monstersarefriends

[monstersarefriends]

Pick Your Romance Starter- Dark Fae Addition

Plot/Story: Oh no, you've fallen into the Fae Realm through a circle of mushrooms. How convenient, I mean inconvenient! And look, there's some hot Fae men wanting you're attention...how so very clique. But they're not all flowers and sunshine. That would be too damn easy, wouldn't it?

Warnings: Dark Fae, slight non-con touch, blood, 10k words

Notes: The dry-spell has finally worn off and I present to you a little morsel of writing.

Poll is 'here' (Patreon) and here (Tumblr)to choose which character is written for first!

Poll has been finished! Hezirus got the pick. Here is another poll to choose what type of spicey story you want with him.

This is all based on a world built together with a friend. The characters are OCs of mine we play with and use in our stories together. And for your amusement, and torture for my friend, I have started a series where you pick which one I write for first.

This will be a heavy female x male character story. I apologize to my MxM and FxF readers. But I do plan on making these three fuck eventually. Just because it's fun. 

And by all means, give me ideas and feedback. I crave the attention!

Enjoy!

The sharp iron-like smell filled your senses and you felt yourself falling. The warm night air turned bitterly cold and the light from the street disappeared into a wall of black. You blinked. The wind whooshing around you was as loud as a hurricane; before your feet slammed onto stone and you stumbled into something hard and cold. And everything went unnaturally quiet.

You opened your eyes. Blinking rapidly to remove the haziness from your vision as you reached out, calling for your friend. It was dark. Too dark for your eyes just yet.

Your fingers found the cold bars of something circling you. Your hand followed it until you pushed away and stood on your own two feet. Swaying a little, the alcohol still affected your body even as the adrenaline coursed through you.

Finally, after some more blinking and squinting into the dark, your eyes adjusted. And horror filled your stomach as you looked around you.

You were in a cage. An iron cage in the center of a dark room. The floor, the pillars, the walls, all made from gray, smoothed stone. Dust layered the ground like a blanket around your small prison. And thick, but empty, cobwebs lined the corners of the room.

It didn’t look like anyone had been in here for…a very long time.

Your eyes caught the faintest touch of blue light on the floor and you looked down. Finding a glowing ring of sigils carved into the floor, fully encircling your cage. And everytime you moved, the strange letters pulsed with energy and that sharp smell filled your nose once more.

Something in you whispered that it was the same diameter of the mushroom circle you had jumped into… And with that thought, horror filled you. It had happened. It actually…worked. But not in the way you expected.

You don’t know how long you stood in that cage for, calling out into the darkness. It was long enough that the effects of tonight's drinks had worn off and the feeling of dehydration was starting to kick in.

The cold of the room settled on your skin like ice. And you tried to huddle up as much as you could, trying to preserve as much body heat as possible. But the cold iron and the freezing stone was sapping away at your warmth like a hungry beast.

Eventually, just as you started to think you’d be in this dark room forever, a door opened. One you didn’t see at the far end of the room that spilled bright, warm sunlight into the shadows. Making the twilight scatter and your eyes hurt from the blinding rays.

“Well, well, well, I thought all my little traps had been sealed off.” A velvety voice echoed from the doorway. The very sound settled on your skin like the breeze of an autumn afternoon. “What a surprise, indeed.”

Something shifted to your right but when you looked, only darkness stared back. Hiding behind a stone pillar, escaping the bright morning light.

You blinked until the sunlight stopped blinding you and the stranger approached. His boots echoed in the empty room as he closed the distance. His face silhouetted by the soft glow of the blue circle at his feet.

He was handsome. Very handsome. The type of handsome you would take a second glance at because you weren’t sure if your brain properly processed his face. His hair was a slight mess, a dark but silky tangle of blonde and deep brown. Matching a gaze that was fixed, but curious. And you felt every inch of your skin alight with a cold fire when those copper coloured eyes raked over your body. Not an inch of you was left untouched by his gaze. And it left you a little breathless when he smiled.

But your mind was racing. A voice deep within your mind was telling you to run. To hide. Get away from this man and never look back.

“What’s your name, sweet thing?” The man asked. The softest curl of a smirk twitching the corner of his lips.

But you didn’t give it. You weren’t stupid. And you remembered what happened. You jumped into a ring of mushrooms and suddenly you were falling. Even if you could blame this on a drunken dream, you still didn’t give this man your name.

When you didn’t reply, the smirk stretched fully across the stranger's face. “Ah, so you’re smart. That’s cute. I haven’t had a smart one in a long time. Come along, then. Let’s get you cleaned up. You’re exactly what I need to make up for my little blunder last night.”

The cage groaned around you and three of the metal bars slid into the ground. Allowing you a doorway to step out of your small prison and into the stream of light from the door.

The stranger didn’t look at you as he led the way out of the cold stone room. But still addressed you as you stepped out into the light. “My apologies for leaving you in that cold room all night. We had a little…accident, and I was busy until this morning.”

The man led you into a long corridor of more stone. Though the temperature was vastly more welcoming than the room, it was just as empty and just as dusty. You passed many doors like the one from where you landed. Some were left open, revealing more empty areas with a single cage. Others were closed but something dark marked the metal entryway. It looked suspiciously like old blood.

If this stranger saw you staring, he didn’t give any move to answer your unspoken questions. He led you up a spiraling staircase and a door of heavy carved wood and granite, creaked open before he touched it. Opening up into a sprawling room of many desks and shelves and cabinets.

“Clean her.” The stranger said. And from beneath the desks, dark tendrils launched towards you. Black, clawed hands wrapped around your wrists and ankles. Icy cold fingers latched onto your throat, squeezing just enough to silence the scream of fright from your lungs. Iron strength yanked you forward, making your attempts at fleeing fruitless as you were dragged towards a large basin.

More arms of shadows rose from the stone floor and you watched as steaming hot water was poured into the tub. Buckets of water manifesting from darkness and then disappearing when dropped to the floor.

You didn’t get to take a breath before you were lifted and then dumped into the basin. Hot water burned your skin and drenched your clothes. You gasped for air, but a cold hand slammed your head back under the water and you felt harsh bristles scrape over your bare skin. Something sweet smelling poured onto your hair as your head was yanked back out of the water for a brief moment

You coughed and spluttered, barely getting a breath in before you were dunked back into the water.

Your clothes were torn away. Despite your best effort to keep them against your skin, the material ripped apart under the strength of these shadowy limps. You wrapped your arms around your chest, obscuring the man’s beautiful gaze from seeing too much.

His smile was too sweet. Too wide as you were finally released and you turned your back to him. Your skin burned from the brush and soap. Your hair felt silky and smelled like a field of freshly bloomed flowers. But you were completely bare in front of him.

“That’s much better.” The man said. Leaning against a desk nearby. His molten gaze took in every inch of you before he waved his hand and a shadow presented him with a dress. “Wear this. It suits you much better than…whatever else you were wearing.”

When you didn’t get out of the tub, the man sighed and rolled his eyes. Then he turned around so he was leaning against the desk with his palms on the surface of the table. “I won’t look. Go on, try it on.”

You hesitated. But already the water was starting to get cold and you couldn’t sit in here forever. Curled up and shivering. You sighed heavily and carefully slipped out of the water.

Another shadow appeared beside you with a towel. But it didn’t allow you to take it. Instead, it dried you off, harshly rubbing the soft material against your body until your skin felt sore from the material. But dry.

You grumbled a curse towards the man and snatched the dress from the floating shadow.

Surprisingly, the man kept his word and didn’t turn around. Until you were in the dress and staring down at yourself in horror.

The material was thin…extremely thin… You might as well stand in front of him naked without the gentle glimmer of the sparkly dress. And it was very tight. You could see every curve of your breasts and hips, down to your thighs before the dress spilled out around your feet like a bronze ink spill. The only saving grace to this material was that it darkened around your chest and lower center. Refusing to give a full, clean picture of your body that was hidden beneath the dress.

It didn’t stop the perked peaks of your nipples from the cold air. And the stranger hummed a low sound in his throat as he adjusted the sleeve of the dress and picked at some imaginary lint on your waist.

“Much, much better.” The man said. He started to circle you. His eyes scraped over your body as you stood frozen under his gaze. He picked at the dress and the shadows appeared with trinkets and jeweled chains. Your wrists were wrapped in silk and your neck was decorated by a thin, delicate silver chain with topaz stones resting warmly against your neck. A belt of lace loosely circled your hips and your cheeks were assaulted by a dusting of red. Giving you a small blush before cold hands grabbed your face and the man stepped closer.

His forefinger lengthened, growing a black claw that came to a dangerously pointed tip. And you tried to yank yourself away from him but the shadows held you firmly in place. You could only watch in growing horror as the dark talon descended towards your eye…and cautiously drew a line along your upper lashes. Then the man delicately did the same on the other. Giving you a perfect dark eye-liner flick.

The man then stood back. His other hand held your chin as he tilted your face back and forth, admiring the touches he did to you. The shadows relaxed when you did. And you allowed this stranger to do what he wished with your face.

“What’s your name?” You asked him. Finding this close proximity with the handsome face was filling your chest with sharp flutters. You could see the finer details. The sharp, pointed ears. The tattoos under the collar of his shirt and the dusting of gold along his face. Perhaps a decorative choice?

“Jackal Borcalas, Royal Archivist and Spy Master of the Wilds” His smile was predatory. Proud. Cocky. As if the widening of your eyes gave him a sense of smugness. “But Jackal is fine, sweet thing. And yours?”

He said it so casually you almost willingly gave it to him. Like carrying on a normal conversation. But you clapped your mouth shut and glared up at Jackal. Rewarding yourself with a laugh from the Spy Master.

“Ah, well, you can’t blame a man for trying.” Jackal said, shrugging. Then his hands moved from your face down to your body. Adjusting chains and bracelets and anything else the shadows had placed on you.

But you found his hand barely touched you. His fingers brushed over your hips but didn’t linger for too long. The pads of his fingers glossed over your perked nipples but his eyes didn’t stray any longer than they needed. His attention was too focused on his task that you doubted he even knew where he was touching.

“Gorgeous.” Jackal purred. And despite the hungry look in his eyes, you sensed the genuine compliment behind his words. Or was that just a…Fae thing to get you comfortable around him. “Now, a few things before I throw you to the wolves.”

You felt the blood drain from your face with his words. And that wicked smile returned, alongside the cold touch of shadows as they wrapped around your legs and started moving them. You felt like a doll on strings, puppeteered after Jackal as he turned and exited the room.

Your captor led you into more corridors and halls. Many stone steps and coloured glass windows that bathed you in greens and golds and bronze. You didn’t get to look around. The shadows had you transfixed on watching Jackal’s back as he walked through…wherever you were.

“If you want to live through the day, you will follow these rules to the absolute letter. Do not look directly into his eyes. He gets…crabby when you do it for too long. And keep your hands off of him unless he places them somewhere. He doesn’t like to be touched. Do not turn your back on him unless he tells you to do so, and for the love of the Moon, do not touch his horns. Just…keep your hands to yourself unless you’re ordered otherwise.” Jackal said all this while he led you towards a massive metal door. The shadows relieved their hold just enough that you could finally look around you. But your gaze was transfixed on the entrance before you.

Towering above you was a grotesque, twisted display of melted weapons and armor. Swords Maces Axes Shields Any and all kinds had been liquified against the doors. You spotted helmets and chest plates carved through with spears. All dented, all worn, from battle.

“Oh, and also, for my later entertainment, keep yourself alive.” Jackal whispered, looking over your shoulder at him. “We haven’t had a human here in…centuries. So try to make your stay last a little longer than a few minutes.”

With a wave of Jackal’s hand, the war-torn doors opened with an ear-clawing sound of metal on the stone floor.

A blast of heat slammed into you as a voice as deep as thunder growled from within a dimly lit room. “What do you want, snake?” Your very bones vibrated with the voice. And a knot of fear coiled in your stomach as Jackal entered the room.

The shadows had you follow him and you entered a room that was more like a throne room. It was a vast space of furs and blankets. Blazing fires were cradled in braziers along the walls and candles flickered on hanging chandeliers made of bone and skulls. The scent of sulfur and burning meat filled your nose and you tried not to gag as you passed a body laying on the floor. Three deep gashes tore up the person’s back and blood pooled around their limp body. Their face twisted in agony and terror.

Jackal didn’t even look at it. He continued to stroll into the heated room towards a pile of furs and hides.

“I brought you a gift.” Jackal said. His voice echoing in the massive room. Mixing with the heavy breathing of something huge in front of you. The shadows didn’t let you go. They kept you firmly in place behind Jackal.

Something sniffed the air. And you felt the very air around you shift with each deep breath. You started shaking as the tiled floor trembled. The blast of heat came closer and closer. The heat in the room roared and you felt like your arms were being scorched by a blazing fire. Your ears popped and the tremble through the floor halted, but you heard the distinct sound of bare feet stepping over tile towards you.

And then Jackal stepped to the side and you were suddenly staring at a broad chest of muscle and scales.

The shadows released your head. Allowing you to look up, almost craning your neck all the way back, to meet a burning red gaze of a man. He was massive, much taller than 6ft and broad, rippling with muscle. Scars streaked across his arms and chest, giving a stark pale contrast to his dark complexion. A creature of war and battle.

But what was more terrifying was the plating of black scales that protruded from his dark skin. Horns swept out from atop his head. Splitting apart thick, shiny black hair that was braided amongst the crown of thick spikes. And his gaze was heavy. Watching. Calculating.

Jackal tsked harshly and you quickly dropped your eyes. Remembering what Jackal had said only moments before.

The man in front of you growled, a deep rumble that rippled through you like thunder. “A human?” A voice of stone sounded surprised. And you flinched when a massive hand wrapped around your waist, his fingers almost completely encircling your hips, and yanked you closer.

Black scales filled your vision as the man buried his nose into your hair. You felt him take a deep breath and the growl turned into something like a broken purr as the man laughed a cynical chuckle. “Is this your way of saying sorry, snake?” The scaled man snapped at Jackal. Releasing you before stalking over to the much smaller man.

Despite their size difference, and the display of bared teeth from the other man, Jackal remained perfectly calm. His hands resting behind his back as if he was having a casual conversation with someone.

“This is my way of mending my mistake.” Jackal replied slowly. “Hezirus will want her for himself. But I thought you should get some time with her before she’s claimed entirely. I thought it would be a nice…treat, Maahes, from me to you. From a friend.”

That word brought a snarl out of Maahes. Like he didn’t like how it sounded coming out of Jackal’s mouth. “Watch it, snake. You almost cost me my territory last night. A morsel won’t make up for that blunder.”

“Then let it be the start of my amendment to you.” Jackal titled his chin down in a submissive display. And whatever rage Maahes had, seemed to melt away. You felt the sharp tang of something hit your nose and suddenly the beast in front of you roared.

Claws raked through the marble pillar where Jackal had been standing moments before. Then you felt the shadows retreat and Jackal was standing in the doorway behind you. An amused smile across his lips

Maahes roared again, crimson eyes glowing with a surge of anger. “Keep your filthy magic out of my head!”

The doors slammed closed with a thunderous bang as Jackal laughed. Leaving you alone with a creature that was practically shaking with rage.

Your eyes swooped to the floor when the beast looked at you. You heard the click of claws as he approached. Two dark tree trunks entered your view and you realized he was standing right in front of you. He at least wasn’t naked, wearing a loose pair of dark trousers. But the thin dress did very little to make you feel protected at this moment.

“What is your name?” Maahes asked. You didn’t respond, cowering in front of him. The beast snarled and a rough grip wrapped around the underside of your jaw and forced you to look up at him. You kept your gaze from staring into the pools of rubies, looking at the scar that carved down his neck and to his collarbone. “I am not a Fairy, sweet morsel. I won’t use your name against you. What do I call you?”

You felt him lift you a little. Until you were standing on your tiptoes to stop him from choking you. “(y/n)” You managed to say. And the grip released you.

“Get me a drink, (y/n).” Your name rolled on his tongue like he was tasting you through those words. It sounded awfully sinful to hear it. And you quickly hurried over to the table by the dead body. Where an array of goblets and bottles were laid out. You choose the largest cup and fill it with an amber liquid. You had to carry it with both hands to ensure it didn’t spill and didn’t strain one arm too much. Hurrying back to Maahes, who had returned to lounge on the pile of furs. Which even his massive frame seemed to be swallowed by the vast mattress of pelts.

The beast rumbled. But it wasn’t an aggressive sound. You almost thought he sounded pleased as you carefully climbed onto the furs and offered him the wine. He took the cup from your hands. And as he pressed the wine to his lips, his free hand lashed out and took purchase of your hips before you attempted to step away.

You couldn’t fight him. The amount of strength beneath those fingers alone was enough to pull you towards him with barely any effort.

You found yourself flush against his side. His scales, rough and jagged, pushed painfully against your soft skin. And once you were positioned how he wanted, the hand moved down to cup your ass. His talons caught on the material of your dress as he squeezed hard. Making you wince a little.

“How did the snake manage to catch you?” Maahes asked. Placing his cup precariously on a position of the bed as he moved so he was on top of you. His nose scraped against your neck and you felt his teeth playfully pull at the silver chain around your throat. “Trapping humans was outlawed centuries ago. Did he say some pretty words and you were suddenly here? Or did you fall through a mirror?”

His words were surprisingly teasing for how rough his hands were on your body. The pads of his fingers were calloused and coarse, sweeping along your thighs before moving you so he could settle between your legs. He was massive above you. Obscuring the ceiling and bone chandeliers with his mass.

You explained what happened. Recalling the ring of mushrooms on the side of the walkway on your way home. The stupid decision to test fate and jump into the circle. Laughing, thinking nothing would come of it. And then accidentally said ‘we’ jumped in, and those crimson eyes pulsed intensely.

“There’s two of you?” Maahes asked. Glancing at the door as if Jackal was about to come through it again with another person. You said you didn’t see your friend in the cage and the man shrugged. Returning his mouth to the hollow of your neck. His lips sending goosebumps along your skin as his hot breath bathed along your chest.

It was a long moment of licking and hard nips along your neck before Maahes changed position. Burying his face against your breasts. Even through the dress, you could feel his mouth hungrily take in your left nipple and rake his tongue over the peak.

“No matter. I’ll feast on you first before I worry about someone else's pet.” You felt him shift against you and something huge and hard pressed against your clothed core. Then Maahes raised his mouth and a burning hot tongue seared along your neck, carrying the smell of wine and meat along your flesh, up to your cheek before your lips were harshly trapped between Maahes’.

Your struggling only seemed to amuse Maahes. As you tried to push him off and twist away from him. But just as he forced your lips open with his tongue, the doors to the room blasted open in a cold gust of wind. The flames around you simmered out under the gust and the chandeliers swung wildly above you.

Maahes growled and tore his mouth from yours. He poised above you like a beast protecting a kill. Thick arms caging you against the bed as the sound of his snarl ripped through you. You could feel the vibrations through your core, from where his covered bulge was firmly pressed against your core.

You turned your head, peering around Maahes’ arms to see a gorgeous man standing in the streaming sunlight. Like an angel, wings of bronze and gold framed his tall figure and a thick set of arms were crossed over his chest. Lines crinkled his perfect brow and long chocolate brown hair was kept away from his face by a gold crown of gnarled vines and flowers.

“Maahes,” The man said the beast’s name like a warning. But his tone was playful, teasing. “What have you got there?”

Maahes’ snarl crumbled into a softer sound. But he didn’t move from atop of you. His talons ripped into the furs as his hands turned to fists beside your body. “She’s mine.”

“Not anymore she isn’t.” The angel said. Stepping into the dark room, closer to the creature that was bent low over your frozen body. “I caught her scent on my way to breakfast. I don’t know how Jackal got her, but she’s a guest in my palace. I won’t have you break her on her first morning here.”

Soft, bronze eyes fell upon you and his smile softened. But those warning bells in your head were singing again. Even more so than they had with Jackal. “Give her to me, Maahes.” The man said, his wings opening a touch to make him seem so much bigger than he was. “I won’t ask again.”

The beast above you growled deep and threatening. You braced for something to happen. Another gust of wind. A fist. Claws. Something.

But then the heavy, hot weight of Maahes disappeared as he crawled off of you. And you scrambled off the bed to stand beside the winged man. Hiding behind him as his wing opened to protect you from Maahes’ heated gaze. “Good boy.” The crowned stranger said. A very careful smile placed over his lips. “Do not let me catch you playing with her again.”

Maahes’ gaze lowered to the furs. But you could see the tension in his body and the thick, throbbing vein that was protruding from his neck. He bowed. “Yes, Prince Hezirus.”

That seemed to be enough for the…prince. And he turned, his wing shifting to envelope you in a warm embrace against your back and guiding you out of the room.

The heavy doors slammed shut behind you both. And the wings of the prince moved to lazily return to his back. A different type of heat simmered in his gaze when the prince turned to you. A striking difference from the softness he offered you before. “Now, human, you will tell me how you got here. And why you’re…dressed the way you are.” Despite the quizzical tone, Prince Hezirus’ eyes were just as hungry and heavy as Jackal’s when you first got dressed. You instinctively tried to cover yourself but a narrowed glare from the person in front of you made you halt.

Your arms dropped to your sides as you explained everything. But this time, you kept the ‘we’ out of it. Only insinuating that you alone jumped into the very obvious Fae trap.

“But you know our customs,” The prince hummed. Tilting his head like how a dog did when it was intrigued by something. “You won’t give me your name. You even called the circle a trap. So…you knew what it was.”

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment. The drunken stupor of a joke was now very obviously a suicide sentence. “I didn’t think it would work.” You argued. “I was…drunk.”

“Superstition has kept your people alive longer than you’d think. You should start listening to your fable stories, there’s a reason they exist.” The prince began walking and you hurried to follow. The tall man, possibly as tall as the beast on the furs, didn’t shorten his strides to let you keep up. Instead, you had to fasten your steps to almost jog alongside him.

“Where am I?” You asked. Finally looking at your surroundings. There were large paintings that covered the towering walls. The ceiling looked like marble with many hanging candles and torches to illuminate what the sun couldn’t. Massive glass windows bathed your walk with the prince in color. But at least this time you could see the shapes of beasts and battles and fields of flowers as you passed them.

It was all very beautiful.

“You’re in the Fae Wilds. My kingdom.” The prince replied. His chin tilted up with pride as he spoke. “I am Prince Hezirus of the Wilds. Son of Queen Melusine, the Lady of the Forest. You’re in my palace in the deepest forest of our kingdom. My…holiday home, I guess you would call it.”

You stalled for a moment to peek through one of the windows. Spying the grounds of the estate that sprawled out in grassy knolls and flowing creeks that sliced through lush gardens and tumbled through the gnarled roots of mountainous trees.

There were people working in the gardens and some walked the earthy paths through the estate. Someone even started flying into the branches of a nearby tree. With wings like an insect.

A soft cough from the prince made you turn. Finding him standing by the cliff of a long stairwell that led down and into the center of the palace. You quickly hurried back to his side and started descending next to him.

“It’s beautiful.” You said. Unable to keep your eyes on one thing at a time. A man walked past you both, bowing deeply to the prince before walking briskly away. His features reminded you of a rat.

“Thank you. But you will have time to see everything soon. I want you to join me for breakfast.” The prince said. And you followed him down a corridor and into a grand hall. A long table was presented before you. Its surface was chock-full of plates and bowls of food. All steaming, like the dishes had just come out of the oven.

At the end of the table sat a beautifully crafted chair of twisted roots and vines. The cushions looked as soft as clouds and a plate of sourdough bread, bathed in eggs and bacon with a drizzle of white sauce, was sitting awaiting the prince.

Hezirus waved his hand and a chair pulled itself from the table next to the prince. And Hezirus gestured for you to sit, before he flicked his hand and the chair pushed you snugly against the table. A plate was placed in front of you by an owl-faced woman and the prince seated himself in his chair.

Leaning his cheek on his fist, propped up by his elbow on the table, he watched you curiously. “Please, eat. Enjoy.”

The smells of everything laid out in front of you was maddening. Your stomach twisted in hunger and the slight hangover that had plagued you with a headache, wished for water. But you didn’t reach for any of it. And watched the prince take his gaze off you just enough to take a bite out of his egg smothered bread slice.

“So now you start to believe in your fables?” The prince asked. An amused smile twitching his lips as he chewed. “I do not need to charm you to keep you here, lovely thing. You may eat freely. This food is not poisoned and untouched by magic. Other than what is needed to prepare certain dishes.”

You still didn’t reach for anything. Not even the water. Which sat chilled in a glass pitcher in front of you. Like it was teasing you. You shook your head. “Thank you. But I’ll skip breakfast.”

The prince’s eyes flashed gold and suddenly you were reaching for the water. You tried with all your might to stop yourself from pouring a glass, but your hands worked just like they did when the shadows had hold of you.

Puppeteered.

Helpless.

You tried to cry out as your fingers brought the glass of water to your lips. But your body defied you. And you sipped cleanly, without choking, a long draught of water down your parched throat. Once you had placed the glass down you felt your body return to your control and you stood. Almost knocking the chair over as you jerked away from the table.

“Like I said, I do not need to charm you to make you stay.” The prince said. As if you had asked about the weather. So casually glossing over what he just did. “Your tales of us are true…in some sense. But we hold more power than we allowed you to believe. Please. Eat. You look like you’re about to pass out. And I won’t tell you again. You won’t like it if I have to do it myself.”

