “I shot off a cock and now I’m running from Invisible Girl and Daddy.”
“Daddy?” he asks in disbelief, eyebrows raising.
“Not my daddy,” I say, dismissing his concerns with a wave of my hand. “Her daddy.”
“The invisible girl has a daddy?” This time, his eyebrows are practically in his hairline.
“Everyone has a daddy,” I counter immediately. “I have a daddy. Barret has a daddy—”
“Did he tell you?” Cal asks abruptly, pink tinging his cheeks. “Because we only did that once.”
Okayyyy…
I’m pretty sure we’re not talking about the same thing here.
“M-Moving on…” I stammer, raking a hand through my disheveled curls. “Are you alone?”
“I was.” He flashes me a devilish grin and bumps his hip against my own. “But now I have a pretty little vampire to keep me company. Fuck, Vi, I’m so happy to see you. I was about to die of loneliness.” He throws his arms around me, and I don’t hesitate to hug him back. The chiseled planes of his body mold against my soft curves, and I can’t help the sliver of desire that courses through me. I shut that shit down before it can completely manifest, though, mentally reprimanding myself.
“I was about to die because I destroyed a cock,” I murmur into his neck, my hand smoothing down his feathered wings. I’ve always wanted to touch these little bastards—to see for myself if they’re as soft as they appear. They’re not; they’re even softer.
“Yup. No more of that,” Cal exclaims abruptly, pushing himself away from me and placing his hands on my shoulders to keep a respectful distance between us. “We’re not at the petting stage of our friendship yet.”
“There’s a stage for that?” I question, once again ignoring the flutters in my stomach.
“Stage one, we shake hands. Stage two, we hug. Stage three, we heavy pet. Stage four, we fuck,” he ticks off, smirking at my expression.
“I’m not heavy petting your ugly ass,” I blurt immediately. Flames engulf both of my cheeks, and I quickly change the subject. “Let’s go.”
Smooth, Violet. Real smooth.
Cal takes my abrupt topic change in stride, walking beside me in amicable silence as I grab the gun and shove it back in my waistband. “Where are we going?” he asks at last after five minutes of aimless walking.
“Didn’t really have a destination in mind,” I grunt out. “But you’re more than welcome to lead if you know a way out of here.”
Cal gives me a look out of the corner of his eye before focusing once more on the long stretch of road. “Nah. I’m good with aimless walking.”
“We can sing some merry tunes,” I tease, nudging his shoulder with my own.
“Merry walking tunes?”
“The only—” Abruptly, I’m pushed around a corner, Cal’s lanky but muscular body towering over mine in a protective shield. Eyes intent on my face, he presses one finger to his lips, indicating for me to remain silent. I pantomime zipping my mouth shut as growls reach me from the distance.
Mouth compressed in a grim line, I nudge Cal to the side and peer around the corner of the building.
The seven-foot-long creature crawls across the road, serrated, blood-stained teeth visible as he smiles. The beast has long claws, clearly intended for a quick and ruthless death. One swipe from them will incapacitate any monster in seconds. His form is pitch black, but instead of smooth skin, he has rough scales lining the length of his lean body. As I watch, horrified, he smiles menacingly and slowly licks the blood from his lips with a snake-like tongue. Moss covers the entirety of his body, and when he ventures closer, I notice he leaves a wet trail in its wake, almost like a disgusting snail.
The Bog Monster.
I try to recall the lore on such a creature. It’s blind, isn’t it? Or maybe deaf? Fuck!
Cal’s grip tightens surreptitiously on my shoulder, a warning to remain hidden until the monster passes.
Neck creaking, the monster slowly turns to stare in our general direction. Now, I’m more sure than ever that he’s blind. His black eyes, glinting with feral madness, sweep over us without ever sticking. And then, he throws his head back and releases a guttural roar.
The noise courses through me, rendering me momentarily speechless. The allure this monster has is incredibly strong. I ignore the tug in my gut, the craving to surrender, as his scream continues to tighten around me. Only certain creatures have that capability. Vampires, for one. Incubi and sirens. Even some fairies.
Who would’ve thought the hideous Bog Monster had a power that made you want to rip your panties off? I officially want to vomit.
Cal presses me against his chest, hands almost bruising, as he too fights off the creature’s allure.
Finally, the Bog Monster lowers his head and continues his slow, almost lackadaisical, crawl.
Until an unfamiliar female steps out from around the corner opposite us.
Cursing, Cal begins to pull us farther away from the oblivious female—a wraith, maybe—and the Bog Monster who has now honed in on his prey.