It was true. You could feel the edge of your mind falling into a dizzy spiral. And the thought of you passing out in front of him made the hunger turn to fear. You shook your head, clearing it, and sat down before your legs gave out. And begrudgingly served yourself some pancakes.

And it was the best thing you’ve ever eaten. Whether it was because of hunger, or the Fae chefs, it was delicious. Even the fruit you ate was sweet and juicy. Perfect. Also too perfect.

But if you didn’t eat, you were sure he’d probably force you too. So, you gave in. As much as the logical side of the brain was screaming at you to stop.

The prince’s gaze never left your lips as you ate. His eyes were persistently on you, even as he devoured his own breakfast and poured a cup of something that smelled strongly of coffee.

“Did Jackal explain anything to you before he shoved you into a room with a horny Drake?” The prince asked. An eyebrow raising when you told him of the rules Jackal gave you. And you added on that you were meant to be a treat, as a means of amendment from Jackal.“At least he wanted you to live through the morning. And yes, Jackal made a small mistake last night. Maahes exaggerates, it wasn’t so bad he’d lose his territory. He’s just angry he lost a bet at all. You were lucky I found you before Maahes went too far. I do enjoy it when Maahes is rough with me. But your delicate body would snap apart the moment he pulls down his pants.”

The rush of heat that exploded in your body, crawling up your neck and into your cheeks made the prince chuckle. “That’s adorable. But also very dangerous. Don’t do that around Maahes. If he gets whiff that you’re into things like him, you’ll be chained to his hips and riding his cock until your body breaks.”

You tried to argue. Maybe say something that it wasn’t arousal, but shock at the prince’s choice of words. But the prince shot you a look that silenced your rebuttal before it began. “I can smell it on you, pet. Don’t even try lying to my face. It won’t end well for you.” His words carried a threat that made your skin crawl with a chill. Even if his tone was light and teasing. Something in his gaze had your heart racing.

“What are you going to do to me?” You asked. You wanted to know, so you could at least brace for whatever was about to happen to you. How many books have you read about similar scenarios? You had the hot, sexy men part ticked off. A strange, weird place in the Fae realm, checked. But this wasn’t a romance. You were just left to the mercy of a creature with scales. Given a hint at the power that could make you do anything the man in front of you wanted.

Your life very much was in danger right now.

“Hmm, I’m not sure yet.” The prince said. Leaning back in his chair as he regarded you with a critical eye. Like he was appraising a piece of art. “But I’m sure you’re asking if I’m going to kill you. Eat your bones. Turn you into a…I don’t know. What do we Fae do to humans? It’s been centuries since I’ve talked to one. But you never forget the scent.” The prince breathed in deeply and released it slowly with a long sigh. When his eyes opened, his pupils were blown wide like he was intoxicated.

“Such a delicious fragrance. It used to drive me mad in my youth. The lust. The hunger. Oh, fuck, the sex…” The prince finally looked at you again. As if suddenly remembering you were there and had asked a question. “No, dear pet, I am not going to kill you. Some of my court might try. But I’ve already ordered them that you are to be untouched. Left only for me to squeeze.”

He flashed you a smile that made his already handsome face become even more beautiful. “Anyone that tries to force themselves on you will meet my wrath. You are welcome to wander the palace. I do suggest staying as far away from Maahes as possible. And don’t go into the gardens until-”

“If I may, Hez.” The sudden voice of Jackal made you jump as he appeared by your side. Seeming to appear out of thin air as he joined you at the table. Sitting to your right. “I suggest we keep her caged until the staff and court get used to the scent of her in the estate. Already there has been enough unrest that Maahes has had his fill of Fae blood. She will be safer in the dungeons until you solidify the order for her to remain untouched.”

The prince played with the fabric of his tunic as he thought over Jackal’s words. His eyes following the line of your neck to your shoulders and then to the material that smothered your breasts into a perfect soft mound. “You make a good point, Jackal. However…because it was your trap that brought her here, she is your responsibility.”

Jackal’s jaw twinged as he glanced at you. “Hez, I cannot afford to be distracted from my work. I cannot continuously check on her in the cells-”

“Then have her in your office until you ensure she won’t be touched down there.” The prince smiled. A sense of amusement flashing over his face as he winked at you. “Jackal will take fine care of you until I have time for you, pet. Stay close to him and do what he says.”

A sharp scent ripped through your nose and you winced as your mind latched onto the words the prince spoke. An order. An order given by a Fae prince laced with…magic.

“I don’t think she’s stupid enough to try and run from me.” Jackal said. Sighing heavily as he took a sausage from one of the plates and took a bite from it. “Come on then, Lily. Time to watch me do paperwork for hours on end.”

“Lily?” Hezirus asked as Jackal stood. You felt your body follow suit. But it wasn’t anything like the cold touch of shadows or the constricting power from Hezirus. You wanted to follow Jackal. You were told to do as he said, and damn well you will do it.

“It’s not her name.” Jackal assured the prince. “She’s as lovely as a lily. So, that’s what I’ll call her.”

“Hmm, I don’t think that suits her.” Hezirus said thoughtfully. Tilting his head as he looked you up and down again.

“Well, she’s your pet. You pick a name for her.” Then Jackal smiled viciously and tapped the tip of your nose. “Or are you going to introduce yourself?”

When your glare was the only reply they got, the two men laughed and Jackal clicked his tongue. You followed him like a puppy on a leash, up many staircases and through many corridors. Until you found yourself back in the room you started in. Where the basin had now been emptied of water but the room still smelled of the shampoo in your hair.

“Sit.” Jackal ordered. And your body slumped into a wooden chair by a large desk. One that was covered in many long pieces of parchment and piles of books. A few empty ink pots were put to the side. While a stack of new ones awaited to be used. “You might want to get comfortable. You’re going to be here for a while.”

You looked around. Attempting to get comfortable in the wooden chair next to Jackal’s desk. Much unlike the plush, armchair-like seat he possessed, the wood was hard against your ass and the surface cold to the touch.

A few minutes passed as Jackal opened a few books and arranged them to stand in small holders to keep them open. He arranged paper out in front of him and then opened a thick, leather bound book by his left hand. You tapped your fingernails against the wood of the chair. Already insane from the quiet of the room.

“Can I have a book or something?” You asked. And Jackal scoffed a laugh.

“I doubt I have anything here that you can read. It’s all documents and spellbooks; all in languages you can’t read.” Jackal waited for you to argue. But when you didn’t give a rebuttal about knowing more languages than one, he left it to rest. “If you’d like to pass the time, you’re more than welcome to pass the time on me.” The smile was playful. Menacingly teasing as he smirked at you when your cheeks flushed pink.

“You’re not going to order me to do that?” You asked scornfully. And Jackal shrugged, plucking a quill from its seat in an ink pot and started writing.

“I could. Since Hezirus gave you the order to do whatever I say. Or I could force you to do it with my servants. But it’s not as much fun when the giver uses teeth and tries drawing blood every second.” At the word ‘servants’ the shadows from beneath the desks nearby came alive and crawled over the floor towards you. You pulled your dress away from the curious clawed hands and the room filled with whispered laughter as you gasped in horror.

Jackal tsked and the shadows scattered. Returning to being nothing more than dark spots under the desks. “Now hush, I have to concentrate.”

You must have dozed off somewhere after the third hour mark of sitting and doing nothing. The room was bitterly cold now and you shifted in your seat. Trying to find a comfortable position when a touch of fire brushed over your thigh.

You jerked awake. Startling when you came face to face with Jackal. Who had turned his chair towards you and was sitting almost directly between your legs. Both of his hands were coiled around your right thigh. Molding the cool skin with his fingers so gently that it almost tickled.

“Get your hands-”

“Shush, I’m thinking.” Jackal barked back. And the harshness of his voice froze you in place. Or was it the order to do as he says? You had no idea, but you knew that you were helpless in that chair as he squeezed your leg like he was kneading dough into shape. Scraping his palm along your skin through the velvety material of your dress. You had to lean back as he lifted your calf and draped your leg over his lap. You were left completely open to him in this position. But Jackal didn’t seem to notice.

He never went any higher than your upper thigh. His eyes were distant, staring at your chest but not actually paying attention to the shape of your cleavage. It was just the last place he looked before his thoughts trailed off.

You kept quiet. At least welcoming the warmth from Jackal’s lap and touch over your chilled skin.

Any longer here and you were going to freeze. You’d even welcome the harsh treatment of the hot bath just to warm you up. The dress was useless against the breeze that blew in from the open window. And the sun was beginning to go down.

Shit…have you already been here the entire day? No wonder your back was killing you.

Jackal startled you by humming and dropping your leg from his lap. Non-delicately letting your bare foot slap against the stone and you shuffled back onto the chair. He returned to his desk and started feverishly writing something down.

You stayed silent. Kicking your leg over the other to try and savor some of the tingling warmth from Jackal’s fingers. You hated how tenderly he had touched you. Because your core kind of enjoyed the attention.

The sky outside was pitch black and somewhere in the castle, you heard distant screams. It had started some hours ago and had long since lost its pitch. But the volume was still there. Telling you of the absolute agony that was ripping through someone.

“It’s no one you know.” Jackal assured you. Seeing your worried expression. “Maahes told me that there was a second human that jumped in the trap with you. And so far, I haven’t found them. Even if someone already claimed your friend, there would be traces of her. When a Fae consumes or fucks a human there’s…changes.”

That was at least comforting. But hearing such visceral cries turned your blood cold and nausea twisted in your stomach.

They were cut off rather quickly some hours after nightfall. And you weren’t sure if the silence following it was worse or better.

Jackal leaned back in his chair and stretched. Your eyes caught a glimpse of the toned body beneath the fine black tunic. But you tore your eyes away just as Jackal glanced at you.

“You’ve been rather quiet…Oh, right, I told you to shush. You can talk now. I don’t need to think for a bit.”

“I was going to say to get your hands off me.” You snapped. Suddenly finding an urge to speak now Jackal told you so. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

“But you’re so soft and warm.” Jackal practically purred. His arms hanging over the back of his chair as he stared at you. And this time, he really stared at you. With an intensity that had you looking away and a fresh wave of heat flooding your center. And that little nibble of his bottom lip was an added unfair flare.

“You’re disgusting.” You mumbled.

“I’m sure you'll change your mind eventually.” Jackal chuckled. The molten copper turned sharp once more as he returned them to the desk full of freshly scrawled paper. “If you were literate I’d have you read these so I can rest my eyes. But you’re unfortunately not that useful.”

“I can read.” You hissed and Jackal rolled his eyes. Lowering his arms so they came to rest on the desk.

“Can you read dwarvish?” Jackal asked. Then he clicked his tongue when you huffed a curse at him and turned your head away again. “Like I said, illiterate. Shame…it would have been cute having you sit on my lap while you read this over.”

“Fuck off.”

Jackal laughed and sighed. The breath was heavy as it filled his lungs. “I better get you to your cell before I let your arousal do anymore to me. Get up, little flower. And stay close. Maahes is wandering the halls looking for a chance to drag you under him again. And Hezirus is busy ensuring the court doesn’t devour you through the night. So, I’m all you have keeping you alive until we get you to your cage.”

You stood before your mind could think of doing so. And then you were walking beside Jackal through the palace, a step behind him. “What is stopping Maahes from…getting in my..cage?” It sounded weird to say. And you dearly hoped it wasn’t going to be a cage in the middle of a room like the one you appeared in.

“Hezirus.” Jackal replied, as a matter of factly. “Our prince holds alot of power. And not even a Drake as powerful as Maahes can disobey his orders while in his own home. He’ll try to lure you to his bed chambers, or the floor, I’m sure. But as long as you keep saying ‘no’, you’ll be safe.”

“That’s all that is stopping him from…you know…”

“Words hold more power here than your world, sweet flower. And Hezirus has explicitly ordered your words are the rules to your body. So, be mindful when speaking to anyone here. It might save your life.”

You trailed alongside Jackal as he took you deeper into the palace. Down even more stairs and corridors, until he stopped outside of a steel door. You weren’t stupid. This was a dungeon, deep under the palace. You could smell bile and filth from the other locked rooms. And the air was cold and thick.

But there were no guards here. Only the flickering torches along the walls and the soft, pained whimpering of the other prisoners.

“I had your cell cleaned before I brought you down here.” Jackal said. As if his words made it all better as the door to the cell opened without him touching it. Revealing a cramped, dark room. A cot was pushed into the corner. Merely a wooden pallet with hay stuffed into the crevasses and a thin blanket covering the splintering wood.

The pillow looked thin and splotched with gray marks.

“I’m going to freeze down here.” You said. Pulling at the stretchy material of your outfit. “This is barely going to keep me warm.”

“That’s Hezirus’ problem, not mine.” Jackal replied.

Then a hard cold force slammed into you and you stumbled into the cell. The door creaked shut and you heard a lock click into place. You rushed to the door as Jackal opened the little slit, allowing you to see his copper eyes through the darkness.

“Whenever Hezirus remembers his pet is down here, I’m sure he’ll provide you with all the best luxuries your little human body needs.” Jackal said with a roll of his bright eyes. “I, however, do not have time to babysit you at every minute. So, you’ll sit down here, in the dark, like a good girl until things settle. My servants swarm this place, so you’re safe. Just don’t make too much noise. Or you’ll attract some unwanted attention. Get some sleep, little flower. You’ll need it for tomorrow.”

You beat your fists against the door as the slit slid closed. Calling after Jackal in a colorful array of words and sentences. Some even got an impressed whistle out of the spy-master before you heard his boots disappear.

You retreated from the door when someone screamed from a nearby cell. The whispering laughter of shadows echoed through the darkness in response.

You went to the cot. The wood creaked under your weight as you curled up against the corner of the room. Gathering the thin blanket around you. Ignoring the itchiness from the hay and tried very hard not to think of bugs crawling in your hair or down along your arms.

You tried to stay awake. Something was moving beyond the cell door but it never came any closer. Someone would scream or start crying. Another would start begging. Only to be silenced by a harsh hiss that made your blood run cold.

You curled up tighter and closed your eyes. Hoping the sun would scatter the shadows when it rose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MasterList- Here’s where all my writing is saved.

Patreon- Buy me a Coffee or get access to my Archive. Either way, I appreciate it <3

Commission Rules/Costs- Want something more personal? Give this a read and check to see if I’m accepting Commissions.

#read later

[monstersarefriends]

Rhys the Lizardman

A former courtesan has carved out a new life for herself. Her past in the dangerous parts of the Ruby Empire are far behind her. That is, until a familiar shadow in her door returns, seeking asylum and healing from her tender touch. Female Reader x Male Monster

It had been windy and overcast all day. Dark clouds hung upon the horizon while pale gray covered the sun overhead. It was no surprise to you when it started raining. The area cleared out, no one was on the road outside, and everything was veiled in fog. It gave the sense of abandonment, but really, the lights inside houses reassured you there was still life about.

Despite the feeling of nothing to do that rain brought about, you set about some busy work that would help the day go faster tomorrow. You took out the large blocks of soap and set about cutting them. You were so used to the scent you never noticed it much. But as that taut string sliced through the bars, you got whiffs of the fragrant perfumes and oils within the bar.

“Maybe some tea would be nice,” you murmured to yourself after slicing up the first bar. You took off your proactive gloves and went over towards the stove. You were gathering up the kettle to fill with water when you heard something outside.

There was a loud shuffling, and then it sounded like the chickens next door were extremely spooked. You set the kettle aside, and moved about to the window that overlooked your neighbor’s backyard. The chickens were frazzled, vanishing into their coop while something dragged around the side of the house.

You frowned as you walked away from the window. “To hell with this.” You got upon a stepstool, reaching up behind the stovepipe where you had hidden an old tool of yours, one you used before soapmaking. You checked the blade of the dagger, pleased it was still sharp.

“Not needed your ro quite the while. And hopefully I won’t now, but no sense in playing it stupid.” You were getting down off the stepstool when there was a loud banging upon your door.

You stood stiff and stuff the dagger into a hidden pocket on your skirt. “Who goes there?” You called out.

There was another loud banging.

“I don’t answer my door for just that.” You approached the door, keeping your breath steady as you waited for a response. “Who goes there?”

There was silence with the sound of rain. The soft pelting of droplets on the muddy earth outside. You then heard breathing, labored breathing.

“Let me in Pocket,” a voice outside snarled. “Or I’ll bust down this door.”

Every hair on your body stood on end. You knew that voice well, but only one person ever called you that name.

“What are you doing here, Rhys?” You said after a moment of tongue-tied shock.

He let out a very effortful laugh. “Can’t a bloke come see an old friend.”

“We were never such a thing.”

“Please,” his breath squeezed tight. “Let me in.”

You cracked the door a smidge, keeping the chain locked. Immediately, you saw the cut upon his face and his swollen eye. “What happened to you?”

“Something bad enough to bring me here.”

You opened the door and Rhys all but fell upon you. He stumbled, catching himself upon the doorframe. He shuffled in, using your shoulder as support before he collapsed to his knees upon the ground. The great lizard that he was looked so small and helpless.

“Criminy, Rhys!” You cried out. You rushed to the kitchen, fetching a clean cloth to mop him up. But by the time you had gotten back he was laid unconscious upon the floor. You let out an exasperated sigh. Who had once been your worst enemy was now seeking sanctuary in your home.

It took a lot of effort, but you managed to get Rhys into your bedroom and upon your bed. His tail hung off the side, striped black and green until the tip where it was dark purple.

You cleaned him up and treated his wounds, of which there were many. “Finally found a fight you couldn’t get out of, eh?” You looked over his sleeping face then double checked he was breathing. “Who’d you try to rob this time?” You snipped at him. “You were always overzealous. I’m not surprised really.” You were wrapping up his hand, which felt a bit strange upon touching. His knuckles were split and bleeding, he either hit a wall or someone twice as scaly and spikey as he was.

“I am surprised to see you here though. I thought once I left the thieves guild, I’d never see you again.” You set back once you were done with him, remarking at how much bulkier he had gotten since the last time you saw him. Then again it could be swelling, you thought.

You left him to rest, checking occasionally to make sure he was still breathing and had a pulse. You fell asleep in your big chair that night, lulled by the sound of rain or else you probably would have stayed awake all night.

In the morning, sun from the window hit your eyes, warming your face until you woke from the heat. You scoffed as you got up, picking your dagger up from the side table to put back into place. You peeked into the bedroom, seeing Rhys tail twitch.

“Not dead yet,” you murmured. You put the bagger back into it’s hiding place and got the kettle ready. You then went out the back, going to your neighbor Allie’s door.

“Here for eggs?” She asked with a chipper tone.

You held out your basket. “If you don’t mind.” You followed her inside where she took your basket and began filling it.

“I thought I heard something last night,” Allie said. “My chickens were acting odd, so I came out to check, I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

You sighed. “Yes, unfortunately, someone from my past showed up at my door last night. He’s passed out right now.”

She stopped and stared at you. “Are you alright? Do I need to send odd over?”

“No, no. No need to send him in. I’m not worried about it anyways. He’s a piece of shit but he does have some honor to him.” You shrugged. “But I wouldn’t be pressed if you kept a check on things.”

Your neighbor nodded with determination. “I will, I promise!” She then leaned in close and whispered. “Is he from…you know?”

You smiled at her. “Yes, he’s a thief like I was once. The goddess knows why he is here,” you laughed.

“You can handle him if he does try anything, right?”

“I may be rusty, but I think I can handle him in the state he’s in. Thanks for the eggs. I’ll bring you some new soap when it’s ready.” You went back home, taking the eggs into the kitchen.

Breakfast was long over, and you were working on getting soaps ready to take into town to sell to the shops. You were wrapping bars when you heard a loud thud and string of foreign cuss words.

You washed off your hands then went to the bedroom here Rhys was crumpled upon the floor. “You honestly think you can walk in your state?”

“I got all the way here didn’t I?” Rhy moaned weakly from the floor.

You scoffed, rolling your eyes before you knelt down and helped him back up onto the bed. “Stupid hurts.”

“You would know,” he growled as he eased back down upon the bed. Another long string of foreign expletives flowed from his mouth.

You pushed up the pillows so he could lounge back against the headboard. “You need to rest. You’ve never had a beating like this. Speaking of which-”

Rhys turned his head away and grunted. “Shut your trying lips. It’s none of your business.”

You glared down at him, trying to burn a hole through his skull with just a look. “When you show up to my house like this, I would say it is!”

He squinted his gray eyes up at you. “It’s nothing important, Pocket. Once I’m healed up in a day or two, I’ll be gone, and you can pretend this was all a dream.”

“A dream? You showing up is no dream of mine! Now you fess up to your crimes Rhys or I’ll start poking you with the fireplace poker!”

Rhys squirmed, wincing from the sudden movement. “You lay one hand upon me-”

I placed my hands upon my hips and gave him a look. “And what?”

Rhys grew quiet, but his kept his eyes upon you. He finally scoffed. “Not worth it anyways. You never were.”

You rolled your eyes again. “So what are you doing here?”

“Nothing personal really. Just knew I could hide here and it wouldn’t be nothing,” he grunted. “What else can you do when you’ve got nowhere else to go?”

“Nowhere else? You do realize you’re a long way from Slytsall.”

“You are,” he snarled.

Shaking your head you took a deep breath. “Why did you come here? Why me? Tell me that and I might be kind to you.”

“Might be?” He let out a laugh and wrapped his arm against his chest. “Fine. I’ll tell you.” He let out a pained breath. “Guess I’ve not made many friends lately. Not the Slystall is full of them anyways. The place has gotten bad since you left. Ever since that centaur guy has been trying his shit, more and more have been slithering their way in.” He turned his head back towards you, only able to look at you with one eye. “Made some bad connections. There’s no loyalty these days.”

You just gave him a look.

“Don’t do that. Don’t think the way I know you’re thinking,” he huffed. “It doesn’t matter what happened. Only place I figured I could go to was you.”

You furrowed your brow. “How did you even know where I was?”

“Manka knew. She told me once.”

You scoffed. “Knew I shouldn’t have sent her any soap.”

“Forget about Manka. I haven’t told a soul, because I knew I’d need you one day.”

You balked and glared at him. “Need me?” You snapped. “Need me?”

“Look, don’t get testy.” Rhys held up a hand in defense but you smacked his arm anyways.

I stomped away from the bed, pacing before the door. “After all the shit you pulled. After everything that went down in Slystall, you think you still have the right to need me?”

Rhys sat up in bed with a great deal of effort. “I didn’t want to die, Pocket! Do you want me to die?”

You stopped pacing and storming about to look at him. “You just get better and  you never have to need me again.” You stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door so hard it bounced off the frame and wiggled.

You went back to your workshop, cussing and muttering as you tried to wrap the soap. But you were so worked up you kept messing up the paper and the precise way you needed to fold it.

There was a knock and Allie came in through the back. “Hello, everything alright?” She looked around, as if expecting to see something. “I thought I heard yelling,” she whispered.

“It’s fine Allie,” you chuckled. “Just…” You let out a long, exasperated sigh. “We’re not exactly friends.”

“What are you exactly?” Allie asked, tilting her head to the side.

You scratched at your scalp and combed your fingers through your hair. The aggravation was making you itch all over. “Complicated.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, this sounds like gossip,” she giggled.

You made a face at her then shook your head. “My past back in Slystall is very connected to him.”

“Were you lovers?” Allie asked with excitement.

You flinched and the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. “What? No. Kind of- eh!” You waved your arms out. “It’s complicated, like I said!”

Allie pursed her mouth and crooked it to the side. “Was he a frequent customer of yours?”

You may have been too open with Allie one night over some ale. “When he paid.” You then waved your hand to blow it off. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Bad blood happened, and bad blood it will remain.”

Allie made a sound as you turned away to deal with your work. “What was that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know if it stays that way. I think bad temper remains bad temper. Unless what he did was really, really bad.”

You slammed down a bar of soap and dented it upon the table. “He stole from me. Clients, Money. Clothing. You name it!”

“Food. Jewelry. Patience!” Rhys shouted from the bedroom.

You scowled and slammed shut the door to your workspace.

“Is he nice?” Allie teased.

You huffed, wiping your hands down the front of your apron. “Don’t meet him. Don’t ever talk to him! He’s a charmer, and that’s the problem.”

The next few days went by as irritatingly as you expected. By the end of the week Rhys was able to get up and move about the house, but much more else caused him pain and he exhausted easily. He continued to pester, to poke, to start arguments with you. Although, you admitted to yourself more than one you were also the instigator there.

Ages ago, back when you were both young, it could have been a different story. You were both members of a thieves guild in the village of Slystall. You worked within the Red District, while Rhys was often tasked with bigger game, shipments from Obresh, royal entourages, bigger scams in cities. It was once a good place, even if Slystall was the lowest of the low. You had liked your time there.

It was late in the afternoon one day, you were coming from from delivering soaps to the shops when you caught Rhys in your work room. You set down your basket and took off your coat. You kept your savings in a hollowed out book that you kept in your pocket. If you didn’t make a move for it, he wouldn’t notice.

“What are you doing here?” You grumbled. “This is my workshop, not for the likes of you.”

Rhys was sniffing a bar of soap. “This place smelled so strong, I was wondering.” He raised the bar to his nose again. “It’s nice.”

You snatched the bar from him and placed it back on the shelf. “It’s still curing. I make that with lye, you know. Wash your hands.”

Rhys chuckled, wiping his hand along his ripped shirt. “When did you start this?”

“When I started minding my own business.” You looked him over, noting his torn, filthy clothes, as well as his hulking appearance. “I can get you some clean clothes.”

“What? Are these not good enough?” He then smirked. “If i didn’t know better, I’d say you got some sort of kick taking care of me.”

You bit down on your tongue and held your breath in for a moment.

“You like that little bit of power you hold.” He smirked as you looked at him, it grew into a grin even as your scowl turned ugly.

“Why don’t you just hush for a while?” I suggested. “Go lay down. Take a nap.”

“I’m feeling pretty good right now, why would I ever waste it?” He looked around the room with that same smile. “Besides, this room is quite-” he took in a very deep breath, “-relaxing,” he let out that breath.

“This is my work space, not a spa.” You scolded him. “Now get out. There’s lye and all sorts of things I could hurt you with in this room. Go on, get.” You took him by the arm, leading him towards the door.

Rhys took your hand, holding it as he stepped into the doorway. “You keep being so nice to me, Pocket, I might never leave.” He winked as he kissed your knuckles. “You know I love it when you threaten me.”

You frown deepened and you narrowed your eyes upon him. “You didn’t seem to like it so much last time I was in Slystall.”

“Because you were serious then.” He kissed your hand again.

You yanked your hand away and wiped it upon your apron. “What happened then? Are you ever going to tell me what sent you here.”

“A job gone bad, obviously,” he sniffed. “Trusted the wrong group.”

You sighed. “You wouldn’t have run away if that was the case. Out with it, Rhys. You’ve been here long enough to tell me honestly.”

Rhys shifted, kicking the ground then twisting his tail so it wrapped around his waist. “I told you things had changed in Slystall. Surely Manka has told you something in her letters.”

“I know the distracts have separated. The Red Light district is it’s own, the Hollow Street is it’s own,” you murmured. “But Manka doesn’t tell me everything. If she’s comfortable, she’s not going to blow it.”

Rhys scoffed. “That cohesion is missed. But more than that, the districts are on the brink of war. The reason I came here is linked to that.”

A bristle rolled down the back of your neck into your spine. I watched Rhys closely, noting the shift of his eyes and the way he fidgeted with his tail. “Don’t tell me you actually stood up for something.”

“And what if I did?” Rhys sniffed, his nostrils flaring. His lip curled up, showing his sharp teeth. “What if I did something worth being proud of, huh?”

You couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Just tell me what happened!”

Rhys snarled, whipping out his tail then stiffening his back to stand taller. “They wanted to take over the Red Light district, and I told ‘em no.”

Your stomach dropped. “Are these guys idiots?”

“No, that’s part of the problem too. The girls are on high alert due to all of this. They’re strong and have greater numbers, but they’ve done rash things recently.” He shook his head and looked away from you. “But they don’t deserve what was on the table.”

A lump grew in your throat. You were actually touched by this. You swallowed, trying to keep these feelings at bay. “You protected them?”

“Warned them, got them ready.” He smirked and glanced back at you briefly. “My traitorous ways were found out and they took me on a heist that was designed to be the end of me. Luckily they didn’t know I am too stupid to die.”

You chuckled and shook your head. “You could have told me this. I would have been nicer if you did.”

Rhys’ gaze turned to steel and there was a glint that made your heart pound. “It’s not your world anymore, Pocket. I didn’t want you worrying. You’re doing what some of us aren’t brave enough to even attempt.”

You stiffened your jaw. “I’m not ashamed of my past, Rhys. I still care about Slystall to an extent.”

He smiled again. “Why do you think I’m here?”

That evening, as you were getting ready for bed, Rhys stood int he doorway, watching you put down your bedroll before the fireplace. “Why not come to bed?”

“You’re using it,” you murmured.

Rhys looked back into your bedroom then back at you. “Unlike popular opinion, I can be good at sharing.”

You gave him a sharp look.

“We used to all the time, Pocket.” Rhys stepped out into the room. “Remember? We had many good nights together. Lots of lovely mornings.”

You scoffed. “Yes, well, that was when I was in the Red Light district. I’m not that girl anymore, Rhys.”

He came and stood over you. “Not asking you to be, Pocket.” He held his hand out to you. “Maybe I just want to remember something. Maybe I miss you.”

You looked at his black palm then up at him. His green scales seemed almost yellow in the light of the fire. “Just sleeping.” You took his hand. “My hips are bothering me sleeping on the bedroll.”

Rhys chuckled. “I remember when I-”

You grabbed his hand and pinched his palm. “That’s enough.”

It was nice to be in your bed again, even if there was a giant, scaly man asleep next to you. You laid there, unable to shake an image of the past from your mind. You kept close to the wall, hugging it to try and keep from touching Rhys. He was so big though he took up the biggest chunk of mattress.

“Why don’t you just get comfortable?” He chuckled.

You huffed, hoping he had been asleep all this time. “I am comfortable.”

“No you’re not.”

You rolled over to face him. Even in the dark you could make out his smug smile. “Just worry about yourself and go to sleep.”

Rhys laughed again. “I have a gorgeous woman next to me. How do you expect me to do that?”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll kick you out of bed.”

Rhys rolled onto his side, both of you were laying face to face. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

He laughed. “It’s been a long time. Sorry, I’m a bit nervous.”

“For what? We’re both just trying to go to sleep. So let’s agree to do that and we’ll all be golden. Right?” You adjusted your leg under the covers and brushed up against Rhys’. You jerked back and both of you had a chuckle.

“Maybe I am thinking a bit too much about- something else.” You muttered.

“Yeah. For a long time all we did in a bed was-” Rhys stopped and laughed nervously again. “Well, you know. We sot of trained of bodies to-”

“Yeah,” you interrupted.

“I messed up,” he murmured. “I never stopped kicking myself for what I did.”

“Good,” you huffed.

You both fell into silence once again. You laid there, trying to make yourself sleep but it would never come. Old memories resurfaced, bubbling up in every corner of your mind to where you couldn’t think of anything else. Your body responded in kind, warming and stewing as those old feelings had been inching ever so slowly close towards the surface again.

“Pocket,” his voice whispered through the shadows.

“Be quiet.” You lunged forward, kissing him and bringing your body into his. He took old of you, kissing back and moving his hands down your body.

“Careful,” he whimpered.

“I’ll be gentle.” You kissed him more, pressing close to his body, reaching down to find him already hard. “That was fast.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking,” he huffed.

You wouldn’t admit to your own nostalgic lingering, but you kept going. You turned him over, mounting him and rubbing yourself against him. You pulled up your nightgown as you grinded against him, feeling old flames renew all through your body. It had been so long, and yet you knew how he felt intimately still. His cock was quite thick, but that’s what you liked about it.

Rhys hands wrapped around your hips. “It’s been so long.”

“I said quiet,” you moaned. “Let me just do this.” You reached down, taking hold of his shaft, keeping it still as you placed yourself over the tip. You took him inside, sitting upon him and relishing this moment.

Rhys was straining to stay quiet, then again, he was always a talker. You began to move, moaning and whimpering. It had been a long time since you were last with Rhys, but it had been a long time having sex altogether. You took your time savoring him, being careful of the injuries that persisted. His hands tightened upon your hips, moving up to your waist then around your breasts.

“Oh, Pocket,” he whimpered.

“Yes,” you panted from effort. “Yes, feel me.” You leaned forward, going harder upon him. It wouldn’t be long now. You just needed to go harder. The night had a way of going on though, and your love making went on beyond that first daliance. Once the air had cooled, you went again, then again. Rhys found energy unlike you had ever seen before, and you took great delight in his stamina.

Come morning, you never heard the door open. You didn’t, at first, hear Allie calling out and asking if you wanted some eggs.

“Oops!” You heard her squeal and she ran out.

“What was that?” Rhys voice cracked.

“Our neighbor,” you muttered. “I told her to keep a check on me while you were here.” You rose up in bed and yawned. “I must have slept in.”

Rhys chuckled. “You earned it light night, Pocket.” His hand smoothed up your bare back. “Mmm. How I missed you.”

You gave him a sharp look, but it didn’t last. You smiled down upon him and your face turned rosy red.

#PIZARDFOLK #and ruby empire #we are getting spoiled 😌 #also thes characters are perfect

[monstersarefriends]

💚💙🧜‍♂️ The Gang Is All Here 🧜‍♂️💙💚

[monstersarefriends]

Ozren: A Preview

Here it is, a preview of all my efforts, and hopefully the motivation I need to do the hard work of editing. I've been trying to get the Ozren novel done for so long now. At times I felt like a failure I couldn't. But now, it's here, and I'm so proud of it! I hope you enjoy this little taste. This is not the final product, this is a rough draft version of things. Rue- Female Main Character Ozren- Male Orc Lead

Prologue:

I am not sure why, but ever since I was little I had kept a secret savings. I was just hiding extra coins given to me by some of my father’s associates, business partners and friends. I never thought much about it. As I grew older though, my intent to save all change and allowances was much more purposeful. Whatever I didn’t need to spend, it was all tucked away.

I heard my father from down the hall. He was speaking in a pompous manner, which alerted me to company. “Rue’s not much to look at mind you, but she comes from good stock. Her mother’s side of the family is well known for their long bloodlines.”

I quickly hid my savings away, tucking the box behind an old doll on the shelf. I prepared myself, smoothing down my skirt and making sure my hair was still all pushed up on the top of my head. I then sat posed at my desk, pretending to write something, but really it was all for show. Like my father said, I was to be seen and not heard.

“That’s wonderful news,” the man said. “I have always wanted a large family. I was an only child mind you. So was my father, and his father. We’ve gone to a trickle, I'm afraid.”

“No worries there!” My father exclaimed with a touch too much excitement. “My Rue is surely up to the task of giving you the sons you want.” My father was bragging about me. But not in the way a father should brag about his child. No. he was talking about me like I was some prize horse or cow. I was merely there as a bargaining chip. I’d been called lots of names in my family, but a brood sow cut deep, especially thinking about my mother.

My bedroom door opened without a knock and I sucked in my breath and held my stomach taut. I turned from my desk, looking up as my father as his guest entered my room. I put on that fake, saccharine smile that hurt my cheeks, but pleased my father greatly.

“Rue, stand up girl, this is the young chap I was telling you about.” My father proudly smacked the back of the man before me. The fellow looked more egg than man, all round and pale with a mop of hair on top that looked held on by hope, or maybe something tacky.

I rose from my desk, keeping my belly sucked in even as I bowed. “It's so nice to finally meet you.”

The egg-man looked me up and down without. “Yes. I’m sure.”

I swallowed my breath, I would have swallowed my tongue if I could. “How was your trip here? I know Sothen’s rocky roads can be hard on some.”

My father gave me a warning look, shaking his head while the egg-man was turned. I shut my mouth and remained still, letting myself be looked over like I was up for auction.

“Not bad,” the egg-man said. “The more plump ones are always best for child rearing. Not really much else, but then again I'm not looking for much else,” he chortled like he had done something. They both talked as if I wasn’t standing before them.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and my stomach instantly turned to nausea. I felt sick and I had to let go of my breath in order to keep from heaving.

My father laughed along with the egg-man. “Like I said, she’s just like her mother, perfect for giving sons.” He took the egg-man by his shoulder and led him to the door. “Let me show you the shop. We’re working on some of the pieces your mother ordered right now!” He turned and looked back at me over the egg-man’s shoulder. “Why don’t you make yourself useful, Rue, and go set up tea for us when we get back?”

I nodded as sweat crept up my brow. “Yes father.”

Once my door closed again I quickly went and leaned against something. I took deep breaths, feeling the nausea rip through my body like an angry storm. I gulped down air as tears came into my eyes, joining the sweat that ran down my face. I couldn’t wait long though, I needed to get the tea from the kitchen and have it set up before my father and the egg-man showed up.

I braced against the wall as I walked. The waves of nausea made me flaming hot and then turn icy cold.

“Where’s dad at?”

My eldest brother stood before me, looking down at me with the same look our father gave me before he left.

I stiffened my posture, rounding my shoulders and folding my hands before me on my skirt. “He’s in the shop giving a tour to our guest.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.. “That’ll give me a few minutes.” He hesitated, giving me a stern look. “What are you doing?”

I took in a breath and held it. “Fetching tea. Father asked to have it ready once he’s done giving the tour.”

He nodded and his eyes darted towards the opposite end of the hall. “Looks like you won’t be here much longer. I don’t think dad wants to look anymore for someone to take you on.” He kept looking down the hallway. “You’re quite lucky.”

I knew his wife and kids were in the main wing of the house, as they were recovering from a long journey. Whoever he was looking for, I’m sure it wasn’t one of them. He brushed passed by me without another word, nearly pushing me into the wall even though he had all the room in the world to use.

I made it to the kitchen and was a bit relieved, but I was still feeling waves of nausea, so I wasn’t exactly my chipper self.

“There she is, we haven’t seen you all day, Rue,” Chef Lily replied.

A bit of relief came over me as I stood in the kitchen. “I was busy getting ready. Father had someone he wanted me to meet today.” I went to the cupboards, taking out my father’s favorite tea set.

“That’s why you look so lovely,” another of the staff giggled.

I just shook my head at that. “I need to get a tea tray ready.”

“We’ll help with that.” Chef Lily whistled and members of the kitchen took over to set the tray. I took a seat, placing my hand over my belly as I felt close to puking.

Chef Lily came over, feeling my forehead then cupping her hand around my cheek. “Goodness, you don’t feel well.” She snapped her fingers. “Go get the tray set up for the master. Tell them Ms. Rue is ill.”

A rush of cold crashed through me. I grabbed her hand and shook my head. “Oh, no, don’t do that. He’ll be upset if I don’t do it.”

Chef Lily gave me a look. “Nonsense! No one wants green gills around their tea.” She waved for another remember of staff. “Take her up to her room and get her settled.”

“I’m not sick,” I argued. “I’m just…I’m nervous.”

Her eyes weren't letting anything go. She could see how pale I was, the sweat on my brow, the redness of my eyes. “Nervous? For what?” Chef Lily held my chin in her hand. “Talk to me, Ms. Rue. What’s got you so bothered?”

“The man who is here…my father intends to marry me off to him.” I said. “I guess I’m just worried about that.”

Chef Lily wasn’t taking it. She had known me too long for that. “No, love. You can tell me what’s wrong.”

I looked into her eyes and I broke down crying. I told her everything, and while most of it she knew, she had no clue the things my father was saying, nor the money I had been hiding away. “Somedays, I just want to run away!” I cried. “I want to leave this place and never look back. I don’t care what becomes of me, at least it can’t be worse than what will happen to me if I stay here!”

Chef Lily shook her head. “Your mother died bringing you into this world, Ms. Rue. Birthing one child after the next, her body never got much rest. I believe your father loved her, but he didn’t see what he was doing to her.” She went over to the larder and from the open doorway I saw her loading a sack with bread cheese, and a few cured meats. She came back and opened drawers, placing silverware inside as well.

“What are you doing?” I stood up fast and made myself dizzy.

Chef Lily placed the sack in my hands. “I can’t tell you what to do, Ms. Rue. This is your decision. But if you have been wanting an escape, now is your chance.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “I don’t think I can.”

She cupped her warm hand around my cheek and firmly grasped my shoulder. “If you’ve been thinking about it this long, you can.”

I was taken back to my room along with the sack filled with silverware and food. I laid in bed for a long while, thinking to myself about what I should do. I heard laughter from somewhere in the house, and for some reason, it made me angry.

I put together a small bag of my things, I couldn’t carry much, but that didn’t bother me. I tossed my things out the window and waited to make sure no one heard anything. I climbed down on the trellis, landing on the soft ground below. As I picked up my things, I looked towards the glowing windows ahead of me. Inside was my family, my father, my brothers, and their families.

I felt a gnawing in my gut, wondering if running was the right thing to do. I went over to the windows, looking inside to see everyone. They were all happy, laughing. No one seemed worried for me, even though they were told I was ill. My father was chatting up the egg-man, showing off his collections of rare books in the same manner he showed off me.

I took a deep breath. “Good bye,” I whispered. Not that they would miss me. They were happy now, they didn’t need me. I left that night, walking the roads of Sothen until I came upon a travelers inn. I spent the night there, then left with one of the caravans in the morning heading west. With any luck, I could make it to the port of Obresh and cross the Cobra Strait. They would never find me then. I would be free.

=====

Chapter One:

I had just enough money to get to the village of Obresh, and then I had to stop.  Obresh wasn’t what I planned, it was still better than where I was. I could start over with a clean slate and no one else dictating my every action.

For the time being, I rented a room at a boarding house called The Little Gem House. The place is constantly filled with people, but they all seem to pretty much keep to themselves. The Little Gem is run by a woman who insists everyone calls her Mama, and she takes the role quite seriously.

I counted my money before leaving for work. Each dollar saved was a blessing, but I wasn’t sure how much I would need to keep going. I put it all away into a small satchel that I then tucked under the mattress.

I had clothes given to me by some of the people I had met.The girls I worked with were especially giving. Some items may not have fit right, but I knew how to sew and mend things to wear. Some tight sleeves or waistline wasn’t an issue.

Once I was dressed, I left my room and came across Mama in the hallway.

“Are you leaving already, Rue?” Mama called out to me one evening as I was heading out. I hadn’t noticed her kneeling down behind a chair nearby, and I let out a small yelp.

“Oh now sweetheart, don’t be so jumpy.” She laughed and came up to me, holding a soiled rag in her gnarled hand. “Is the Odd Strawberry where you’re heading?”

“Yes, Mama,” I said with a breathless cadence. “There’ll be big crowds at the taverns for the next few days, and Mr. Bodkin said it would be worth the extra money.”

“Surprised that a jumpy thing like you works at such a busy tavern.” Mama nodded, her eyes darted around as if trying to find something to do.

“It’s not so bad,” I murmured. “The girls I work with are very nice. And Meggie looks out for me.”

“That’s good!” mama huffed, looking around with a strange glint in her eye. “Meggie was the right friend to make.”

I held a small smile. “She is. Most of us will be working tonight anyways, so I’m not too worried about much, even if it’s supposed to be busy.”

“I guess all these crowds would be on account of the Reaping.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Reaping? Was it a harvest thing? Or worse?

I leaned forward a bit. “I’m sorry Mama, but what would that be?”

Mama picked up the chair like it was nothing, moved it aside and looked over the spot where it had been sitting. Had anyone asked me what she was doing I wouldn’t be too sure how to answer them.

“Mama!” I tried to say as sternly as I could. I even waved my little hand at her. “Mama!”

She perked up slightly. “Yes dear?”

“What’s this reaping you’re talking about?”

“The reaping, sweetheart.” She said like I should know. “It’s an old tradition for our orcs. But you wouldn't know, that’s right! It's a right of passage for the orcs. Nothing to worry about, dear. But do be careful of how you interact with them." She stood and walked down the long hallway.

What did that mean?

I scurried after her, still unsatisfied with that answer. “But…what do they do?”

Mama glanced back at me, still worried with whatever she was doing. “They go out hunting for a mate.”

A sense of doom fell on my shoulders. “A mate? Where?”

Mama leaned against the wall and tried to peer in between the cracks. “In town. On the streets.”

My insides seized up tightly and turned as frozen as winter. Anyone? They took just anyone? Is that why the tavern got so busy? No. No, it's okay. It's fine. This probably has nothing to do with me.

“You’re trying to tease me, Mama!” I wanted to go along with her playing, but a part of me believed it.

“I wouldn’t tease about the Reaping. If I wasn’t married to Papa well—” She knelt down again and felt along the floor.

I should have left for the Odd Strawberry, but my attention was captured. I had to know just a little more. “So they can just pick up anyone? And then that person has to be their mate?”

Mama was still searching on the floor, wiping that rag back and forth across the baseboards. “There’s rules to it. And they just can’t pick up anyone. Back in the day sure, when Obresh was failing and everyone was close to either the whore house or the poor house. The orcs saved Obresh some years ago. Back then the Reaping was an arrangement to keep ‘em happy. Now, it’s a fun day for all!”

I failed to see how being picked up off the street and carted away by an orc could be seen as fun. I escaped one arranged marriage, I wasn’t eager to walk into another while trying to walk home. I could do a double shift and sleep at the Odd Strawberry. I could avoid the Reaping all together.

I noticed Mama was still on her knees. “Mama, what are you doing?” I chuckled.

Mama looked up from the floor. “Someone was complaining of mice again!” She huffed. “So I’m going along the floorboards looking for places they could be getting in and out.”

“I see, well, good evening Mama,” I sighed and went on to work.

Just down the street, I saw Meggie waiting for me. I broke into an excited smile to see her. She turned as I approached, her wall of curl hair moving a split second after she did.

“Don’t you look cute today?” Meggie cheered for me. “Aiming for extras tips?”

I shook my head. “No, uhm…this was the skirt you gave me so-” I fidgeted a bit and Meggie’s bright smile grew.

“I know that,” she chuckled. “Come along now. I bet the place is already packed.” I followed along beside her, eager to ask her what she knew about this Reaping too.

“So this Reaping…it’s a big deal?” You asked.

“For most it is.” Meggie turned and looked at me, a knowing glint in her bright eyes. “But you don’t need to worry. Nothing bad ever happens during a Reaping that can’t be sorted out.”

“I’ve only been in Obresh a short time, I’m still getting used to everything around here,” I murmured. “I’m not sure how this works at all. It sounds scary to me.”

Meggie smirked. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. If you’re so worried, all you have to do is tell me, the girls, or even just Mr. Bodkin.”

“I know. I just don’t want to be a bother.”

She sighed. “Rue, i don’t know how they did things where you came from, but here in obresh, we look out for one another. That’s what makes a strong community.” She gave me another big smile. “You have a wealth of friends here.”

I’d never had a friend before, so it felt both wonderful and strange to hear Megie say that to me.

Meggie took my hand. “Now let's go! We’ll get fussed at by Mr. Bodkin.”

I could already see lots of people around The Odd Strawberry. As we made our way through the crowd Meggie and I went inside and went to sign in at the bar. Murmurs of conversation filled the room. They huddled around the warmth of the candlelit tables while the scent of ale and bread whetted their appetites.

“Good evening, Mr. Bodkin,” I said to the man behind the bar.

Mr. Bodkin was a gnarled old dwarf who had retired from mining. He built a special ledge so he could tend the bar. His raspy voice called out with a bright note “Glad to see you, Rue.” The bright note shifted to his usual bossy one. “You two took your sweet time.”

“Oh cram it,” Meggie huffed. “The streets are packed. Give us some slack. Come on, Rue, let’s hop.”

“Actually-” I spoke up as best I could. I turned to Mr. Bodkin again and swallowed down my nerves.  “I was wondering if I could pick up some extra shifts. I could stay in one of the rooms upstairs so I could cover them.”

Mr. Bodkin shook his head. “All full up,” he grunted. “And I’m afraid I wouldn't have anything for you to do.”

My shoulders slouched in defeat. “Oh.”

Mr. Bodkin’s look was of concern. “Sorry Rue. If anything pops up, I’ll alert you first. Now, hurry on up, the place is getting full now.”

Meggie leaned in close to me as we went towards the back. “What do you need the extra shifts for?”

“Just the money,” I fibbed. I hung up my cloak and fetched my apron. I grabbed one of the serving trays, flashing a smile to the cooks and walked out into the bar. A voice boomed over the crowed before I cleared the kitchen

“There’s my Rose!”

My bones rattled at his explosive cry. I looked towards him and his smile was bigger than his own head. He waved me down as he was taking his seat.

“Come over here and let me see that beautiful face a’ yours.” The way one of his tusks was smaller than the other made his smile look crooked when it wasn’t. It was adorable in a rough sort of way.

Surely he wasn’t being cruel like my family had been. But I had heard so much of it that doubt always seeped into my mind no matter what.

Ozren Kogan owned the lumber mill and was a good friend to Mr. Bodkin. He had come into the bar every so often when I first started, but now he came almost every other night. As an orc he had a certain presence I wasn’t used to, but he had become one of those familiar faces I didn’t mind seeing. He tipped handsomely, which I hated to admit I needed.

My guts churned while my bones settled back into place. I chewed on the side of my cheek as I approached him. Mr. Kogan had always been polite, but it was so hard to know what he was thinking. I felt jittery around him despite my best efforts. He was still a big man with broad shoulders, thick arms, and large rough hands.

“Same as always, Mr. Kogan?” I squeaked.

“Look at ‘er, trying to rush me. ” He had a sort of laugh you could have heard from down the street. He would get in these laughing fits and guffaw so hard it would make his belly jiggle. Jovial, I suppose, would be a good word for him. It didn’t help that his hair had these untameable flyaways that added to his boisterous persona.

“You always order the same drink,” I said with a smile. “I think you are a man of habits, Mr. Kogan.”

Those golden eyes of his twinkled as he grinned. “I can admit to that,” he chuckled. “I know what I like. And when I like something I tend to keep it around.”

“Like that old wooden finger?” One of the younger orcs laughed.

Ozren tapped the finger against the table, and it clacked very loudly. “Keep talking like that and I’ll put this finger where it won’t-” he stopped abruptly and looked up at me. “Excuse me, Rose. I forgot my manners for a moment.” He placed a calloused hand upon my wrist.

He cheeks burned as he touched me. “It’s quite alright, Mr. Kogan. This is a bar after all, I’ve heard far worse things.”

“I’m certain, but it won’t be from me,” he laughed. He took his hand back and scratched at his temple. “I suppose you’re right, I will have my usual.”

I chuckled. “Then I will go and fetch your usual.” I turned and quickly hopped over to the bar.

“Keep near Ozren tonight,” Mr. Bodkin told me as he poured Ozren’s drink.

I frowned, looking down at him. “How come?”

Mr. Bodkin’s brow arched. “Because he tips you well and he’ll keep some of the rougher customers at bay.”

My cheeks grew warm. I suppose Ozren would be my best bet for safety. After chopping wood for years his arms and hands were well built. “I’ll try and stay close to his table then.” I took the huge cup of mead back to Ozren’s table and found that he was already trying to arm wrestle someone. He had pushed up his sleeve, revealing his large, scarred bicep. He waggled his fingers, purposefully flexing the wooden one.

“Here you are, Mr. Kogan.” I set his drink down and he turned to me with a grin.

“Ah, my Rose, right on time.” He picked up his drink and guzzled down a good portion of it. He slammed it back down upon the table and turned his attention back onto his targeted opponent. “Who do you think would win between us, my Rose?”

The young orc sitting across from him had a smug expression upon his face. He appeared strong and well toned, but Ozren looked like a beast in comparison. His massive thicket of curly hair made him look like a wild animal who just came in from the forest. There was no way his younger orc was going to stand a chance.

I swallowed and placed my hand upon his arm. “Mr. Kogan, are you really going to pick fights so early in the evening?”

He moved with my touch, letting my fingers settle upon him and pull his protruded arm back. He looked at me with bright eyes and then he burst out into his usual laugh.

“Yer right, my Rose. What am I thinkin’?” He placed a coin in my palm and folded my fingers over it. “I’ll save my strength for the real competition that’s to come!”

I pulled my hand back, clutching the coin tightly. “Or perhaps you take it easy?” I was already trying to plan for a peaceful night, which I knew was farfetched. “After all, with the Reaping coming up, you may want to stay fresh.”

Ozren sighed and rubbed his stubble covered chin. Then licked his tongue up his shorter tusk. “Ah! That’s right. Another reaping, another period of nesting.” He held his chin in his hand and his smile returned. “Never done one of those personally. Never found a reason to.” His eyes then settled upon me, and a warm smile came across his face. “No right person. You understand, my Rose.” He gave me a wink. “But I do dream of the day I find the right one to throw over my shoulder and bring home. Someone who will warm my heart more than just my bed.”.

That did sound sweet, I thought. “If you want such a thing Mr. Kogan, then why not look for them?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know, my Rose. Perhaps I’m a bit of a coward. But I am happy living my days and working my ass off.”

“Then why have you still got it?” I teased.

His grin grew and he leaned towards me. I opened my mouth to apologize for what I said when he slapped his hand upon my back and placed two more coins in my hand. He laughed bawdily and rubbed my shoulder.

“Have I finally worn away your thorns, my Rose?”

My cheeks warmed again and I forced out an anxious smile. “A little, perhaps. Would you like anything to eat now?”

Ozren set his hand around his drink and raised it. “Taking care of old Ozren. But no, bring us as much mead as you can carry. All on me. Some of these assholes in here have plans for that reaping, and we’re going to celebrate!” He bellowed. The tavern cheered and applauded his offering, but Mr. Bodkin just rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Ozren turned to me before I walked away. “Do hurry, my Rose. As much as I enjoy watching you walk away, I prefer your lovely face.”

I bit my cheek as I walked away. I took a few breaths to steady myself. The other girls fetched cup after cup to deliver while I stood aside. I was uncertain if Ozren was poking fun at me or not. But how could he not be? I had left home for similar reasons. My existence had become the butt of my family’s jokes. I was teased since I was small for my appearance, my chubby cheeks, my soft belly, and the round shape of my rear and hips.

“Rue, are you alright?” Meggie snapped me from my thoughts and I looked up at her in alarm. “Rue?” Concern was etched upon her face, causing wrinkles to form between her eyebrows.

I placed a smile on my face for her. “I’m fine, Meggie.”

Meggie sighed and went along with it. “Alright, best be on your toes tonight. Things tend to get chaotic the closer the reaping approaches.”

“Why are people so excited about this reaping?”

Meggie shrugged. “It’s fun. And it’s not like it used to be. Back in the old days it was a bit more set in stone. Nowadays couples make a day out of it. Not to say there aren’t still those surprises that happen. But if you’ll excuse me. I see a table that looks perfect for me.” She lifted up her tray and walked off.

I gathered up my courage as I returned to Ozren’s table. Along with the drinks I set out a bowl full of dried, crusty bread tossed in herbs and spices. “Will that be all for now?” I mustered a chipper tone as I spoke.

“For now, my Rose,” Ozren said with a smile. “Thank you for all your hard work.”

I patted his shoulder. “ Enjoy.”

Ozren took hold of my hand as I turned away. I held my breath as he spoke. “Wait a second. You forgot something.”

As I looked back he opened up my hand and placed two pieces of gold in my palm. “I don’t care who orders. You keep our mugs full, and I’ll see you get two more before I go.”

I stared in bewilderment at the gold coins. “I knew you were daft, but not this much. I haven't made this much in a month!”

Ozren grinned from ear to ear, getting a look like an excited child. “I told ya, we gots reasons to celebrate tonight, we do!” He squeezed my hand so my fingers closed over the gold coins. “I don’t like to ask for any sort of special treatment, my Rose. But tonight is a different one. Make me special, won’t you?”

My guts squirmed, but hell, money is money and I needed all I could get. I bobbed my head to him. “Of course I will.”

“If I could eat you up, I would.” Ozren laughed and kept holding my hand. At last, he let go. “But roses ain’t for eating, are they?”

“The thorns would hurt if you did, Mr. Kogan.” I murmured.

Ozren pinched my chin. “You call me Ozren tonight. None of this mister crap. Special, remember?”

“Yes, Mr…Ozren.” I stuttered. “Ozren.”

There was a glint to his eyes as he looked at me then. I couldn’t help but feel flattered under that gaze. “Aye, but it’s prettier when you say it.”

I glanced down as my face grew warmer. “Yes, well, I’ll come back and check on you later.”

I went on about my job, filling steins and fetching food from the kitchen. Between these trips I heard customers talking about the reaping the day after tomorrow. Some of the orcs were bragging loudly about their intentions. Others whispered quietly and cast their eyes upon someone they were hopeful would take them. I didn’t want my marriage to be arranged, but being carted off to another….

As closing time approached Mr. Bodkin rang the bell for last call. The other waitstaff and I traded off between cleaning and customer upkeep. Meggie and I were the only two left on the floor, dealing with stragglers who were either too drunk to hear the bell or had no intention of leaving until Mr. Bodkin made them.

“Tomorrow will be worse.” Meggie sighed, scrunching her shoulders.

I almost hated her for saying that. “How much worse can it get?”

Meggie smiled as if she were proud to explain this. “Because the next day is the reaping, so everyone is gonna be coming to get that final shot of liquid courage. Also, orcs tend to fight once they find out they’re going after the same person.”

She must have seen the look upon my face because she put her hand upon my cheek. “Not to worry. If I notice anything I’ll be with you. And I’m sure Ozren will be near you as well.”

I pouted. “I don’t know why that is.”

Meggie arched her brow, scoffing. “You don’t?”

I frowned. “Mr. Kogan is nice, but surely he has better things to do as a business owner.” I cleaned off a table as Meggie continued to give me that puzzled look.

“Well,” Meggie scratched the back of her ear, parting her thick, red curls to get to it. “I suppose it’s none of my business.”

We finished bussing the tables as Mr. Bodkin was getting rid of the remaining stragglers. After getting paid for the evening, Meggie walked me to The Little Gem as it was on her way home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Rue. Be prepared for reaping eve.” She waved as she strode away.

My guts churned. I didn’t really want to see how the next evening played out at all. I didn't want to see people being slung over orc shoulders and carted off. It seemed so brutal to me. But I knew it would be good money, so I tried to tell myself it would all be okay. It had to be okay, right?

#oh this was cozy #this would be the perfect early fall story #i can totally picture myself sitting on the balcony in the last rays of sun reading this with a nice spiced coffee or a cup of tea 🍂

[monstersarefriends]

Zeru the Plant Monster

It's finally happened, a monster based on the shampoo ginger plant! Everyone has seen the gif, and everyone has commented how we all know exactly what we're all thinking. And while this story may have a bit of dark romance, hey, it's still got the spice. Female Reader x Nonbinary Monster

(tw contains some horror elements, dubcon)

The woods behind my childhood home were off limits. A boundary fence had been put up ages ago, but it was so old and in disrepair us kids in the neighbor could easily pull up a corner of the chainlink and sneak through. It was a right of passage to sneak through, everyone knew it, adults and kids alike. Still, the grown ups would make a big deal about how it wasn’t safe to go there.

Still, us kids went, and I’ll never forget my first time doing so. I think I was ten, maybe younger, maybe older, but it was during the years I only wore a braid. Anyways, we snuck through the fence, which had been pulled up so many times it not curled outward on it’s own, hanging above us as we ducked through the hole like a wing.

At first, I didn’t know what the draw was. We walked along a worn in path through the woods, going through trees and spiderwebs, avoiding thorns, until I saw it. It was a roof top underneath a ledge. Standing on that ledge, we overlooked what looked like our own neighborhood. But everything was filled with dirt and vines. I was awed by the sight. We climbed down from the roof, which had dirt piled along the side like a ramp. We stepped onto the street, what had once been a road and sidewalk. This mirror image of our neighborhood was overrun by nature. Plants had taken root and grown around every inch. Moss. Vines. Flowers. It was a breathtaking sight, one I would never forget and cling to in my darkest times.

I can’t count how many times I went back to that place. I’d climb under that chainlink wing and walk down that muddy ramp. I spent hours there, coming up with stories and peering through old windows. I started collecting things from there, flowers I didn’t see back home, patches of moss I would put onto the side of my own house, hoping it would overtake the walls like in the forest neighborhood. I made a pressed journal of things. Then I started learning about those plants. I found out why the flowers only grew in the woods. I learned how to grow moss wherever I wanted. I became one of those plant ladies, my teenage room was so lush and green. I didn’t blame my parents for worrying I was ‘hiding something’ amongst all the potted plants. Hell, I’d considered it at the time. But just because I had seen the science behind growing pot and it was just as fascinating to me as how to care for orchids and succulents.

Plants became my life, my whole world. The fascination with how it could overtake a once thriving neighborhood became my driving passion through school, my thesis, my way of life. Sure, it was hard to find a job as a botanist. Not exactly many places are clamoring for that. I’ve spent most of my life working in greenhouses, nurseries, Lowe’s plant departments. I’d been studying in part to become an herbalist, simply because the all natural craze didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Through this I found a crowd of people I actually liked being around. People who held a fascination with nature just like I did. Maybe they had some strong willed beliefs I found a bit much, but with them I got to travel and see the world. I got to further my studies and put my knowledge to good use. I was preserving things, I was teaching how nature could take over if we let it.

“How are you with mosquito bites?”

The old library we lived in was unnaturally quiet that morning. I had figured everyone was sleeping in so I was enjoying my breakfast in peace until Holly showed up.

“Annoyed?” I said as Holly took her seat next to me with her coffee. “Why do you wanna know? Got some sort of new study you’re working on?”

Holly snickered. “No! I was curious because Adele is trying to round up a posse to go to Carna.”

I furrowed my brow at her, poking at the eggs on my plate. “What’s that?”

“It’s an island they’re wanting to drill for oil. She wants to protest, talk with locals, threaten a few politicians.”

Nothing new for Adele. Since her girlfriend Franny was abroad doing god knows what with her knowledge of handmade explosives, Adele had been attempting to fill her shoes. “The norm,” I sighed.

“She was really hoping you could come along, Lou.” Holly was obviously sent to urge me along. Out of everyone here Holly and I had gotten to be the closest. Everyone else was just a little bit too much for little ol’ me.

I crooked my eyebrow up at her and leaned back a bit in my chair. “Why me? All I do is look at plants when I tag along with ya’ll on your little ‘missions’,” I said with a laugh.

Holly nodded, a certain look in her eyes that made me hesitate.“That’s what she wants. She wants you to come and do like a back up nature preserve report. She feels that the one that’s already been done was forged quite a bit.”

I sat up in attention. “Forged? How so?”

She smirked. “You’ll have to ask Adele on that one.” She sipped her coffee, making a face as she did. “I am never going to get used to oat milk.”

I giggled and looked back down at my food. “So I’m going to be brought along to actually just look at plants?”

A grin came across Holly’s face. “Can you get off your shift at Lowe’s?”

I finished off the last of my breakfast and stood up to take it to the sink. “They don’t like me there, so sure.”

Adele and her girlfriend Franny both had rich, doting parents. I’m not the biggest fan of either Adele or Franny, but I’ll admit they put their money to somewhat good uses. They both felt like grandstanders to me, but the others in the group had at least some legibility to them.

Holly was like me, studied all her life in one field and couldn’t find work in it. As an entomologist she was brilliant, I’d seen her raise bugs from egg to grown with such tender love and care. Her room was like mine, except filled with insects. She sold them on the internet, her own pets, and her own studies. She even had a small tiktok following, which is why I think Adele liked her so much.

“We are bunking together right?” I asked her as he boarded the plane.

“I couldn’t stand anyone else.” Holly smiled brightly as she sat down beside me.

Dele head popped up from the seat before us and she looked down at us with a stern expression. “Okay you two, this is a big deal. This island needs to be protected and saved. This oil pipeline needs to not be there!”

Adele wanted to say big words in a big way, but she just couldn’t. “You two need to make good reports. Great reports even!”

I could tell front he look on Holly’s face she was regretting the seat choices we had made. She just gave me a smile and nodded. “We know, Adele. Don’t worry. We’re going to do our best while we are here.”

“I’m going to need you to keep an eye on her, Holly,” Adele said in a whispered snip of a tone.

“Eye on who?” Holly scoffed.

Adele glanced at me. “Her. She wanders off so much.”

Holly gave me that look. That ‘can you believe this bitch’ look. She turned back to Adele. “Lou goes by ‘they’ Adele.”

“It's not big deal. She or they is fine,” I grumbled.

Adele shrugged in Holly’s direction. “Lou tends to wander off on these jobs. Carna is exactly the kind of place she would get lost in and never return. We don’t want that do we?”

A long, drawn out sigh escaped Holly’s lips. “No. Because we like Lou.”

“We also need that report!” Adele scoffed like it should have been so obvious. “Lou, you’ve got to behave.”

“Aye, aye captain.” I said with a mock salute.

Adele got up to make her rounds to everyone else on the team. Holly took my hand and squeezed it. “She tries to appear so open minded.”

I chuckled. “I’m used to Adele. I don’t give two shits what she calls me. It's the people that matter that I want to get me right.”

Holly squeezed my hand. “I’ve got you.”

When she squeezed my hand I was reminded of my little sister. When I took my sister to the neighborhood in the woods she always held my hand. She squeezed it so tight, because like me, she was inspired by the place. Only thing was, it inspired fear in her. But then again, her book is doing way better than I could ever hope to do.

Much to our dismay, Adele didn’t exactly book us hotel rooms. She had said she ‘got us accommodations’, but when we arrived she gave us addresses to the various accommodations she promised.

“You’ll be amongst the people here!” She said with such forced enthusiasm. “That’s what we’re here for. To learn from the locals and get their input on this horrible situation.”

No one likes pipelines in their backyard, that’s a given. In anycase, we ignored Adele and went along to our separate destinations. Which felt so stupid, considering we were supposed to be working together on this.

Much to our chagrin, Holly and I found out we’d been put into a home where, part of the stipulation of our stay, was they we worked there while we did.

“It won’t be much,” the woman told us. Her dialect and accent was so nice to listen to. I could tell just from hearing her speak that she must sing in some capacity. “We have a garden out back that needs working.”

Holly gave me a playful rib.

“And I run a laundering business from here as well.” She took us out back, showing us through the garden then to the guest house where we would be staying. “My name is Auli, by the way.”

“I’m Holly and this is Lou. I hate laundry by the way.”

Auli smiled, wrinkles showing around her eyes. “That’s what my granddaughter says.” She unlocked the guesthouse then passed us each a key. “I have more to discuss with you both, but you probably want to rest.”

“Thank you,” I said softly. “It was a trip to get here.”

I was given a look by Auli, one in which her dark eyes appeared bright in the sunlight. There was a knowing to her gaze, a sense of concern that spread to her eyebrows.

“Green hair,” she murmured. “It’s quite pretty. You’ll blend in with the island,” she said with a chortle.

“Oh, right.” I touched my hair. “I literally just got it done.”

Auli nodded, the concern not fading from her face despite how she smiled. “You have a touch of green in you, don’t you?”

“How so?”

Auli tilted her head. “What is that saying? Here we say the vine is affixed to the foot. But you say something like a finger is green?”

My expression widened as I caught on to what she was saying. “Oh! Green thumb.”

“That’s it,” Auli said with a snap of her fingers. “You look like you’ll be the best one to take care of my garden.”

Holly chuckled. “You’ve got the right person. Lou’s favorite thing in the whole wide world is plants.”

“I had a feeling I recognized that in you,” Auli said. “My daughter was the same way.” A sad look appeared and I almost wanted to ask about it, but her smile returned. “Anyways, you two rest! I set up a kettle and some tea in there for you. If you need anything, feel free to use the phone. There’s a button that’ll connect you to the main house.”

Once the door was closed behind us Holly turned to me. “Was it just me, or was she giving you some sort of vibe?”

“You noticed?” I asked.

Holly set her things down and stretched out her back. “It’s like she recognized you or something. I’m not sure how to put it.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I got that sense too.” I gazed into the hallway which opened up into a large living quarter. “Well, at least it looks like we got a good place to stay.” We both walked into the living room, seeing an open section of the wall that peered into the tiny kitchen. Then along the back wall was nothing but glass, wide windows and doors that gazed into the maw of a lush forest.

“So I take it you’ll be sleeping on the floor out here?” Holly asked.

I walked forward, mouth agape, as I took in the view before me. I hadn’t felt this sense of wonder and breathlessness since I first saw the overgrown neighborhood.

“And she’s gone!” Holly mocked a sports broadcaster as she went to look for bedrooms.

I stared, almost ready to cry from the beauty of it all. So much I’d never seen before or touched with my own hands. The brightness of the green and the dark depths they faded into. I opened the door, stepping outside to take it all in for myself. I breathed in deep and sighed with almost crying relief.

I was home.

There was no other way to describe it.

I walked out further, coming to the edge where there was a trellis that held back the vines from overtaking the property. I found a gate, also covered in growth, that I managed to open and walk out. I saw a worn path in the earth, one that looked like it hadn’t been used in a long while. I started to walk upon it and go into the woods.

I saw signs of a small sitting area ahead. There was an old iron bench, a matching table. It looked like there was a withered old book upon the table, and shoes before the bench that were melting into the ground. There were plants growing around them, tall leafy plants that had red flowers standing proudly at the top.

“Is that-?” I went to step forward and heard something. I turned, expecting to see some sort of animal. I saw a shadow, something tall leaning near a tree. I squinted my eyes, trying to get a better view.

“Hello?” I called out, hoping the animal would move or I’d realize it was another tree.

The shadow moved, stepping away from the tree and it looked like a person, almost anyways.

I swallowed and stepped even closer, hoping I could see. “Hello? Someone there?” I was about to go further in when Holly called from the house.

“Hey you! Get back here!” She called. “I’m making tea! And you can’t be vanishing this early on.”

I gasped and turned around, looking back towards the house and Holly coming down the path. I looked back into the trees, but that shadow was gone. I held my breath a second longer before turning back around.

“I don’t think we should go exploring just yet,” Holly said to me.

I was walking towards her, my head lost in the leaves for a moment. “There’s zingiber zerumbet here” I said aloud to clear my own thoughts.

Holly’s face scrunched up. “What?”

I walked back down the path back to the house. “Zingiber zerumbet! It’s also called shampoo ginger.”

“Ah,” Holly still wasn’t sure. She was more used to her entomology terms. “Well, in any case you shouldn't-” Her eyes locked onto my body, her brows furrowing. “Something is on your overalls.”

I looked down, seeing what looked like woody vines creeping into the cuffs of my overalls and into the pockets. “Oh,” I gasped in alarm. “I don’t…when did this-” I tried dusting them off but they continued to cling to me. “Let go guys, let go.”

Holly stepped off the porch and towards me. “You sure you didn’t encounter an Audrey two out there?” She tried taking the vine from my pocket, but it was latched on.

“No. Nothing out of the ordinary. I really only got a good look at the-” The vines tugged and both Holly and I exchanged a sort of freaked out look.

Holly’s expression widened and her mouth hung open before she spoke again. “Stop playing,”

I shook my head. “I swear! I’m not. You know I’m no good at pranks.”

Holly knew, she knew all too well how the pranks flew over my head. She tried again to remove the woody tendrils from my overalls, but it looked like they were growing aerial roots onto the fabric.

There was a jerk again, and Holly acted fast by unlatching the straps of my overalls and helping me kick them off. The denim hit the ground and we rushed back towards the porch. I looked back, seeing the vines slowly pulling my overalls in the brush.

“Lou, what the fuck was that?” Holly whispered in horror.

I stared, unsure how to answer her, but filled with the desire to find out. “I’m not sure.” I stepped off the porch again and Holly tried to grab me. “Could be some sort of creeping vine. Perhaps some sort of fast growing kudzu we’ve not seen. If it does grow so fast it could explain why it attached. Could also be some form of carnivorous plant.”

“Don’t say carnivorous so casually!” Holly snapped. “Now come inside and put on some pants!”

I decided to follow after her since I know she was scared. I could study and try to find my stolen overalls later. The plants would be there, i was certain, just maybe not my overalls.

“That freaked me out!” Holly shivered as she shut the door behind me.

I was shaken too, but I didn’t want to linger on it much longer. “But you devote your life to bugs. I’ve watched you let a spider crawl in and out of your mouth.”

“That’s different! Bugs are supposed to move and snatch things.” She pointed back towards the door. “Plants don’t move like that!”

“Tons of plants move,” I started off but she glared at me.

“Not like that!” Holly huffed and rubbed the sides of her face. “You’re way too calm about this. A bunch of vines just mugged you.”

“I wouldn’t say mugged,” I replied. “It’s fascinating! Don’t you think so?”

Holly narrowed her eyes at me in disbelief, picking her bags back up to take them to a room. “Not at this moment. Not when I can still see your overalls fighting for their life out there.”

I turned back with a smile upon my face. “But this could be exactly the sort of thing we need for our reports. If this is some rare or undiscovered plant it could keep the pipeline from being built.”

“I suppose,” Holly grumbled. She then shook her head. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t go back out there alone. Promise me you won’t.”

That was a lot to ask of me. All I had wanted to do since Holly told me about this trip was to explore the island on my own. I sighed and nodded. “I promise.”

“You promise what?” She insisted.

Oh shit, she’s serious. “I promise I won’t go out alone.”

She nodded, gaze assured and sharp before she turned back around to go into the kitchen. I stood there by myself, gazing out through the glass doors into the wild nature that expanded out before me.

“Damn,” I grumbled.

Getting settled wasn’t too bad. Auli had made the place cozy, even with the looming threat of doing laundry over our heads. My room also had a sliding glass door, something I’m sure Holly wasn’t too happy about. I loved it, and spent most of my evening gazing out of it while I sketched in my journal.

As it grew dark, I noticed small glowing lights along the path I had gone down before. I hadn’t noticed any sort of lanterns before, then again I hadn’t paid much attention to anything inorganic. I sighed dreamily, thinking about home and the abandoned houses.

I glanced down briefly at my journal again, flipping a few pages to a sketch of my sister bent over a ginseng flower. I smiled and made a note I would have to call her soon.

Then there was a tap at the glass door.

I looked up, expecting a bird. Instead I saw a flower and my overalls hanging from it. My mouth opened slowly, and there was a tapping again. I stood, moving so cautiously I probably looked like I was going in slow motion. The flower lowered down to my eye level, and something shimmered faintly inside it.

I opened the glass door and a vine presented me with my overalls.

What was I to do? Did I say anything? My breath hung in my lungs until they ached, and I still couldn’t find the strength to breathe. As I took my overalls into my hands I saw someone standing in the path between the lights.

The vines recoiled back towards them, and the flower placed itself in my hair. There was a sharp, almost instant sensation of pain and then it faded, like something had plucked a hair. I touched my head, while my eyes locked into that shadowed figure.

The figure held out a hand, at least, that’s what it looked like. I just watched, still hesitant to breathe.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The figure walked towards me, stepping into the light coming from my door. “I came to apologize for my vines. We so rarely get visitors, they have forgotten how to act.” The voice was smooth an androgynous. I wouldn’t quite place the tone of it either.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

They laughed. “Forgive me, it seems I have forgotten my manners as well.” As they shifted more into the light. Plates of tree bark and moss formed an armor like visage, but they still stood more in darkness.

“I am Zeru.”

“Zeru?” I mouthed.

They chuckled softly. “You smell like earth,” they said. “Like you affixed to the ground from which we grow.”

“I don’t-” What was I to say, what could I say?

“You have nothing to fear from me,” Zeru replied with a cool, even voice. “You and I are the same. Though you may be built from the flesh of your mother’s womb, and I from the earth of nature’s bounty, we both have a soul that is made of the same light. I can sense it. Why else would my vines reach for you?”

“This is strange, you must admit that,” I answered.

Zeru chuckled. “You have only ever perceived humans, I understand.”

I could hear my sister crying in the back of my mind. She wailed so much one time when I took her into the woods. She was afraid of the vines, she claimed she saw them moving, and she was afraid they would take her.

“What else is there for me to perceive?” I almost scoffed, but was afraid to offend. “What are you? Some deity? A spirit?”

“I am natural, same as you.” They stepped closer, and I could see vines behind the armor of wood and moss. Their hand extended out again, fingers formed around blossoms of the zingiber zerumbet. “Would a handshake soothe your mind?”

“I’m not sure.” I held out my hand, taking Zeru’s. Their fingers clasped around mine and we shook. Their hand was cool and slightly slick. “I’m still not sure what I am seeing.”

“I understand.” Zeru took their hand back. “I am surprised you have not met others like me before.”

I shuddered all over. “Others?”

“This world is living, breathing. Not just from the lungs of creatures like you,” Zeru murmured. “I can show you that, if you would like.”

“There’s more,” I murmured to myself. It was dark out, and only the light of the path was illuminated beyond my room. I then shook my head. “I can’t. Or at least, I shouldn’t. I promised my friend I wouldn’t go out alone.”

“Alone?” Zeru laughed. “And what am I?”

That was true. “It’s dark,” I added. “Are you able to come out during the day?”

Zeru was quiet for a moment, retracting back into the shadows. “Of course. That is when we plants thrive.”

“So when?” I was only answered by silence. “Hello?” I called out again. After several moments, I went back inside, shutting the sliding glass door behind me. I was shaking. My palms couldn’t be calmed, even after splashing cold water on myself in the bathroom. My hands trembled like leaves, dare I say.

I took the flower from my hair and put it in water at my bedside. I laid there, gazing out into darkness as sleep eluded me.

Come morning, I was woken by Holly talking to Auli. I walked into the kitchen where they were talking over coffee and a container of food.

“Good morning, Auli brought us some coffee and breakfast food with your chore list,” Holly said.

Auli turned back and looked at me, her eyes flooded with concern. “My goodness, child, did you sleep at all?”

“Some,” I muttered and cupped my face. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s these mother’s eyes,” Auli chuckled. “I see more than I should. You look tired. Was everything alright in your room last night?”

Holly started to say something, but I didn’t want Auli to know. “I have a hard time sleeping away from home.” I laughed and gave Holly a look. “I’ll be fine after a night or two.”

A furrowed brow came to Holly’s face.

Auli nodded, letting out a breathy laugh. “I see. One of my girls was the same way when she went to school.” She stood from the table. “I’ll let you both wake up properly then. If you have any questions for me, you can come to the main house or call me whenever.” She gave me another look over, shaking her head before she went to the door.

Standing from the table, Holly scoffed. “I wanted to ask her about those vines.”

“They’re just vines!” I insisted.

“Were you talking in your sleep last night too?” Holly asked.

Did she see me and Zeru? I froze up, darting my eyes around. “Sleep talking? What do you mean?”

Holly frowned. “I thought I heard you talking last night. Did you call your home or something?”

“Yes!” I said a bit too exuberantly and I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I uh…I called her. Was home sick.”

Holly poured more coffee from a cardboard container. “I had the creeps all night,” she grumbled. “Every sound made my skin crawl after that vine incident.”

My eyes darted to the window then back to her. “It’s nothing to worry about. Nature is weird, beautiful, and sometimes scary. You know this.”

She sipped her coffee and nodded. “I suppose.”

“So how about we get out and explore today?” I asked. “We’ll get some chores done for Auli and then we can do our first little recon mission.”

Holly smirked. “Recon mission, sure.” She tapped the coffee box. “Come and get some before I drink it all. It’s awesome. Auli’s eldest daughter owns a cafe here.”

I went and stood on the porch with my coffee while Holly got a shower. I watched the path, wondering if Zeru would show up or I had been hallucinating the whole thing. I went back inside, going to my room and opening my journal. I sketched down what I could remember of Zeru. The wooden plates, the thick patches of moss shaped like gems. Then their long, red fingers that looked like the zingiber zerumbet.

“Shower’s free!” Holly yelled from her room.

“Thanks!” I shut the book and downed the rest of my coffee.

We went to Auli’s laundry room where we were to fold and package loads of laundry. Her granddaughter, Ria was showing us the ropes. She gave us a guide on the folder, then went to deal with the washers and dryers.

“How long have you been working here?” Holly asked.

Ria scoffed, dumping a laundry basket into a machine. “Longer than any kid should.” She stepped down off a step stool. “It used to be my aunt C.C’s job.”

“Is she the one who went to school?” I asked half mindedly while I flip flopped the laundry folder.

“No. She’s the one who vanished.” Ria muttered.

Holly and I gave each other looks over the laundry. “Sorry to hear that,” Holly replied with a quiet tone. Her eyes focused on me, though I don’t know why.

“I’m surprised Grandma didn’t tell you that, considering you’re in her old house.” It was that that told me Ria was a chatterbox and no secrets were safe with her.

“Oh,” Holly looked even more distressed.

Ria lugged around a new box of detergent. “C.C hated sharing her stuff, so Grandma thought that by letting people stay in it she would come back to yell at her. Hasn’t worked yet.”

Once again, Holly and I exchanged looks.

“What happened?” I asked and Holly went completely still as I asked this.

Ria grunted as she set the box of detergent on a washing machine. “I’m not sure. No one will tell me to my face. They think I’ll get traumatized or something.” She ripped open the tab on the box and reached inside for the scoop. “But I have heard things. Like how Grandma blames the garden, and how my mom says Aunt C.C was into weird stuff.”

Holly gave me a very personal look and I just glared back at her.

“You remind me of her,” Ria said, almost a bit too chipperly.

“Who?” Holly asked.

Ria nodded directly at me. “She dyed her hair green too.”

Something seized up inside my chest. “Oh…really?” I was almost breathless. “No wonder your Grandma keeps looking at me funny.”

“Yeah, not surprised.” She tossed detergent into the machine then slammed the lid shut. “I think Grandma thinks she’s still alive. So seeing you must really be getting her going.” The laundry machine whirred to life and I and Holly were just still.

Ria clapped her hands very loudly. “You two get to work! You gotta get these orders done!”

Holly got a call from Adele not long after we finished our chores with Auli. She went to meet her and I went back to our place. As I was getting something from my room, I noticed the flower from last night had grown and small sports were coming up from the water.

“I suppose things here have to be tenacious.” I murmured over the flower. “Maybe I should set you-” I stopped as I turned towards the door, noticing something taking up the glass door.

The few beads of sweat at the back of my neck trickled down, intensifying the shivers that wracked down my spine. The creature standing there was huge. The bark plates around it covered a body that appeared to be made of moving vines.

“Are you ready?” Zeru asked, their red fingers pressed into the glass.

I inched closer to the glass, staring at Zeru and their impressive form. Was this really the plant life here on Carna? If this was possible, then of course the pipeline couldn’t be built.

I opened up the sliding glass door and gazed up at Zeru. “I almost thought it was a dream. I didn’t expect-” My voice caught in my throat. Staring at Zeru, I was reminded of the awe I felt when I explored the abandoned homes in the woods. The vines that covered the buildings and blocked out the windows. I felt at home with Zeru.

“Come,” Zeru murmured and held out their hand.

I took their hand, placing the flower down upon the porch as I followed along beside them. Long tendrils of supple plant life dripped down from their back and shoulders like a cape that flowed all the way into the trees. The red flower of the zingiber zerumbet grew from between wooden plates, and a bunch grew around the top of the shoulders, shielding the head from my sight.

“Why are you here?” Zeru asked.

“To write a report,” I said freely. “About the plant life here in hopes of stopping a pipeline being built.”

Zeru grumbled low in their chest. “A pipeline? For what?”

“Oil,” I answered breathlessly as we walked into the garden I had peeked before.

Zeru stopped there in the center, and vines from their body began to recoil back into the woods. “And you’re here to stop that?”

“Me and my group, yes.” I wanted to look at the plants around me, but I was transfixed upon Zeru and their form. Such a marvelous amalgamation of plants and life in general. I touched what formed their arm, smoothing my hand down until my fingers lodged between the plates of bark. I had waited so long to see something like this up close. My sister had been so silly to fear such a thing.

“Your friend?” Zeru murmured, turning their head back towards the path.

“Holly? Yeah, she’s here for the same reason too. Except she’s doing it about the bug life here. I’m the only one focused on plants,” I insisted.

Zeru turned back towards the thickest of the woods and took my hand again. They led me away from the path, and into the shadows. I could barely see the sky through the trees above me.

“Where are you taking me?” I whispered.

There was a low rasping sound in Zeru’s chest. Their red, flowered fingers clutched mine tight, releasing the nectar of the zingiber zerumbet. My hand grew slippery and for some reason I imagined it all over my body.

“Somewhere you will know.” Zeru pointed ahead to a row of trees that didn’t look natural to the island. I stared, furrowing my brow, almost recognizing that sight.

“How did those trees get here?” I stepped forward, letting go of Zeru’s hand to approach. “These are trees native to southern america.” I turned back and looked at Zeru. Their shape had shifted, twisting into one that was bent over, hunched with great weight. The vines on its body were sprouting aerial roots that grabbed and chipped away at the plate armor.

“Nature has a will of its own,” Zeru breathed.

I furrowed my brow, then stepped between the trees to see if there was more. I saw the tops of old roofs, the remains of what had been an asphalt road. My breath caught in my chest and I began to feel faint and dizzy.

Zeru’s hands clutched around my shoulders, grabbing me and pulling me towards them. “Do you see it?” They asked.

“I do,” I said, almost near tears. “I thought they tore it all down. Bulldozed it. How can this be?” I looked up at the sky and the light appeared like ripples upon the water.

Zeru’s arm slipped around me. “It remembers you.”

I closed my eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath. “Thank you. All I've ever wanted was to see this place again.”

Both their arms tighetend around me, locking me in a tight embrace. The vines crawled out front he wood armor, crawling along my skin, under my clothes and through my hair. I moaned softly, leaning further into Zeru’s chest to have more of this touch of nature upon my body.

“This is so wonderful,” I breathed. “Thank you, Zeru. Thank you!” I was almost near tears.

“You can come back to this place, to me, anytime you so desire,Lou.” Zeru murmured into my ear. “But next time, you must come at dusk.”

I opened my eyes and turned to look back at them. “Why then?”

Zeru chuckled, pulling me back through the trees. “You will see. I promise. I don’t wish to keep you from it any longer. But there are rules to this. Nature does not come freely, nature is a blessing you do not want to lose.”

I stretched my arm out towards the trees again, Zeru’s vines had grown around my arm, and the nectar of the flowers was dripping from my fingertips. I wanted so badly to go back to those trees, to the abandoned world beyond them, that my heart was ripping from my chest the farther I got away from it. The way the light rippled in my eyes cast shadows, and I swear, I saw my sister standing there watching me, waiting for me. It had been so long since I had seen that place. I would do anything I could to return to it.

I was back upon the porch somehow and Holly’s voice snapped me from my pain and longing. “Honey, I’m home,” she said in a sing song voice. “Where are you?”

“Outside?” I blinked, a fear tears falling from my lashes that I quickly wiped away before Holly could see.

“On such a nice day?” She chuckled and came out to stand with me. “You made a promise, remember?” Holly said teasingly.

“I know,” I huffed, rubbing my eyes. Holly’s eyes looked like they were petals extending beyond her lashes. “I know what promises I made. What did Adele want?”

Holly’s smile brightened and she put her hands upon her hips. “You’re in luck, we get to go on an exploratory mission tomorrow.” She replied. “You and I will be given admission in the national forest by one of the island’s forest rangers.”

My heart fluttered again. “Oh good! It’s about time.”

Holly furrowed her brow. “It’s only been a few days. These things take time to schedule.” She looked me over with her flowering eyes. She touched me, her hand almost painfully dry, unlike Zeru’s. “What’s going on?” She touched my cheek. “Your eyes look strange.”

I sighed and stepped aside. “I think I might be getting a headache. Probably lingering from the pressure in the plane.”

“Well then get out of that bright sunlight, silly. Come in, I’ll get you something cold to drink and a few giant ibuprofen.” Her hand touched my back and I did feel comforted by it.

“Thanks,” I muttered. “That sounds nice.”

I’m not sure what happened, but after Holly gave me the headache medicine and that cold drink, I passed out. I slept hard until sometime the next morning. Outside the sun was just barely beginning to peer out over the trees, casting a purple and orange hue to the sky. I stared out the window towards the trees.

“Missed my chance,” I muttered and closed my eyes again. I could see the abandoned block as clear as day. I could feel the old road under my feet. What I wouldn’t give to go back, to have that nostalgia course through my veins. To feel alive. To see where it all happened.

I got up and stepped outside. The air was crisp and a breeze flowed around me. I took in a deep breath and walked towards the path. I stepped inside, heading to the garden where I got a better look of what was there. The old bench, a topple over side table which had become overtaken by vines and moss. There was signs of a fence that had surrounded a small patch of earth, perhaps an herb garden or flowers. Under the bench, I thought I saw something. A shadowed lump which I couldn’t quite make out in the dim light.

I knelt down before the bench, and reached underneath to feel what it was. “Louie?” A small voice sobbed and I recoiled my hand back. I stood up and stumbled backwards. My heart throbbed in my throat and something became crushed under my foot. I yelled out in alarm, looking down to see what looked like broken wood.

I calmed myself down, breathing hard until the sunlight broke through the trees and shone light under the bench. There was a pile of leaves and bunches of tall grass. I went back towards the house, walking into the kitchen as Holly was coming from the bathroom.

“Good morning,” she yawned.

“Morning.” My hands shook as I grabbed the fridge.

Holly turned on the faucet to the sink. “You really passed out yesterday.”

Sweat dripped down the back of my neck. “After I laid down with that headache I guess I just went out.”

Holly yawned again, filling the coffee carafe with water. “Must have needed it.”

“Must have.” I sighed heavily. “So, what time do we need to head out?”

“No rush,” she replied. “We’ll meet at the ranger’s station a little before lunch to have an initial meeting, then we’ll be taken on tour by the ranger.”

I furrowed my brow. “I thought we’d get to go out on our own.”

Holly balked, spilling water as she poured it into the coffee maker. “What? Are you crazy? We aren’t familiar with this island or anything that is natural to it, no matter how much we may study. We need someone who knows this place like the back of their hand to show us.”

Sure, some ranger, I thought with an imaginary roll of my eyes. Zeru has already shown me all I needed to see. “I guess that makes sense.” I took the coffee grounds from the fridge and handed them to her.

“Are you alright?” Holly asked. “You look sweaty.”

“Just need a shower.” I shrugged and went to the doorway. “I should probably go get one since I passed out last night. Don’t want to stink for the rangers.”

“Okay,” Holly murmured.

At the ranger’s station I was happy enough, there was a small display at the front that featured the native plantlife of the area. I was able to get a headstart on what to expect when we went on tour. There was also a bunch of old pictures on display. One featured an old woman sitting before a patch of the zingiber zermbet. It was a black and white photo, but there seemed to be something in the trees behind her. A small town with the roofs sticking out of the ground.

“Lou,” Holly called out. “They’re ready.”

I left the display, following Holly towards the back where the ranger was going. From the corner of my eye, I saw my sister’s book on the counter, several pages were dog eared, and there was a huge sale sticker over my sister’s face.

“You okay?” Holly asked.

“I’m fine,” I said brightly and quickened my gate.

I won’t get bogged down with the details of the tour. Not much happened aside from a long lecture from the ranger. Holly and I took notes, but nothing got done. The ranger’s word was all that was on the paper. No studies were done. Just lists of endangered plants and insects native to the island. Lists and dates. Lists and dates.

“You have to admit it was informative though. Now we have somewhere we can start at least,” Holly argued with me.

“I was expecting to make my own observations and ideas, that’s all.” I huffed and went towards my room.

“This isn’t soem free for all for your own gain! We’re here to try and help this place. We can’t do it without the people whose whole world revolves around this island. Their past, present, and future counts on us.”

“Oh sure, a bunch of white girls with colored hair and dreadlocks are going to stop a pipeline,” I smacked back. I realized too soon I said the absolute wrong thing.

Holly glared at me, her jaw set stiffly and jutted forward. “Adele is the only one of us with dreadlocks!” She snapped at me before storming off to her room.

I stood their helpless. Maybe I was caught up in my own desires. I never got to be a botanist, I never got to feel that joy with it I did as a child. Now, I’m just trying to relive it all here when lives and nature are on the line.

I scoffed and went outside. The sun was going down, turning the sky pink and red. I rubbed my hands roughly over my face. When my eyes cleared, the pathway was wide open. The mouth of it had grown, gaping open into the garden and even further still until I could see the out of place trees in the distance.

My breath caught in my chest and I instantly raced off the porch. The flower I had been given, was now growing over the stairs, and more blossoms had formed and grown up along the house. I ran into the garden, standing still for a moment.

I could hear Zeru breathing from inside. “Hello?” I called out.

“You came back,” Zeru murmured. “When you didn’t return last night, I began to worry.” I heard shuffling around me, leaves parting and earth crumbling.

“I fell asleep.” I walked slowly, hoping to find the origin of Zeru’s voice.

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters. I’ve always wanted someone like you to come to this place.”

My heart raced and I started to walk a little faster. I could see the trees ahead of me. Zeru must have been there waiting amongst the forgotten houses. I stood before the trees, catching my breath from running. I stepped beyond them, seeing not the town, but a great plant rising up out of the earth, surrounded by hundreds of the red zingiber zerumbet flowers. The plant moved, revealing it bright red, glossy body. It grew front he earth, hard ridges grew up along the side, long, wide leaves fluttered at it’s side. The face was an open blossom, the petals bending out to shape the face. Nectar streamed from open jowels, showing off thron like teeth and a lizardish tongue.

“Come closer, Lou,” Zeru breathed and all the plants around bowed then swayed back towards their body. “Let me see you.” I have something I want to share with you. And it is very important that you listen to me.”

Vines wrapped around the base of Zeru then began to slide towards me, forming great big hands with that bark plate armor upon them.

“What is this?” I whispered. This scene was so familiar, but my eyes were locked and unfocused. Something in my mind told me this wasn’t okay, but my heart so desperately wanted to be closer.

The hands grabbed hold of mine, tugging me forward. “This is all you ever wanted, correct?” Zeru murmured. They turned their head and behind them the abandoned town became illuminated. Flowers grew up from between cracks in the shingles. Inside the houses, there were lights that showed the growing gardens within.

I could barely breathe. It was all so beautiful, so perfect. “Yes, of course.”

“When you first set foot on my soil, I knew you were meant for me.” I was brought to Zeru’s body, pressed against the torso where nectar coated my palms and dribbled onto my skin. But wait, no, not like this. But why?

Zeru stroked my hair and cupped the back of my head. “Would you like to stay here then?” His vines creeped up the back of my legs, under my pants and onto my bare skin. “With the island? With me?” Their vines tickled and pleased all at the same time. I bit back my voice, but small moans still escaped.

“You belong here, Lou. Not out there. You’ve always belonged here.” Zeru picked me up off the ground, holding me to eye level with them. “If you are like me, then you can protect this place with me. I’ll take care of you, I’ll show you the way. You don’t have to worry anymore. You’ll be with me, always.”

I gasped loudly as his vines found their way to my apex, touching gently over my underwear where I was sensitive. “H-how does that-”

“I’ll keep you close. I’ll keep you forever,” Zeru whispered to me. My body was being wrapped in an embrace, every inch of skin touched in a way that made me swoon. Zeru’s caress was all I wanted upon me. Nothing else mattered. I didn’t have to think or feel what I didn’t want. Only Zeru.

I held onto them, placing my arms around their neck. My lashes fluttered as I tried to find my breath again. I pressed closer, wanting nothing more than to have Zeru all to myself. I wanted this night to be like a wedding. “You will?”

“Yes. Of course.” Zeru leaned in, kissing me and flooding my mouth with their nectar. I choked upon it, coughing and sputtering as his veins surrounded me. My clothes meant nothing. I was soon naked, held aloft for the whole forest to see.

All my life had been leading to this moment, to Zeru. I would belong to them, and I would be able to see my most favorite place every day.

“It’s been so long,” Zeru breathed. “So very, very long.” They held me close, wrapping my body up more and prodding me gently at my loins. They dripped over me, making me wetter than I already was.

“Yes. Please,” I moaned. My heading was spinning, and the world around me was only a rush of colors and sounds. “Take me. Take me forever, Zeru!”

Zeru chuckled, and their hands caressed down my chest, grabbing me, clawing almost. A low growl echoed in their chest, and then they let out a strained sigh. “This is just the beginning for you. With you, I can make sure this island is mine.” They rubbed against me, eliciting shivers from my limbs. I was held stiff by the vines, small roots were taking hold of my flesh, making me joined with Zeru in more ways than one. “I just need you.”

My head lolled back and I breathed deeply as the sensations became muddled together, becoming this pounding inside my belly that aches. I looked back upon the path I came from, my vision hazy. I saw her. My sister.

“Louie,” she whimpered.

Zeru pushed my head back up and I saw the glow of their eyes in the darkness. Or at least, what looked like eyes. There were at least a dozen, all of them pointed at me, warping from my discombobulated eyes.

“Look only at me,” Zeru snarled. I thought I saw teeth as well, more than the eyes. A dark, open maw that was there, and then it wasn’t.

“Yes. I see you.” I reached for them, touching their face as they began to slip inside me. I cried out, elated beyond measure. My life was plants, my love was plants. This was all I ever wanted. Watching countless monster movies, even Little Shop of Horrors, I loved Audrey II in a way I knew I would be made fun of.

I closed my eyes tight, letting out a pleasured cry and Zeru began to move inside me. It was deep and hard. If I wasn’t held so tightly my whole body would be shaken and writhing. But the vines kept me aloft, holding me so tightly like I was bound.

My sister was crying now. “Louie, I don’t want to be here anymore. I’m scared.”

I opened my eyes, trying to look around to find her, but Zeru had my head held stiff. I focused upon them again, trying to ignore the voices inside my head. It all was so good. Zeru inside me, all around me. I was hungry for more. I could feel their nectar inside me, spilling out the more the zingiber zerumbet flower moved inside me.

“That’s it, my darling,” Zeru growled.

Their darling! Was I really that important?

A vine curled around my cheek and prodded against my lips. I opened them willingly, if only to have more of this pleasure. I wanted to please Zeru, to show them I wasn’t afraid. I needed them to believe I was willing to do anything to be with them forever and always. I wanted to be taken away. I wanted to forget…everything.

“So warm,” Zeru continued to snarl. Their voice was taking on a much sharper, huskier sound than their usual smooth, androgynous one. “Fresh!”

Fresh? I thought. I was no virgin but it had been a while, probably because I was reacting so strongly to their affections. I moaned against the vein, tasting sweetness from the tip.

Something grabbed me, hard and rough. I was pulled away from Zeru. My arms were yanked hard, and I heard screaming.

“Stay with me!” I was pulled back with a painful force towards Zeru’s body. “Stay. Don’t open your eyes. Focus on me, my love. Focus.”

Their love! I was trying to do as they asked, but there was something pulling at me, trying to get me away from Zeru.

“Lou!” Someone screamed my name. “Lou! Wake up!”

Was that Holly? Was I asleep still?

“Don’t listen,” Zeru snarled. “Don’t let your mind wander so, my love.” They sounded desperate and concerned.

Despite my best efforts, my eyes fluttered open, and behind me I saw Holly. She was in her pajamas, struggling to pull me free from Zeru’s grasp. I wanted to tell her it was okay, I wanted all of this. But my mouth was sealed shut around the vine. Aerial roots had taken hold of my lips, keeping my mouth practically sewn shut.

“It’s alright!” Zeru roared.

“Stay with me!” Holly cried out in anguish. “Lou!” She was pulling on me with all her might. Using one hand to hold while the other fought back the vines.

“No!” Zeru roared.

I lifted my eyes back to Zeru, seeing that wide open maw of teeth and dripping nectar. Was this real? What was happening?

“Let go!” Holly was screaming in desperate pain. “Lou! Please! Wake up!”

I clutched onto her hand. “Holly?”

Zeru growled again, yanking me harder and towards the open mouth. Sharp teeth grazed my foot then serrated up my leg. It was then my senses returned to me and I began to scream.

“Hold on!” Holly yelled. “I’ve got you!”

I wrenched myself around as best I could, taking Holly’s hand in both of mine. Her other knocked away vines, but the roots were boring into my skin. I started kicking, pushing my feet against Zeru where there no mouth.

They roared and pulled from the ground, lunging towards Holly. This loosened their grip upon me, and I was able to put my feet upon the ground. I put my arms around Holly, and the two of us began yanking, pulling. My skin was burning, aching, but I had to get away.

“Louie!” I heard my little sister screaming.

I ripped free and Holly kept her arms around me. We ran while Zeru’s voice boomed over the wind and rain. When did it start storming?

“It’s okay!” Holly was crying. “I’ve got you! It’s okay!”

I was running alongside her the best I could. I could still see the abandoned town before us. We were running towards it, but it never got any closer. My sister was there, she wasn’t waiting. If anything, it felt like she was watching me to make sure I never did.

“We’re almost there!” Holly cried.

I saw glowing lights, ones that rose up and shifted into flowers. Holly screamed as they took hold of us, yanking us off the stairs and throwing us to the ground. She picked me up again, dragging me across the porch and slamming the glass door hard behind us. The flowers were wedged in the frame, squelching and spitting at her. Their lights began to slowly fade as the flower began to wilt.

I was wrapped so tight in Holly’s arms, I almost believed I was back with Zeru. She was sobbing in horror as she rocked us back and forth.

“You promised me,” she whimpered. “You promised…”

I faded away, going so unconscious there was nothing but black and endlessness before me.

“Come back,” I heard Zeru whisper. But their voice was fading fast. “Come back to me. Let me finish what I-”

I woke to Holly beside me leaned over upon the bed, asleep and clutching my hand. I was wrapped in gauze, and from the smell of things I was bathed in ointments. We weren’t in our lodgings, I was somewhere else. A room used as an office or storage maybe. I wasn’t sure. My vision still wasn’t right.

“Holly?” My voice croaked.

Her head shot up and she looked at me. “Lou?” She clutched my hand tighter, holding it close to her chest. “Auli!” She cried out when she saw my eyes were open.

A few moments later, Auli came into the room, carrying a few things. She gave me water, making me drink everything in the cup. “There we are,” she whispered. “You’re very lucky.”

“What?” I still wasn’t putting it together.

“She got you out, got you safe.” Auli whispered as she inspected under the wrappings. “We’ll get you home shortly.”

Holly’s eyes were watering, near tears. “I saw you leaving last night. You fucking idiot.” She kissed that back of my hand and sniffled as she held it to her mouth.

“But…Zeru?” My voice was hoarse.

Auli sighed. “I thought we got rid of them all after C.C vanished,” she growled. “We will find this one too.”

“Find what?”

“Flesh eating plants.” Holly glared at me through her tears. “Auli told me their flowers are still around, but the female plants become this huge…things that can eat people.”

“No…that’s not-” My voice choked up in my throat.

“If I hadn't followed you, you would have vanished in the woods just like your sister,” she whispered to me.

They demolished the abandoned town so no one else would go missing. My sister was an easy target for the giant bloom tucked away in one of the houses. A few bones were discovered during the demolition. But my family never got any answers.

“No more,” Auli said and handed Holly a bowl.“Make sure she eats something. She needs to build her strength back up. The nectar made her sick.”

“Thank you, Auli.” Holly stirred the contents of the bowl. “What were you thinking?” She hissed at me.

“I suppose I wasn’t.” My mind was reeling, twisting and turning from all the lurching reality I was facing. “I thought I wouldn’t have to think about it anymore.”

“About what?” Holly offered me a bite from a spoon, which I took. It was spicy, but something about the heat helped to clear my head.

“Her,” I started to cry.

Holly frowned. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened to Lily.”

“I can. She never wanted to go there.” I took another bite of the spicy food, enjoying the burn upon my tongue, as it settled me back in place. “She hated that place. She knew something bad was out there.” I saw the flower first, how it blossomed as I approached. Blood came up from the center though, and I ran away screaming.

“She wanted to be with you though.” Holly hesitated offering me another bite as I was beginning to cry. “You can’t leave us, Lou. Your parents…” She sniffed and held her lip stiff. “I need you. We all do.”

“Lily tried to warn me,” I whispered. “I don’t know why.”

Holly looked at me confused. “You saw her?”

“Maybe, I don’t know.”

Holly fed me another bite then stirred the contents again while I chewed. “If she was trying to warn you, then she didn’t want you to follow her.”

I smiled to myself. “But how nice it would have been. To be part of nature.”

Tears came to Holly’s eyes again. “Not yet. Not without me.”

#exophilia #monster lover #dark #noncon #how you pepered it with little clues 👌 #seeing their sisters notebook after hearing her voice?? superb #should read it again in a gew days to find all the clues 👀

[monstersarefriends]

Kerwyn the Fae

An ancient castle on top of a hill, within the sight of where your family lives. It calls to you, captures your imagination. What lies beyond your simple little life of chores and familial duties? Perhaps there are such things as fairy tales. perhaps there is even more than fairy tales. Female Reader x Male Monster

There was a castle north of your village perched upon the rockiest cliff of the mountain. It had been there as long as you could remember, as long as anyone could remember really. It sat up there as a decaying statue. No one had been in or out in decades, only birds flew back and forth, and only thorns grew around it.

“Stop staring! We’ve got chores to do!” Your sister snapped at you.

“Right,” you gasped. You followed along after her, taking one last glance at the castle over your shoulder.

You couldn’t tell you had been bed ridden only a month ago. Sometimes your bones ached from the long rest, but it was a miracle you were moving at all. No one wanted to speak of what brought you there, they said it would be too traumatic for you. And yet, here you were, running errands for the family, doing your chores, and going about like nothing had happened. Which you understood is exactly what your family wanted.

“You would think you had enough of dreaming,” your sister scoffed as you picked out vegetables in the market.

“Who said anything about dreaming? I was looking. Don’t you look at things?” You snapped.

Your sister gave you the eye and went back to inspecting the cabbages. “That castle should be none of your concern. It’s not something us mortals need to worry about.”

“You don’t find it fascinating then?” You asked.

“No, I don’t. It’s a decaying house on a decaying hill.” She didn’t even look at you that time, instead she picked out a cabbage and moved on.

You sighed and shook your head. There were gaps in your memory, so you had to rely on your family, your sister especially, for a lot. Despite being the eldest child you were treated as the youngest now, almost like an invalid.

You were going towards the bakery on your sister’s command when you spotted a magpie upon the store sign. It was looking at you, not just in that ‘i’m a tiny animal inspecting the predator’ sort of way. But more like it was looking at you. This magpie had particularly bright, golden eyes and a very long tail that seemed to be missing a feather, or had a bald patch.

The magpie hopped across the sign, still looking at you.

“Good morning,” you said to it. “If I get a particularly crusty loaf, I’ll try to give you a piece.”

The magpie fluffed up then fluttered out it’s wings. “Wock, wock,” it called out.

You smiled, giggling to yourself. “I’ll be right back, I promise.” You started to go into the store when you think you hear someone calling your name. You turn around, but no one is there except the magpie.

When you leave the store, you see the magpie sitting in the window, watching you yet again. “How curious,” you murmured to yourself.

You walked outside and presented the magpie with a roll. “The shopkeep gave me this, so I can share a bit with you if you’d like.”

The magpie opened it’s beak and said your name.

You stared, perturbed now that it was looking and speaking at you.

“I beg your pardon?” You whispered to the bird. “Do you know me somehow?”

The magpie hopped across the windowsill. “My lady, we’ve been looking for you! Everywhere! Up and down! All over the mountain!”

You opened your mouth and shut it. You looked to the roll then back at that magpie. You knew you had somehow hit your head, but you didn’t realize how hard until a bird began speaking to you.

“I’m not sure what’s happening,” you said with an uncertain laugh.

“You don’t recognize me! I thought you did when you offered me a crust!” The magpie fluttered and rolled, acting dramatic for the sake of being dramatic.

“I don’t know any birds!” You hissed with a soft voice. “People are coming!”

The magpie flew at you and perched himself on your shoulder. “My lady, it is I, Penry! Do you really not remember me?”

The name rang a cheerful pleasant bell in the back of your mind, but it did not conjure up anything else. You looked around, ducking away when you saw your sister coming from down the street. You hid, going down a small alley where you sat in a doorway.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid-”

Penry fluttered his feathers and jumped down from your shoulder to the cobblestones below where he began pacing. “Oh this can’t be happening! They really took your memory too! Cruel! Cruel!”

A painful flash of light coursed through your brain. It felt like a jab from a pin and twice as bright as the sun. You flinched and covered your face with your hands.

“We need you home! Your husband-” Penry said the word and no sooner than he did, did you feel sick and weak to your stomach. You doubled over, hugging your body tight in your arms. Your mind was fighting itself, fighting the rest of your body to prove itself and what it knew. There were glimmers of eyes and faces, voices that surrounded you. You sat up with a breath and stood, stumbling toward the end of the alley where you retched.

“My lady! Are you alright? Oh goodness what have they done to you?” He sat on your back, tapping comfortingly up and down your shoulders.

“Enough Penry,” you said in a strange voice. You then grew confused and shook your head. “I’ve been sick for a long time. I’m still recovering.”

“You’re sick because they made you sick!” Penry flew before you as you started walking along the backs of the shops.

“I fell and made myself sick,” you huffed.

“No! The Marbre did this to you! They found out about you and Kerwyn eloping and-”

You halted the bird by holding out your hand and he rested upon your finger. Your breath shuddered and came out white as if the air was cold. “I know that name,” you murmured.

“That’s the name of your husband! My lady!”

“Penry stop-” You had to lean against the wall again as a wave of nausea and pain took over again.

“The Mabre took you and the master apart,” Penry said, catching on to what was happening to you. “They chained him, forced him into hibernation. And you, oh, my poor lady, they tried to take everything the master had given.”

There was a hand before me, a grasping, clawing hand with a face in the center. You shook your head, looking back to Penry.

Penry’s golden eyes were filled with concern. “Me and the Conventicle have been looking all over the mountain for you!”

“This is my home, where else would I be?”

“No! It’s not!” Penry flew up further and pointed to the castle on the hill. “That is your home! The Mabre hid you here.”

You stared up towards the castle with tears flooding to your eyes. You shook your head and ducked it down low. “No! That castle has been empty for decades.”

Penry came back close to you and sat on your shoulder. “Months! And the master is inside! He needs you!” He bounced to give you a reassuring pat. “Think my lady, is this really your home? Is this really where you belong?”

The tears stung your eyes as you tried to think. “I’m not sure.”

Penry grew still and nuzzled up against you. His feathers were soft and slick, his small head against your cheek was a welcomed push. You smiled, leaning your cheek into him and taking a deep breath.

“Penry will be your closest confidant while you are here. He will guide you, send your letters, and help you tend to anything you desire. I trust you two will be the closest of friends.” The voice in your head was clear as a bell, deep, and you knew it well. But how?

“My lady, I know this must be a lot to take in. But I promise you, I speak the truth and only the truth to you. I wouldn’t want any more harm to befall you than it already has.” He shuffled along your shoulder then down your arm to the cobblestones again.

“I want to believe you, but it feels like there has been a battle in my brain since we met. I need to lie down.” You started walking, heading home with Penry close behind.

You went to bed as soon as you made it home, letting Penry in through the window before you laid to rest.

“The Mabre are trying to keep you two apart. If it was working you wouldn’t be going through any of this,” Penry said softly as he settled next to you on your pillow. “You love Kerwyn, that’s why you’re fighting it.”

Pain surged through your eyes and you closed them. “Ever since you spoke to me it’s felt like my mind is fighting my whole body.”

“That’s the Mabre curse.” Penry waved his wings to fan you. “I’m sorry my presence is causing you harm, my lady. Rest now, I’ll watch over you in case they come back to renew the curse.”

Your brow pinched and you peeked an eye open to look at him. “Renew it?”

Penry nodded. “That’s the only way they can keep you away. If you’re fighting it then you’re stronger than they are.”

You closed your eyes again. “My head is killing me. I’m not even sure I heard that correctly.”

“Then rest, my lady. I’ll keep guard like always.”

You drifted to sleep, waking to a soft touch upon your cheek. You smiled, taking hold of the thumb of the massive hand that touched you.

“Darling, I was sleeping,” you chuckled.

“I couldn’t help it,” a deep voice whispered. “You were so beautiful.”

“Did no one teach you that you could look and not touch?” You rolled over into the large body beside you, one that was easily three times your size.

He chuckled and held you close. “It is time to get up though.”

You kissed the center of that great palm. “I suppose you are correct, my dearest.” You then stood up from bed and were faced with a long hallway. The bedroom was gone, the warm sunlight had vanished. There was only candlelight now, a weak light at that.

You walked down the hallway, seeing signs of feathers and vines. The further you went, the more overgrown the hall became. A door opened and you wandered into a dining hall. The walls were covered by vines and thorns and magpies were trapped inside them. The vines crawled towards the center of the room where, laying upon the great table, was an even greater figure. Long white hair spilled down from the table, becoming tangled and coiled above the thorny vines.

Your breath came out in white puffs as the room grew colder and colder the closer you got to the table. The magpies began screaming, and you turned around to see the hand with a face coming towards you.

The screaming grew louder and you sat up in your bed, seeing Penry attacking your sister. She swatted and screamed at him, throwing her hand out where you saw a face upon it.

“Get out now, my lady!” Penry cried at you as he fought. “I’ll keep her at bay!”

You went to run, but instead you grabbed the heavy vase under the window and struck what you thought was your sister upside the head. When she fell you and Penry rushed from the room and you used a curtain rod to block the door.

“My lady, are you alright?” Penry asked.

“You’re the one who was fighting!” You rushed down the hall and slid down the banister of the stares, rushing from the house while there was yelling and shouting behind you. You ran and ran, heading into the woods where you followed a path hidden by leaves and overgrowth.

“My lady! Do you remember anything?” Penry cheered in excitement.

“I don’t know how to answer that Penry!” You slid down a hill, coming to a stop at the bottom where a rope bridge connected the village to the cliffs. You stared across, your heart racing wildly in your chest.

You then shook your head. “I can’t…I don’t know if I can cross this.”

Penry flew ahead and landed on the bridge. “You have to, my lady! They’ll be here soon.”

You took a deep breath, stepping onto the bridge and feeling needles in your feet. The pain was indescribable, but the further you went, the less it ached, the more the pain pulled away and finally it was gone. You raced the rest of the way across the bridge, breaking free of the invisible chains the Marbe put upon you.

“That is it, my lady!” Penry cheered in triumph.

More magpies were collecting along the mountain, and in the distance you could see them darkening the horizon as they returned home.

“What happened to the bridge he built?” You breathed in as the fight inside you began to dull.

Penry flew ahead of you while other magpies flew at your back. “They knocked it down, destroyed it like they did most of everything else. When they found you two together, they went mad.”

“I’m not surprised. He said they would. His family-” You felt dizzy and some magpies flew up to hold you aloft.

“We’re not far now, my lady!”

“You’ve got this, my lady!” The magpies spoke encouragingly to you.

You scaled the mountain, going up the rough terrain of the mountain with nothing more than your own cunning and a bunch of birds. It was night by the time you got to the front of the palace, and even then the entrances were covered with thorny vines.

You sat down outside to catch your breath. You were filthy and sore all over, your hands ached, your feet felt split, your hair was tangled and ratted. You sat there breathing, your mind still trying to fight your body at every turn.

Penry hopped towards you. “My lady, we can’t get inside.”

“I know. I know.” You sniffled and wiped at your face. “The vines.” You looked up at the castle wall and the vines seemed to be smiling at you with a smug assurance. You looked away and swallowed. “I need something to cut them down.”

“Scissors!” A magpie yelled. “Our lady needs her scissors!”

You furrowed your brow at Penry, looking up to the sky as magpies came down like rain from the horizon. One little magpie flew forward, carrying what looked like a sewing basket in their talons.

“Some of us were able to escape with your things and have been keeping them in hiding for you.” Penry said as the basket dropped into your hands.

Inside was a regular sewing kit, nothing worth noting until you saw the golden scissors inside. “But this is just sewing shears.” You said as you pulled out the tiny scissors. “I cannot cut anything with these but thread!”

“Kerwyn gave you those, my lady!” Penry assured you. “Use them, go ahead!”

You stood up walking towards the front of the castle with the golden shears in hand. You began taking the blades to the vines and sure enough, they snipped right through the woody tendrils. You cut and snipped and hacked through, finally finding the great doors which opened at your touch. The magpies flew inside ahead of you, knocking away the dust and debris from inside.

You stepped inside, feeling a warm embrace wrap around you.

“My darling! You’re home!” That deep voice said into your ear.

“I was just out picking berries!” A past version of you laughed as the giant man spun you into the air.

You raced down the hallway, following the magpies. The thorns had more magpies trapped inside them, all of them asleep and waiting to be woken.

The magpies stopped at the end of the hall, and Penry came to your shoulder. “We can go no further than this, my lady. Only you can go here.”

“I know.” You walked ahead, going down the hallway covered in vines. Doors opened at the end and you saw the great table stretched out in the center of the room. He laid there upon the table top, his long white hair tangled into the vines.

You breathed and white steam came from your lips. “Kerwyn,” you whispered. The vines recoiled and hissed at the name.

You walked in further, using a chair to climb upon the table. You stood over him for a moment, kneeling down to push away the feathers and leaves from his handsome, strong face. You touched his cheek and tears came to your eyes, splashing upon his pale skin.

“I haven’t seen those green eyes in so long,” you whispered. “But I have dreamed about them many times.” You sniffled and tried to catch your breath. “I look horrible, my love. I’ll be such a sight when you wake.” You bent down, kissing him softly, lovingly. The cold around you began to warm, and the vines pulled away. Magpies flew from the wall, flying around the room and circling above you.

Sunlight poured into the room and Kerwyn’s hand raised and cupped your cheek. His eyes opened, as bright and green as the forest outside. He smiled, revealing those golden fangs behind his lips.

“Darling, I was sleeping,” he laughed.

You laughed as tears streamed down your face. “I couldn’t help it. You were so beautiful.”

Keywyn sat up, cupping your face between his large hands. He looked at you with wonder as the magpies began to sing. “Did no one teach you that you could look and not touch?”

You shuddered, leaning into his embrace and holding your hands around his wrist. “It is time to get up though.”

Kerwyn grabbed you in a strong, hard embrace. The pain was gone, the fight was over inside you. As he held you the world melted away to what it was. No decay, no thorns, no ruin of any sort. The Mabre, Kerwyn’s family, and their influence was shaken from the dawn and the castle all at once.

“Master!” Penry flew into the room and perched upon Kerwyn’s shoulder. “Is it really you now? Are you truly back?”

Kerwyn would no sooner let go of you than anything. “Yes, I am here again, Penry.” He turned and smiled at the bird. “You found her! Good lad!”

Penry preened with pride. “Well, sir, she did most of the hard work.”

Kerwyn turned back to you, imposing figure that he was, he was as soft and helpless as a kitten in that moment. “I know.” He smoothed his thumb under your eye. “I knew she would come back.”

“I’m sorry it took so long,” you wept.

Kerwyn shook his head and kissed your forehead. “I know what they did to you, my love. I won’t let them do it again.” he picked you up from the table and carried you towards the open windows of the dining hall. The sky was bright pink and lilac as the sun rose over the mountain.

“Never again,” he whispered.

#ein märchen

[monstersarefriends]

They could build some form of sect. Like "look how old I am, the lord choose me as your new Jesus, and all that follow me will also bekomme 'holy' look at my followers and how old they already are and still young, and so stronk!!!" 🤔

All you need to do, is donate your blood and not tell anybody. "The blood of Christ, Jesus is made by god you guys are made by god, this makes totally sense and we are not vampires, just very powerful becaue we are prophets yada yada yada"

Because they are a sect no one outside will take the humans that run away seriously, or look to deep. depending on the vampire lore they could have some mind control over them too, to lessen the running risk 🤔🤔🤔

That could be a bit of dark story though 😅

OR they run some sort of big scale DNA testing firm. No one will notice if they take 30ml more per person, and they can make sure that the food source is healthy. "Ohh you are to poor to afford our genetesting? Do not worry we have a program for that! You'll even get free food! We are just a very social Organisation, nothing strange going on! You want to give more blood for science testing, no problem!"

Maybe one of them is working on pig testing, where they fuse human DNA with pig DNA to get the pig body to produce human blood. All under the guide of growing transplant organs for humans! Also pls pay us money dear state, aren't we low on transfusion blood? Look at how promising the pig experiments are 🥺

Trying to think of ways for vampires to get a reliable source of blood from humans without just ‘they take it from blood banks’ is uh. Tough.

[monstersarefriends]

Home--(M Minotaur/F Human)--NSFW--Modern AU--Leon & Sirisa

Word Count: 5k

(Contains strong bdsm and dom/sub themes.)

When management introduced a new supervisor, your worst fear hadn’t been that your new boss would be attractive.

“I expect there to be a smooth transition. I run a tight ship, but I want you to feel like you can come to me for help. There will be bumps in the road, that’s to be expected, let’s just not let them turn into insurmountable obstacles.” He spouted off some rehearsed speech but embarrassingly she found herself more enthralled by his voice than what he was saying.

His voice was a honey baritone, one with deeper notes that spoke to the ability for sultry bedroom tones. He was so large it wasn’t a shock his voice could fill up a room. She’d always been bad at estimating but she knew he had to duck to get through doorways. His horns presented a problem with that as well as his height.

She really didn’t know why the company didn’t remodel and make the doors more size inclusive. Tatem, the orc from HR was constantly banging his head on things. They’d special ordered him a chair at least, after he broke the generic, wheeling one with his sheer size.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Tatem leaned over to whisper.

“Our new boss is definitely going to suck the fun out of the department?” She tried to hard not think about sucking anything where the minotaur was involved lest her brain short circuit. Besides, Tatem was in HR.

“Ya, but he provides such a nice view.” The gay orc looked him up and down appreciatively.

“Mind sharing with the class?” Leon, the new boss, spoke over their hushed conversation.

Sirisa glared at Tatem before schooling her features back into something more resembling of professionalism.

“We’re just concerned there might be a change in the workplace culture. Here at Advent we pride ourself on being a great place to work.” She smiled.

“And I don’t plan to change that. It’s what drew me here in the first place.” His expression didn’t quite match his words, betraying his disbelief that that was what they were discussing. Not the hoof she’d been wanting to get off to with her new boss.

“Sirisa?” It had been a month with Leon in charge and she had to admit, it was nice.

His head pocket out of his office and he called over the tiny sea of cubicles until her head popped up.

“Can I see you in my office please?” Her heart skipped a beat.

Had she forgotten an assignment? Had her work been subpar? She felt like she’d been doing great recently, but working in accounting meant a little error could mean a big problem.

“Yes, sir.” She faced the music and walked over to his office where he held the door open for her. It close with a thud behind her.

She was surprised to see Tate already in the room. Shit, what had she done?

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called you here.”

No shit, Sherlock.

“Yes.” She answered tentatively instead.

“It’s nothing to be concerned about.” He walked around his desk and took a seat, gesturing for her to do the same.

She slowly took a eat beside Tatem, eyeing him carefully in hopes he could provide some sign as to why she was here.

“As you know Advent hsa certain policies in place to protect its employees.” He began shuffling papers around on his desk. “One of those being in regards to interoffice relationships.”

Sirisa laughed. She couldn’t help it.

“I’m sorry, it’s just. Well, Tatem is gay. We aren’t in a relationship.” She turned to Tatem but he wasn’t laughing. Instead he was...blushing?

“That’s-well-you have my full support Tatem, but that’s not why we’re here.” He slid a paper across his desk.

“I’d like to ask you out, Sirisa, but in order to do that, given my position,” she looked down and read over the file. Decoration of Relationship. “I need, or rather we need, to sign this form.”

“You want-” She trailed off, trying to piece together the information leaving his mouth in time with when he said them and failing.

“I want to date you, Sirisa.”

She looked to Tatem, floundering, but the bastard just grinned at her.

“I-” She stopped to think about it, really think about it.

Leon was a catch, there was no denying that.

But what did he want with her? Her mousy brown hair and plump frame weren’t exactly show stoppers. She didn’t get enough sun and her eyes were an ordinary brown. Not to mention her riotous curls never did cooperate with her.

Leon on the other hand…

Leon had white hair covering most of his body in a soft looking mat. His blue eyes shone against it in a way that would have been startling if they weren’t so warm. He wore complimentary gold rings on his horns. He had an easy kind of confidence that came from being good looking, but also a stern quality that made her, well tingle in places one shouldn’t be thinking about on the clock.

She had a choice to make. She could let her insecurities get in the way, or she could find out just what drew Leon to her in the first place.

“I’m vegan.” He handed the menu off to the waiter who left them to go put in their orders.

“Ok.” She chose the latter.

--

"Wouldn't eating beef be, you know, cannibalism?" She wasn’t quite sure how that worked except something about it felt not quite right.

"No, I'm not a cow, I'm a minotaur.” A sly, leering grin spread across his face then.

“Why are you disappointed? Want to get bred by a big, cocked stud?" He leaned across the table until his hot breath gusted her face, eyes dark with something like desire, something like hunger.

"No." She whispered.

Yes, she thought.

"I think you do. I think you want to be filled up and used." He emphasized the word used obscenely.

"Stop." She said but she was not sure she meant it.

"Is that what you really want?" He saw right through her, leaving her feeling naked in more ways than one.

Could he see the way her nipples pebbled at the thought? Could he see how shallow her breathing came? What about the wetness beginning to pool between her legs, could he smell it?

"No."

"See you want the animal side don't you? Want someone to be so overcome by desire for you that they need. They need to bury themselves in your cunt, to rut." To her embarrassment she whimpered.

She prayed the waiter wouldn’t come back with their drinks and hear the filth dripping from his mouth.

"Oh you like that, don't you. ‘Rut.’ Mindless, primal fucking." He laughed, laughed at her distress, her wanting. She wondered if he would do the same during sex, tease her until she was coming apart beneath him, totally in control himself.

"Yes." The admission came unbidden.

"I’d like to see you like that, wet-no dripping for me. Begging for my cock.” He, completely aware of their surroundings, leaned back as the waiter arrived.

She barely noticed the waiter, or her drink, until the ice was steadily melting within.

“I don’t know how to do that. I mean I’ve never had sex like that. I don’t know if I could.”

“You can. If you’re willing to let yourself go. Leave behind the shame and ideas of what you should want.” He took a slow drink from his glass. “I could guide you, if you wanted.”

Guide her. Him giving her gentle, but strict commands. Perhaps leading up to something more, something primal, as he said. She found she rather needed a drink.

It wasn’t exactly first date talk, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to stop. She wished they could skip ahead to the third date, where it would be acceptable to take him home and make good on his promises.

When he left her at the door of her condo it was with a kiss that had her knees giving way beneath her.

“See you at work Monday.” He whispered and she came crashing down to earth.

Monday was awkward.

She couldn’t look at Leon without playing their conversation over and over in her head. She couldn’t look at him in his neatly tailored suit.

“So how’d it go?” Tatem teased at lunch, both of them sitting with their packed lunches for thirty minutes.

“Good.” Sirisa blushed.

“Good?” Tatem showed fake interest in his baby carrots, trying desperately to appear unaffected and it was so against his nature she had to laugh.

“It was hot.” She admitted shyly.

“I knew it!” Tatem abandoned all pretence and his carrots. “So did you guys have sex?”

“What? No! It was the first date.” Though even as she said it she could hear Leon’s words. ‘Leave behind the ideas of what you should want.’ Would he have taken her home that Friday night, if she’d asked?

“So?” He shrugged. “Besides you’re all spacy, like you had a good fuck.”

“We didn’t have sex.” She could feel her ears and chest warm now.

“But?” Tatem raised a curious eyebrow.

“But we talked about it.” She whispered.

“Now that’s interesting. What did you talk about?” He leaned over the tiny table to mae the conversation more intimate.

She didn’t answer.

“Oh, alright. Keep your secrets.” He laughed and they both went back to their lunch.

“How’s the Trexton account coming?” He stopped by her desk to ask on the way to the break room.

“Great, sir.” She realized her mistake belatedly. When she did her entire face flushed.

Even something as asinine as calling him sir had become something sexually charged and irresistable.

“Good. That’s good.” He veered off to the bathroom instead of the breakroom. She wondered if he was going there to pull himself off. To come to thoughts on her knees saying that word.

She rubbed her legs together and debated sneaking off herself, but forced herself to sit and finish up the account.

Just before she left the office a hand snaked out to grab her. She was the last one out she thought, having lost a lot of productivity that day to thoughts of an inappropriate nature.

She screamed but a hand came up to cup lightly over her mouth.

“It’s just me.” Leon’s silky voice surrounded her and he relaxed and he set her free.

“What are you doing?” She felt a surge of something like fear, something like arousal. It made her heart pump louder.

“I want to see you again, can I?” He looked deep into her eyes as if searching there for an answer before she spoke.

“Yes.” She breathed, unable to hide just how desperate for it she was. “When?”

“Tomorrow night?” Tomorrow felt to far away, too long a time to go without his touch again.

“Okay.”

Tuesday passed quickly, thank God. They had a last minute client on a strict timeline and the whole office kicked into gear to make it possible. When she finally stumbled out of the office it was 7 and she was exhausted.

Leon met her outside and she practically fell into his arms.

“Look Leon-” She began, trying to figure out how to let him down easily without making him think she wasn’t interested at all.

“I’m exhausted. Rain check?” And he did look tired. His eyes were trying to pull shut and she felt like she might push him over by accident. She felt a wave of relief pass over her that he felt the same.

“You shouldn’t drive home like this, lemme give you a ride home.” He looked like he might fall asleep standing up, let alone at the wheel.

“Okay.” He said without putting up a fight.

“Where do you live?” She pulled out her phone’s GPS.

“Do you mind if we just head back to your place?” Sirisa stared dumbfounded at her phone at his words, now very much awake, trying not to appear as shocked as she felt.

“No.” She shrugged. There, nice and casual. “No, not at all.”

He fell asleep on the ride there. He looked so peaceful like that, the weight of responsibility off his shoulders and the lines gone from his face.

She regretted waking him when they arrived. He groggily followed her up the stairs and waited as she fumbled with her keys with no complaint.

She was momentarily embarrassed about her place, feeling the vulnerability of letting someone into her space for the first time, even though she knew there was nothing to be ashamed about. She saw it through his eyes for a moment. The pictures and crocheted blankets, the mismatched furniture and collection of mugs on the counter. It’s quaint, at least as you could get in the city.

“Can we just sleep?” He interrupts her thoughts and she felt a tension she hadn’t felt building fall away.

“Yes, that would be great.” Her tiredness returned full force, given permission.

“I don’t have anything that will fit you.”

“I can sleep in my boxers, if that doesn’t bother you?” He side-eyed her as if assessing her body language more than her words.

“No.” She swallowed.

He carefully hung up his suit as he undressed under her watchful gaze. Slowly, powerful muscles came into view, along with a little bit of a belly. His body spoke of inherent, hard-working strength.

She blushed at her own voyeurism when he turned to her and returned to digging through her drawers for something appropriate to sleep in. She settled on a modest pair with long sleeves. She went into the bathroom to change and when she came out Leon was already lying in bed.

She slipped nervously in bed beside him. His feet hung somewhat over the edge, and the rest of him took up most of the space as well, leaving her no choice but to cuddle in beside him. She caught a whiff of his cologne or perhaps it was just his scent. He smelled musky, like white oak and something smoky.

“Go to sleep.” He whispered, when she’d lain awake for some time. She tried, but she couldn’t stop trying to memorize the feel of him next to her. Worried that he’d get a feel of her body and change his mind.

“I can’t.”

“You can. Sirisa, beautiful, just close your eyes.” She felt tears sting her eyes for a reason she couldn’t quite name and obeyed.

She didn’t remember falling asleep.

Her alarm woke her bright and early, but this time with an added chorus of Leon’s phone as well. He growled and reached over blindly to turn them off, keeping the arm that had crept around her in the night firmly in place.

“I don’t want to get up.” She whispered, their noses almost touching.

“I don’t either.” Leon admitted, shuffling closer so that they did.

Sirisa closed her eyes to grab a quick five more minutes, but when she opened her eyes Leon was still watching her.

“Mind if I grab a shower?” He whispered.

“Not at all.” They probably should get a start on the day anyway.

He smelled like her, when he kissed her after he came out fully dressed and she felt that primal surge again. The wanting of him to be hers and she to be his. To be marked and mark so that even though other women might look, they couldn’t touch.

His tongue slipped out to taste her and she opened her mouth greedily for him. He lowed deep in his chest.

“Sirisa.” He groaned when they broke apart.

“Why me?” She asked, more than a little breathless.

“What do you mean?” He leaned in to steal a kiss again but she persisted.

“Why did you choose me? Was it just a sex thing?” Had he been able to look at her and know from that first day what she wanted, things she couldn’t even name?

“No, it was-” He leaned back, confused as though it should be obvious. “Did you know when you smile the corners of your eyes crinkle?”

“Or that you have a freckle just under your eyebrow I always want to kiss?” He leaned forward until his breath tickled her nose and she closed her eyes so that he could lay a tender kiss, just there.

“I chose you because you laugh so easily. And how you are such a brat when you’re with Tatem. Because you’re everything I ever thought was beautiful and kind in a person all wrapped up in a delectable little package.” He held her hips so that he could bring their bodies flush together.

“I’m not though-” She needed to make him see now, before he found out on his own and left her when she had feelings for him, feelings stronger than the ones already brewing.

“Not what?” He dared.

“Beautiful or special.” It felt defiant to admit it. Perhaps that was just because of the anger on his face.

“Do you think I’m lying then?” He questioned.

“No, sir.” She didn’t know why she used the moniker, just that when he got like this it felt right.

“Do you not believe me?” Did she? Did she believe that he could see her that way?

“No it’s not that. I just don’t see what you see.” She wanted to see it, wanted to feel it, what he spoke about.

“Then trust me, until you do.”

“So,” Tatem began over lunch, “don’t think I didn’t notice you and Leon showed up in the same car this morning.”

“Did we?” She remained aloof.

“You were driving.” Tatem deadpanned.

“Huh.” She continued unpacking her lunch, playing ignorant to his bursting curiosity.

“Don’t play coy. What happened?” He stole her lunch away from out under her nose, holding it for ransom.

“He stayed the night is all.” She tried to get him to unhand her food. He swatted her hands away.

“Stayed the night as in…” The question there was impossible to miss.

“No. Stayed the night as in sleeping.” Tatem raised that damn brow. She reiterated, “Just sleeping.”

“Well, it’s a step in the right direction.” And it did feel like it, like she was stepping toward extraordinary.

On Friday they finished up the account and everyone was going out to celebrate. Kyle, the satyr in media relations, had organized it. Normally Sirisa would be a little bit excited about it. She liked going to the bar occasionally and she was friends with her coworkers. Today she felt dejected. She’d planned on seeing Leon again today and talking more about Boston, where he’d grown up and his preoccupation with baseball.

“You going to the bar tonight?” She poked her head into his office to ask. He’d just got off the phone and was clicking around his computer with his mouse.

“What? Oh ya. We’d better go to that.” ‘We’ had better. She wondered if that meant they were going together. She wondered if that meant they would be leaving together too.

“We as in…” She tried not to look too invested in his offer.

“I can pick you up at 7.” His phone rang before they had a chance to say more and slipped back out, shutting the door behind her.

Whe already knew she’d be useless for the rest of the day.

She tore through her closet when she got home looking for something to wear. She ultimately decided not to go too dressy, it was a casual bar meet up after all, but she hoped it showed off her assets well enough.

When the doorbell rang she was just putting on the finishing touches of her makeup.

“Hello.” She smiled up at him, a little nervously.

“You, my dear, look ravishing.” He leaned down to kiss her and found her knees suddenly weak.

He had no problem holding her up as he ruined her lipstick. When he pulled away she ran a thumb over his sheepish grin to wipe away the transfer.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m not.” She popped the tube out of her bag and reapplied which he watched rather hungrily. She stored that information away for later.

The bar was fun, she nursed a glass of white wine while Leon played a game of darts. Tatem was chatting up a scary looking fae in the corner, leaving her on her own for the most part to admire Leon out of his work clothes and in denim jeans.

When they got home, Leon wasted no time cornering her and laying open mouth kisses down her neck until she was a shuddering mess.

“Don’t think I didn’t see the way you were looking at me all night.” He growled and slipped his hands under her dress to pull it up over her head.

“What are you wearing?” He looked in horror at the contraption under her dress.

“They’re spandex, they...hold everything in.” She vaguely gestured to her, well, everything.

“Don’t ever wear these again for me ever again.” He stripped them from her body with efficiency. “You can wear them to work, if you want, but don’t ever wear them to look good for me.”

They left behind an imprint on her skin that made him growl with anger. He tossed them aside angrily.

She laughed, something she’d never would have imagined doing in this position as he worshiped her belly.

“Foolish girl, trying to hide yourself from me.” He said between attempts to kiss the lines away.

She’d never been so comfortable during this part of sex before, the undressing, the questing eyes and questioning hands. With Leon it was easy. She needed only to follow his commands and he provided a worthy reward.

His reward was to put his head between her legs, stretching them apart until they burned to fit himself between them.

“So beautiful, is this all for me?” He thumbed over her pussy, like he was petting it.

“Yes.” She whispered, not daring to break him from his revelry, lest he stop.

“Uh-uh, yes what?” The realization hit her in a wave of arousal. She knew what he was asking for.

“Yes, sir.”

“Very good.” In return for her obedience he spread her open with his fingers to fit his mouth over her.

He worked with exacting precision, as if her cunt was a painting and he the artist, laving her with his tongue as you would a paintbrush. His grey nose pressed against her and to her embarrassment and delight when she rocked against him it pressed into her clit deliciously.

“Leon.” She gasped when his tongue licked inside her, beside two fingers.

“What do you need?” His mouth moved against her pussy even as he said it, as if he desperately didn’t want to leave the comfort of her thighs, and didn't want to lose the taste of her from his lips.

“I need to come.” She whispered feeling slightly embarrassed with his attention turned on her, realizing how exposed she was to him.

“Now that’s not how we ask nicely.” He pulled back to chasten her gently.

“Sir, please may I come?” She spread herself wider, shedding her embarrassment in her desperation.

“Mmm, you can ask prettier than that.” He hummed and returned to the task at hand.

“Sir, please! Oh my gods, Leon.” She shuddered against him, unable to stave off the first quakings of her orgasm.

“Come.” He tore himself away from her pussy just long enough to say the word before seeing her to completion.

He lapped up every last one of her cries like a starving man against her cunt. When he finally pulled away she was oversensitized and gasping, tangling her hands in his hair and pulling on his horns to get him to come away.

“Beautiful,” was all that he said before he kissed her the same way that he kissed her cunt, with sure precision and drive.

“Fuck me, please.” She said between kisses.

“You have been very good. I think we can arrange that.” She didn’t know how he had so much control when she was a pile of bones beneath him, a hole ready to be filled.

“Yes, I’m so good. So good for you, sir.” He chuckled, but it was in no way mocking. It sent a shiver down her spine with the promise it contained.

“Yes, you are a good girl, aren’t you?” He reached between them to give himself a few pumps before sliding himself between her folds, slicking himself up with her come.

“Yes.” She slurred.

He pushed in with little pretense, seating himself fully, having loosened her thoroughly with his fingers. They both gasped at the sensation.

“Your cunt is perfect.” He groaned and pulled back to sink inside her once again.

“Please, Leon, I need-” Another sharp thrust cut her off.

“What do you need? Say it.” He commanded.

“I need you to...I need you to-” She couldn’t bring the word to leave her mouth, her courage failing her.

“Rut. I need you to rut.” She wanted him to be animalistic. It was good to hear that her cunt was sweet, but she wanted to feel it. She wanted to feel just how irresistible its wet heat was.

“That a girl.” And he pinned her down beneath him and did just that.

She barely recognized the minotaur above her in a way that made her more than a little afraid. Her fear only heightened her arousal as she reached between them to stimulate her clit because he was too busy taking his pleasure from her. It was everything she could ever want.

His hips set a grueling pace, the only thing keeping her on his cock were his hands, firmly holding her hips to his. She wished he would grab harder, fingers pressing deeper, until he left a mark.

He flipped her then, holding her hips up while she buried her face in the pillows and he bred her. She wanted to know how big his load would be, if it would fill her up, if it would spill out of her and onto the sheets beneath them.

She came to the thought. Her orgasm was like live wire had been struck inside her from her cunt to behind her eyes. Her nipples strained and ached for touch, her lips tingled, and every nerve in her body seemed to momentarily sing.

Roaring behind her Leon finished himself a minute later, hips never slowing, fucking her through both their orgasms and spilling his seed down her thighs were it dried in the cool air.

“Will it be like that everytime?” She asked hopefully in the post orgasmic haze of their coupling.

“Well, I’d like to try a good deal more, but if you mean its quality then yes, I suspect it will be.” He carefully readjusted them so that she was cradled in his arms, a little spoon to his incredibly large one.

“I think that’s the best sex I’ve ever had.” She admitted carefully. She didn’t want to come off to strong, to say things in the haze of sex she might regret later.

“You only think? I’ll have to do better next time.” He rumbled into her hair and she could feel the sound in his chest.

“I know it was the best sex I’ve ever had.” She amended with a laugh.

“That’s better.” He kissed the top of her head.

“You’re going to need some juice, do you have any in the house? I don’t want your sugar to drop.” He stood then, leaving her feeling bereft without his embrace.

“In the fridge.” He returned with a glass of orange juice which she drank from greedily.

“Does it hurt anywhere?” He ran a hand over her body, as if checking for any signs of physical distress. She wished he had marked her in some way, but her skin was a blank canvas.

“No, I mean my legs ache a little bit, I’m going to have to start stretching you’re so wide, but other than that I’m good.” She set the cup down on her night stand and sat up to bring herself closer to where he stood by her bedside.

“Would you like me to draw you a bath?” He stroked her hair, burying his fingers in her curls and rubbing her scalp.

“Are you always so attentive after sex?” She smiled. She felt loose and pliant in his hands and strangely drunk.

“It’s called after care. Sex like this can be very taxing, it’s important to me to see to your needs, to make sure you’re okay.”

“You don’t have to.” She wondered how much of what he’d already done had been in its name and not because he wanted to.

“Humor me, it makes me feel good.” Oh.

She blushed deeply, “A bath would be good then.”

No one had ever wanted to care for her like this before. It felt more intimate than the sex.

He beamed, “Of course.”

He disappeared from sight to go get it going. When he returned it was to sweep her into his arms and deposit her in the tub.

“You don’t fit.” She pouted when he sat on the floor beside her.

“I can still admire you from here.” He smiled and she felt herself relax into the water.

At work on Monday she didn’t feel quite so shy around him. He knew what was underneath her clothes after all. So when his gaze turned on her hungrily, she felt only anticipation.

They managed to keep their relationship out of the office, for the most part. Apart from the time that she had sucked him off in his office, his heavy breathes were the only giveaway for her actions. She’d been forced to swallow his load to keep his suit clean and she decided it was one of her favorite pastimes.

She’d gone back to her desk with a text waiting on her phone, ‘When I get home I expect you to be undressed, waiting on all fours.”

It wasn’t the promise of sex that made her heart flutter, but the phrase home. When she thought about it, she knew he was right. Finding him had been like coming home.

[monstersarefriends]

Male orc (Rhuarc) x female character - Part One (sfw)

Disclaimer which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

Thank you to the two people who explicitly expressed interest in this story via my inbox. This one's for you. Here's Rhuarc the single dad orc and his girl, and how they met. I've even got some visuals in this one too!

Content: kidnapping, attempted human sacrifice, violence, some light gore, implied age gap, older male character, single father orc x small human female

Wordcount: 4344

Rhuarc tried not to resent the fact that the Jarl of Markarth’s crusty old steward had looked him up and down as he’d stood in front of the so-called Mournful Throne, and decided that the orc was either entirely expendable or utterly stupid enough to take on an entire Forsworn camp. By himself.

Apparently it was the latter though, because with his two adopted girls waiting for his return in Whiterun, Rhuarc was most certainly not expendable these days. Perhaps twenty years ago, he might have hurled himself at the nearest frothing lunatic disrupting trade routes and abducting travellers off the roads without much care for the damage he took — the fact that he’d lost the sight in his right eye before he’d turned nineteen was testament to that — but these days, his contracts required thought and planning.

Kill the leader of Hag’s End, an old Nordic tomb complex nestled away in the frozen mountains to the northeast of Markarth.

Easy.

By himself.

Less easy.

The place was huge, and crawling with more Forsworn than termites in a mound, and there was every chance he would encounter a hagraven there too. Fuck, he hated those things. Whatever unnatural magic was used to create those half-bird, half-women, he didn’t want any part of it.

His own magic was fairly rudimentary by the standards of the average mage: a few fireballs here, a few healing spells there, and he could make a pretty decent lance out of ice if he had to. After all, orcs were known primarily for how ferociously they could bludgeon something into Oblivion, but magicka did coil its way through some of them too, and his mother had been both an alchemist and a mage.

Now though, as Rhuarc crept up behind the Briarheart warrior who led this bunch of rabid lunatics, and slipped his arm around the man’s throat to hold him still while he ripped the strange replacement heart out of the half-undead creature’s chest, he wondered exactly what kind of magic these people used that let them replace an otherwise healthy man’s beating heart with the poisoned seed of a Briarheart tree. And what special kind of lunacy allowed someone to undergo it willingly. Perhaps it wasn’t willing though? What did he know about these people?

As the orc’s fingers curled around the prickly seed that was about the size of an apple, the magic of it felt at once too cold and too hot; the way white hot metal feels in that moment of pure shock if you touch it by accident before the pain kicks in. He released the disgusting ‘heart’ and it fell with a splatter of gore onto the snowy carpet covering the cosy little platform, from where the man ruled over his clan of Forsworn. Rhuarc would have to find a scrap of cloth to wrap it in so that it didn’t leak everywhere between there and the city of Markarth, but he was looking forward to depositing it directly into the stuffy old steward’s lap as proof of the kill and the contract fulfilled.

The Briarheart warrior went instantly limp in his arms and Rhuarc laid him down silently on the frozen ground, already starting to plan his next move. A shout went up a second later from somewhere to his left — his blind side — and an arrow pinged off the bastion wall beside him. With a curse, he rolled and ducked behind the hide wall of the leader’s large tent, breathing hard. Of course he’d missed one of them, and if she alerted anyone else, or that lurking hagraven, Rhuarc was fucked. He was tired. And cold. His joints weren’t quite what they had once been, and his muscles were seizing with the cold and from crouching in dark doorways and corners on the long and winding way up to reach this part of the secret redoubt.

With a careful peek around the support structure of the leader’s tent, he realised that this new Forsworn hadn’t actually spotted him properly yet, and he hefted the haft of his war axe in his hand. Throwing a weapon away was never a great idea, but he didn’t have a bow on him, and if he called magicka to his hands, a hagraven would certainly sense it. Not a chance he wanted to take, and given that the place was called Hag’s End, he thought it pretty fucking likely that there was one of the bird-legged, psychotic matriarchs of the Forsworn roosting up at the top of the complex on that balcony almost directly above him.

So, he drew back his arm and sent the blade of his war axe whirling away to bite into the breastbone of the Forsworn before she could spot him or cry out again. She fell with the clatter and rattle of bone and fur armour, her silly antlered headdress skittering away behind her, and he was off running immediately to release the weapon from her corpse and seek a new hiding place in case the commotion had drawn others.

As it was, Rhuarc crouched for a long few minutes behind the gruesomely-displayed corpse of an elk that had been partly taxidermied by the cold and stuck on a stake, with his breath billowing all around him, and the stillness of snow in the air. Had he got them all? He was spattered all up one side of his body with blood and even had a red streak in his otherwise white hair that he’d shaved close to his skull above his ears and left long enough to tie back into a ponytail on top. What a mess. Still, it would be worth the groaning bag of coin he was going to get for clearing the whole bloody encampment and making The Reach a little bit safer for travellers.

Just as he’d begun to relax, half thinking of getting the girls each a new dress with his earnings, a scream like nothing he’d ever heard before tore the silence in two and his blood went cold.

It had come from the balcony above him where a spar of stonework jutted out into the winter sky like the bowsprit of a ship, and it hadn’t been the harsh shriek of a hagraven. The scream had come from a woman in blind, abject terror, and the sound of it shocked him back to his feet before he’d even realised it.

Rhuarc thundered up the stone stairs behind him and shouldered open the carved doors of the inner sanctum of the tomb, plunging into the relative darkness without stopping to think.

Not thinking was a sure way to get himself killed, and by some miracle of the fates, he skidded to a halt just in time to avoid a pressure plate in the floor that would no doubt have unleashed some kind of magical or poisoned trap on him. Whoever lived here clearly didn’t let just anyone inside, and blundering around like a panicked mammoth wasn’t going to help anyone.

“Think, you thick-skulled orc,” he growled at himself, chest heaving and heart pounding in his ears like a war-drum. He was only a few heartbeats away from slipping into that infamous, orcish berserker rage, and he never ever wanted to find himself on the far end of a state of mind like that again. Caked in blood and viscera and surrounded by an array of corpses with no memory of how they had been felled… He shuddered and forced himself to steady his breathing before moving on.

What he confronted as he wound his way carefully and methodically through the dark, blood-stained hallways of the upper Nordic tomb proved to be as great a test of his prowess with blade and his magic as any he’d ever faced in his forty-six years.

Savage witches clad in long, magicka-laced, black robes hurled spells and curses at him that he only just dodged or warded in time to sink his axe into their skulls, but what made his skin crawl the most was the hagraven who seemed to be taunting him, letting him get one or two shots in before a swirl of purple and black magic enveloped her and she vanished to somewhere else in the complex.

Was she an illusion? Had he lost his mind or, worse, accidentally imbibed some poison from one of his victims that was making him hallucinate? He’d spotted enough deadly mushrooms growing in the dank corners of the dungeon that the suspicion remained, even as he ploughed on through the coven of crazed witches towards the woman who had let out that heart-rending scream.

Just as he sensed he was gaining the top of the tower, the hagraven disappeared amid a final storm of eerie, flickering magicka, leaving him alone in an echoing chamber at the top of a staircase lined with mortuary shelves.

Over to his left, an arcane enchanting table crackled with residual magicka from a recent use, the blueish runes on its onyx surface glowing in the dim light, and on his right, an ancient monument reared up like a tombstone, carved with a script he couldn’t read. He had no time for any of that, and paused just long enough with his hand on the last door to gather his breath and the last ragged remains of his strength, before shoving all his weight into swinging them open and stepping out onto the snowy balcony beyond.

A blast of freezing air hit him full in the face, but it wasn’t the cold that stole his breath and his senses.

There on a low, wide, stone altar, a Nord woman had been bound hand and foot, stretched out and completely naked, and she was thrashing weakly despite the wounds at her wrists and ankles from the ropes. Tears tracked pale lines through the dirt on her face and her bare chest heaved with broken, choking sobs as she arched her back in futile protest.

Over her prone figure loomed the emaciated figure of a hagraven with a glinting, black dagger raised in her taloned hands.

Rhuarc didn’t think.

He hurled a bolt of ice at the creature, and might have been surprised to find that it had actually struck her right in the stomach if he hadn’t already been concentrating on drawing the ambient moisture into his hand to freeze into another shard of ice as thick as a tree limb. The hagraven let out a shriek that should have made his ears bleed, and hurled a fireball at him for the indignity of him getting a hit in first.

Searing flames exploded all around him and he smelled singeing, though he wasn’t sure if it was his fur armour or his own skin, and he didn’t care. He leapt forwards, diving into a roll in the snow to douse any lingering flames, and as he came up he launched a second spike of ice directly at the hagraven’s weathered, distorted face. Her black, beady eyes narrowed and she bared rotten teeth with a snarl as she clenched her clawed hand and prepared to fling a second fireball at him.

Rhuarc had closed the distance between them in a few powerful strides though, and before she’d finished the spell, he grabbed her by her flimsy arm and felt the snap of it breaking in his grip as he yanked her away from the altar. Before she could even muster a screech, he lopped her head off with his axe. He didn’t stop to watch her abandoned carcass slide over the edge of the parapet, down into the void of snow and cooling corpses below, and turned instead to the woman laid out on the table.

The dagger had fallen from the hagraven’s claws to land beside her right hand and she was reaching frostbitten fingers for it.

“Easy,” Rhuarc said, holstering his messy axe at the loop on his belt and realising he probably looked as frightening as the hagraven had. Six foot six and broad as a barn door at the shoulder, Rhuarc now had blood all up his face from one of the witches, a nasty burn on his shoulder that was only just now making itself known, and a long cut on his abdomen that was oozing blood down his solid paunch. As he’d got older, he’d lost the iron definition he’d had in his youth, but he was probably the strongest now that he’d ever been in his life.

No wonder the woman was staring wild-eyed at him like he was some animal barbarian, but his heart physically hurt in his chest when he saw the welts and bruises standing out starkly on her pale, Nordic complexion. Her long, midnight black hair was loose and lank and greasy, her lip was split and swollen, and there was a vibrant, purple bruise all around her left eye socket. Those dark brown eyes glared up at him with fierce defiance though, and her fingers found the hilt of the knife.

He smiled. “I know I look a sight,” he said in a low, quiet rumble, holding both hands up, bloody palms towards her. “I’m gonna help you though. Let’s get you healed up and out of here. I’m not sure what you can wear though…”

“My… My clothes are in… were in… a chest… in there,” she croaked, twitching her head slightly towards the chamber he’d just left. The swelling in her lip clearly made talking painful, and she sounded like she hadn’t had any water for days. That, or the thick, raw, red line around her throat, flanked by distinct, finger-sized bruises the colour of a ripe plum. It made his orc blood boil to see marks like that on a person’s body, but he made himself focus on the more immediate task of helping her.

“Alright. I’ll untie you — may I use that dagger?”

She nodded and reluctantly let her fingers go loose again. With the rope lashed so tightly around her wrist, she didn’t have enough purchase to lift her hand free of the hilt, so Rhuarc carefully slid his bloody fingers underneath hers and he eased the blade out.

Concentrating, he sawed steadily through the thick rope, and she hissed as she flexed her fingers when the rope finally sheared and one arm came free. The raw chafing showed him just how hard she’d fought her captors, and he found the warmth of pride glowing in the pit of his stomach for this stranger and her resilience. Methodically, Rhuarc moved his way around the table to free her ankles next before finally cutting the ropes binding her left arm to the cold table, and all the while keeping his eyes off her naked body as best he could.

“We need to get you somewhere sheltered. Can you sit up?”

She tried valiantly when he asked, but her strength failed her in a rush and she slumped back down with a gasp.

Rhuarc dropped the knife to the stone at his feet and stuck his right hand under her head just in time to stop her cracking her skull on the stone platform of the altar, and he cradled her lolling head in the palm of his hand. His already-bruised knuckles clunked against the altar under the full weight of her head as she surrendered at last, spent.  

“Easy,” he said. “I’ve got some magic. I’m going to heal you, alright? Keep steady, then we’ll find you some clothes and get you out of here.”

Her dark eyes rolled as the golden light of healing magic washed around her, and she slumped at last into unconsciousness.

Rhuarc picked her up with detached efficiency and carried her out of the biting wind and back into the tower that formed the top part of the tomb’s inner sanctum, marvelling at the Nord’s resilience to the cold. He knew that her people were tougher than most humans in these conditions, but still, with everything she’d been through, she probably should be dead.

Her small body was soft where many Nords were made of hard muscle, and he suspected that she had not been raised to be a fighter. That the Forsworn would snatch her away from whatever battle-free life she’d led before and defile her like this made his blood sing all over again and his hands itched to sink his axe into a nice, crunchy, Forsworn skull. He let the thought go with a growl around his thick tusks and shouldered the doors open.

With her pressed against his bare chest, he felt the tingle of magic in her blood too, and he recalled the way her body had drunk his own restoration magic down like water poured onto dry sand. Perhaps the fact that she was probably a mage had been why the hagraven had been about to sacrifice her in that unholy ritual.

Inside the echoing, stone room with the enchanting table, Rhuarc found the chest she’d mentioned, and he crouched down awkwardly in front of it with her half-draped across his lap, her naked body propped up by his right arm. He really didn’t want to have to use one of the beds in the tower that the witches had clearly slept in, but if the woman needed to rest, then he would stay with her and see that she was safe.

Just as he was fiddling one-handed with the catch of the chest, which luckily wasn’t locked, she drew in a deeper breath and came-to with a mewling sob of discomfort. Her bare legs were touching the floor and the room wasn’t much warmer than the air outside because of a huge hole in the ceiling, but at least they were out of the wind.

“I know,” he said without looking at her. “I’m going to find you something to wear. Just give me a second.”

“Thank you,” she rasped, and the sound became a sob as she squirmed in his arms, trying to curl inwards on herself. Whether that was to cover her naked body better or simply because she was hurting in every way humanly possible, he wasn’t sure. “Thank you. I thought that was it, when… when she… she —”

“Shh,” he said, briefly tightening his hold around her shoulders with a slight curl of his right arm, worried that if she grew too distressed, he might drop her. “It’s over now. You’re safe.”

“Thank you,” she said again, and then added with a little sniffle, “My name is Syl, by the way.”

“Rhuarc,” he grunted, finally lifting the lid of the chest. “This your stuff?”

She peered forward and nodded. An undyed linen shirt and brown trousers had been roughly stuffed into the wooden chest, along with a pair of softly-worn, fur-lined boots, a thick, fur-lined jacket, and a small alchemist’s pouch that fitted on a belt around the hips. He had something similar himself for the road, choosing to forgo the usual traveller’s pack with a bedroll and cooking pot. He hunted or foraged for what he needed and cooked it over an open fire and slept under the stars when he absolutely had to, but mostly, he actually planned his journeys to halt at an inn for the night these days, because he was too damned old now to be sleeping out of doors in the grass like a bloody wild boar. He also thought he glimpsed some linen underwear and wrappings in the chest too, but he didn’t let his gaze linger.

“You… need a hand?” he asked quietly, but she shook her head.

“I can just kneel here for a moment. I’ll be alright,” she said in a steady, if rough voice. “Thank you.”

He nodded once. “I’ll be over there,” he said, gesturing vaguely with his thumb over his left shoulder.

He helped her slide off his lap where he’d crouched beside the chest, and steadied her briefly with a hand at the small of her spine to stop her tipping backwards. Her flesh was still cold from lying out there on the table, but she couldn’t have been out there for too long before he’d found her, or she’d have died of exposure. Even a Nord couldn’t survive naked in the snow for very long.

Only then, with his rough palm pressed against the pale softness of her skin, did it strike him that it had actually been a very long time since he’d seen another naked body, and the feel of her skin beneath the calluses of his palm distantly stirred the cold embers of desire in him that had lain dormant and out of mind for longer than he cared to remember. Even for an orc, he wasn’t exactly short of people showing interest, but it just… hadn’t been something he’d wanted. Then of course, he’d found himself the adoptive father of a pair of ten and eleven year old girls, and all thoughts of romance and the so-called ‘Dibellan arts’ had evaporated completely from his life like autumn mist.

With a sigh, he banished the faint and inappropriate sensation and levered himself stiffly to his feet. As he did, he felt the cut in his lower belly pull with a sharp prick of pain and when he looked down at it, he found it already suppurating. His thick, naturally green, orcish skin had turned a nasty, angry red around the slash and something was oozing out of it that wasn’t blood. Poison. Fuck.

Glancing around the room, he wondered if there were any ingredients stashed way that the witches would have used, but he was in the wrong part of their stronghold for that and anyway, who knows what they might have been brewing in there? Thinking about what limited stocks he kept in the emergency pouch on his belt, he drew out two carefully-sealed glass bottles and tipped their contents into the cupped palm of his left hand. It was hardly ideal, but it would do for now, and he smeared it onto the open wound.

The flash of pain made him grunt, but with a soft fizzing, the powders got to work and nullified the festering poison before it could spread.

“Rhuarc?”

When he turned around at the sound of her voice, he found Syl looking at him from where she was still kneeling in front of the wooden chest.

“Are you alright?” she asked with a frown.

Her alto was still hoarse and rasping, and he wondered if she was still in pain. “I’m fine. Are you? Did I heal you enough?”

At his question, she smiled, and something in his chest slipped sideways when he saw it.

How could a woman who’d just been through the torment she had experienced still find the grace to smile like that? And at an orc of all creatures.

“Yes,” she said, and, now that she was dressed, she stood slowly; cautiously.

She wasn’t very tall for a human, perhaps five foot five at most, and her body seemed somehow even smaller in her loose-fitting, practical clothes. He could clearly see the swell of her hips though, and the definite curve of her breasts, and her dark eyes looked very large as she regarded him. In an attempt to tidy herself up, she had tied her lank, black hair back off her face in a low ponytail, but she still looked like she’d taken one hell of a battering, despite the healing magic.

And yet, there she was on her own two feet, and her resilience was suddenly as devastatingly attractive to him as were her natural good looks. Rhuarc swallowed thickly, utterly floored by what he was feeling for the first time in decades.

“You’re hurt,” she said, eyeing the wound in his stomach.

He felt her open herself up to start channelling magicka, and his own mismatching eyes went wide. “No, don’t!” he gasped, taking an involuntary step towards her and holding out both hands in a kind of warding gesture. “Please, you need to conserve your energy. I’ll heal myself in a moment. I was just waiting for the poison to work its way out first.” No point sealing up the cut with all the vileness still inside, after all.

Syl walked slowly towards him, moving like a black cat along a wall, with her gaze focused on his bare paunch.

Rhuarc’s breath caught and he froze. He couldn’t have moved so much as a muscle then, even if an army of hagravens had descended on him.

When Syl came to a halt in front of him, she brought her fingertips up to touch the fevered flesh around the wound. Very carefully, she let a tiny thread of golden magic seep into him, and he honestly did not mean to let out the noise that left his lips. He hadn’t even known he was still capable of making a sound like that.

Pleasure curled deep and visceral in his gut, both from the whisper-light contact of her fingertips against the trail of hair on his stomach, and from the way her magic coiled and twisted inside him, stitching him up from the inside out and cleansing the last of the poison’s putrefaction in the same deft stroke. She wasn’t just some hedge witch with a little magic: Syl had to be a master of the school of restoration with a healing that deft.

“There,” she breathed. “Just looks a bit of a mess now,” she added, eyeing the blood that still covered him in a series of spatters and smears.

He couldn’t catch his breath for a moment, but he cleared his throat and stepped back. “Not much different from usual then,” he said a beat too late and painfully aware that his gruff bass sounded far more winded than when he had fought his way through the entire complex to reach her. “Thank you.”

With a long inhale, she let her hand fall back against her side and turned her big, dark eyes up to regard him. “So… what happens now?”

I hope you enjoyed this one? I'm fairly certain most people aren't going to read down to this point, so if you did, please consider reblogging it to help it find more of an audience, and give Rhuarc and Syl some love?

And if you want to learn more about how they fall in love on their journey away from Hag's End, be sure to leave me an ask or a comment! Otherwise I'll assume there's no interest and won't keep sharing it. :)

Masterlist | Ko-fi (tip jar)

#to read later #when i am human again

[monstersarefriends]

Alfie the Minotaur: Part Two

The story of Alfie continues! As the two begin their dating journey, they learn a lot about each other. As the fresh dirt begins to settle, so do they on the routine that has become part of their lives. Part One Female Reader x Male Monster (both cis)

“I seriously can’t get this thing to work,” you said to Keery over the phone. You struggled with the wrench, trying to adjust the radiator heater in your apartment. “This worked last year.”

Keery had this certain tone to her laugh. “Why don’t you call Alfie? I’m sure he’d love to come and rescue you from that old, cold apartment.”

You pouted. “I mean, I guess I could. I just don’t know what stage of the relationship we are in. Am I able to call him to fix shit like this whenever? Or is it just a story I tell him over dinner?” You grunted, falling off the wrench and tumbling back into the wall.

Keery was chewing on something, probably her breakfast. “It’s Alfie, even if you two weren’t hanging out he’d still come fix anything you’d ask.”

“Don’t say it like that,” you huffed. “I mean, I like Alfie. I just haven’t had that convo with him yet about-”

“Being demisexual?”

“Yeah.” You took the wrench off the radiator and sat down in front of it. “Keery! I’m freezing to death!” You whined. “I don’t have big boobs like you to keep my heart warm and soft. I’ll turn evil any second.”

“Calm down, you baby. Okay, I have something you can do.”

You sit up and push up the sleeves to your hoodie. “Really? What is it?”

“Call this number-” she said, rattling it off.

You frowned. “That’s Alfie’s phone number.”

“Yeah, call him!” Keery then hung up.

You leaned back against the wall and stared at the radiator. “It’s not that I don’t want him here. Nor that I don’t want to talk to him about it. It’s just really hard ya know? After last time?” You motioned to the radiator. “You remember last time?”

The radiator stood in silence.

“Yeah, that guy. The one who thought three dates meant sex.” You slouched back then looked at your phone in your hands. “It’s been five dates with Alfie though.” You looked back at the radiator. “Well you call him then since you’re the one in distress!” You held your phone out then grunted loudly. “Fine, I’ll call.” You stood up and walked into the kitchen, sitting near the stove you had pre-heating just to feel some semblance of warmth.

Fall had come in like a brick that year, started off by a hellacious rainstorm that had halted work on the academy grounds, as well as brought in a bone chilling cold front. You had made due with a space heater, but now you needed the big guns and that wasn’t working.

“Hello?” Alfie yawned from the other end.

“Oh sorry. Did I wake you?”

Alfie chuckled sleepily. “No, I woke up a minute ago. Just getting coffee going. To what do I owe the honor of hearing your voice first thing?”

You squirmed in your seat, worried about asking him for help. “It’s my radiator. I’m having a hard time getting it to work.”

“Want me to come over then?”

Every hair on your body bristled. “I don’t want to bother.”

“None at all. Just let me have a cup of coffee and I’ll hop over right away. You’re probably freezing.”

You were wearing a hoodie, a thermal top, thick flannel thermal pajama bottoms, and those white girl comfy boots with fur lining, as well as a pair of thick socks. “You don’t have to rush at least.”

“I’ve seen how you bundle up, Lady Ginseng. Not to worry, I am always warm so I do not fear the elements to get to you.”

Your heart throbbed gently and you smiled. “Okay. I’ll have more coffee waiting for you here.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you soon Lady.”

“Be careful out there,” you said as you hung up the phone. You glanced towards the window with a small smile on your lips.

When Alfie arrived it had started to rain again. Droplets of cold water clung to his fluffy hair as he came into your apartment from the hallway.

“Caught me by surprise,” he laughed as he took the hand towel from you. “The rain here always does.” He wiped himself down. “Back home, I could read the weather like a book.”

“Must have been a useful gift.”

“It was.” He took off his coat. “Always knew the best time to plant. Now, where is this tricky radiator?”

“Over here.” You lead him down to the hallway. He knelt down before it, taking up the wrench you had been using. “Is this all you’ve got?”

“I have a hammer,” you replied.

Alfie shook his head. “Everyone needs a good tool set.” He turned back to the radiator, using the wrench as well as he could. “I’ll have to help you put that together.”

You fidgeted where you stood, watching the big minotaur work before you.

“So, got any plans today?” Alfie asked.

“No, not now that it’s raining anyways.” You looked down at him, chewing on your cheek as you tried to decide the right words to say next.

“Well, maybe when I’m done here we could do something together?” He asked. “I mean, I can at least stick around until it warms up.”

Your cheeks flushed and your heart began to ache. “About that I-”

Alfie turned back with a shocked look on his face, “Sorry. Did that come off creepy? Not my intent! Promise, I’ll stay a gentleman as long as you want me to!”

You smiled shyly, a bit relieved by these words. “No. I didn’t think that.”

“Mama taught me to wait until marriage for those sorts of things.”

Your stomach dropped, but you weren’t sure why.

“I mean-” he grimaced. “I haven’t. But I was taught to wait for the lady. Or fella. Whichever. But we don’t tell Mama everything.”

You knelt down beside him as he got the switch to finally turn. “What if you had to wait for a while?”

“A while?” He huffed and set the wrench aside. He chipped off some paint and rust with his finger.

“I mean uhm-” You hesitated, wishing for some easier way to say this.

“What am I waiting for?” Alfie asked, meeting your eye and capturing it. He held your gaze with a serious but very soft expression. “To spend time with you? To get to know you? That’s what I like, Lady Ginseng.” His smile melted your heart. “If you need time to feel comfortable before sex, well, that’s all I want.”

Tears began welling up in your eyes. “Yeah I…I was afraid that you-”

Alfie placed his warm, soft hand on your cheek. “Keery told me you liked patience. And I’m fairly good at that.”

You chuckled with him then gently placed a kiss on his lips. “I’m demisexual.”

“I’m pansexual,” he said proudly.

You broke into an even bigger smile and both of you laughed. You shared another kiss, and then, the radiator began to work again.

In the kitchen, Alfie filled up a mug full of hot coffee. “So, what were you planning to do before the rain?”

“Laundry,” you huffed. “But I don’t feel like hauling my clothes through the cold, let alone the cold and rain.”

Alfie nodded as he sipped his coffee. “I have a washer and dryer at my place. I could drive you around and you could do your laundry warm and dry. Meanwhile, your place should get nice and toasty again.”

“That’s tempting,” you sighed. “I feel like I’ve already used up your helpfulness for the day.”

Alfie scoffed and rolled his eyes. “All I am is helpfulness. I’ve got a limitless supply in this big body.” He smacked his tummy then grinned. “Ask all you want. Besides, I offered first.”

“Okay,” you sighed. “I guess it can’t hurt.”

“Won’t hurt at all.”

Alfie's old pickup truck looked like it had seen better days. The seats were worn and were covered in duct tape patches. The old radio hissed and wheezed, barely picking up any signal as you drove through town. He at least had a big back seat to fit your overflowing laundry baskets.

He lived just a bit out of town, down a small road that wound about until you passed the old orchard and came upon a small red farmhouse with a crooked old fence. Alfie hopped out, helping you gather your laundry. You looked up at the place, surprised by how big it was.

“Do you live alone?” You asked.

“Most of the time. Some of the time my brother will stay a few months then disappear again on me.” He shut his truck door and led you to the porch.

Rain pattered against the tin roof, creating a lovely, almost sleepy sound. “You have a brother?”

“I have five,” he chuckled. He searched through his multitude of keys for the one to the front door. “This is technically my eldest brother’s place. But since he’s away so often, he likes having me here to keep up the place.”

“What does he do?” You asked.

“Same as me,” he chuckled. “He just does it for very wealthy people. Goes around the world making beautiful lawns for the beautiful people. I used to do that with him, but it got boring.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

He finally found the right key and unlocked the door. “I much prefer the academy. I like the people there a lot more too.”

Inside his house smells like worn leather, old wood, and a hint of stale linen. It’s warm inside, and has a sense of fullness and unity to it. Old horseshoes are hung on the walls, a few old hunting rifles are above the woodstove, and several pictures are dotted throughout.

“Right this way to the main attraction,” Alfie jokes. “You can get your laundry started, and I’ll see what I can make for lunch.”

“Free laundry and a free meal? How’d I get so lucky?”

“That’s just the Alfie experience, Lady Ginseng.” He opens a door and leads you downstairs. The basement floor is concrete, the walls are covered in old newspaper. One side of the room is nothing but hand-canned goods, sacks of rice, flour, and sugar. The other side is two old washing machines and an even older looking refrigerator that makes an oddly pleasant humming sound.

“There you are.” Alfie sets down your laundry basket and gives you a quick rundown of how the two machines work.

“There’s drinks in that fridge if you want anything,” he said too. “Oh, and there’s extra detergent and stuff in that bucket over there if you need it. If you want fabric softener or anything I can’t help you there. I don’t believe in the stuff.”

You snickered. “You don’t believe in fabric softener? What? Is it against your religion?”

Alfied shook his head and laughed. “No. Not like that! I mean, I don’t think it works. Or at least, it’s not good for the clothes or the machines. Just soap and water was good enough for Mama, should be good enough for me.”

You nodded at him, smiling in agreement. “I use vinegar sometimes. Helps the smells of my gym clothes.”

“Huh,” he murmured. “Vinegar. I’ll have to try that. I can really funk up some clothes.”

You tried not to laugh, but he was obviously trying to make you.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it, Lady Ginseng. Holler if you need anything.” He went back upstairs while you turned to your laundry, separating your clothes then filling up the shockingly large washing machine.

When you got the first load in, you took a peek inside the fridge. It was full of nothing but all sorts of beverages, from beer, to soda, to even large pickle jars with kombucha in the back.

“Wow,” you murmured as you took out a glass bottle of soda. “What a way to live.” You shut the door and twisted off the bottle top, tasting the rich cream soda. “Oh man. Why does everything taste better in glass?” You looked back towards the hand canned goods, seeing a mix of dates and names written on them.

“Auggie,” you read aloud. “Must be the brother.” You went back up stairs after your small excursion into snooping.

Alfie was in the kitchen, chopping away at some potatoes. “Everything go well down there?” he then pointed to the soda bottle in your hands. “Cream soda. My favorite.”

“Sorry. It just looked really good.”

“I have more than I need down there. You’re fine.” he scooped up the chopped potatoes and threw them into a big pot on the stove. “I thought some ham and potato soup would be perfect on a day like this.”

You instantly felt warm and cozy hearing that. You couldn’t wait to hold a big, toasty bowl of homemade soup between your hands. “That does sound good.”

“I only like cooking when it’s cold,” he chuckled. “Otherwise, it's take-out and whatever leftovers I have.”

“I don’t like cooking at all,” you said. “Never got the hang of it.”

Alfie was facing the stove, adding things into the pot which started to sizzle and burble from within. “Mama made sure my brothers and I knew at least the basics. Said it was our responsibility to feed ourselves when we were grown and to not expect anyone to mother us aside from her.”

You took a seat at the counter on a tall stool. “Good woman.”

“The best!” Alfie looked back at you. “She raised me and my brothers on her own.”

You leaned against the counter, watching as Alfie came back to gather the chopping board and knife. “Wow. Must have been tough.”

“I’m sure it was, but she never let us know.” He washed off the knife. “As far as my brothers and I knew, everything was a well tuned machine in our house. We took care of our clothes so they could get passed down. We rotated chores so we didn’t get sick of things. We worked the farm as we got older. On and on until Mama decided she didn’t need the old farm.”

“What does she do now?” You asked.

Alfie got a smirk on his face as he returned the clean cutting board and knife to the counter. “Lives out west making wine with her friend Alice.”

You tilted your head to the side. “Her friend?”

“She thinks my brothers and I are idiots. But we all know she and Alice have been friends for a long time. I call her Aunty Al.”

“She knows you’ve dated friends before,” you teased.

“She does. But Mama is silly sometimes.” Alfie took a country ham wrapped in cheesecloth from the fridge. “Is that what you are, Lady Ginseng? A friend?” He started chopping off chunks of the salty ham.

You smirked. “I’m afraid to say with that huge knife in your hands.”

Alfie raised the knife and twisted in the air. “You should see my real knife.”

You both giggled and you nodded. “I would say we’re friends for certain. Possibly more.” You bit the inside of your cheek and ducked your head. “Definitely more.”

“Good,” Alfie murmured as he rhythmically chopped. “Because I think you're a wonderful friend. But I have more inside me than friendship to give you.” he looked up shyly then quickly glanced back down to the counter. His strawberry blonde hair hung in his face and he pushed it back.

You had an old hair clip in your hoodie pocket, one that had been stuck there since last winter. You took it out. It looked like an old nineties relic, but really it was a splurge purchase from a relic store in the mall. It was pink and glittery, with the clip looking like butterfly wings.

“Here.” You offered the hair clip out to Alfie.

“Thank you!” Alfie wiped his hands off and took the clip. He didn’t seem to pay much mind to its overly indulgent girlishness. He then slicked back his hair and clipped it. “On a scale of one to ten, how pretty am I?”

You leaned back and rubbed at your chin, scrunching up your face and acting like it was an overly serious decision. You clicked your tongue, thinking as a matter of fact just how adorable he really did look in that moment.

“Come on now, I’m getting shy.” Alfie posed with his hand against his cheek.

“Well, alright. I have my verdict.” You placed both hands down firmly on the counter top and stiffened your shoulders. “I’m afraid I have to give you this score based on everything I have been presented with.”

“Oh fuck no, I am scared.”

You nodded and made a stern face despite your desire to bust out laughing at any second. “Alfie, I have to give you a score of only ten.”

Alfie gasped and fluttered his hands over his heart. “I’m beautiful?”

You both bent over in gut splitting laughing. Alfie snorted while you got a case of hiccups. After a moment, Alfie came around the counter, gently kissing your cheek before you allowed a kiss on the lips. You hiccuped, smashing your face into his which caused another burst of laughter.

“Well, Lady Ginseng, on a score from one to ten, for me, you’re a perfect one hundred.” he kissed your temple and smoothed his hand back around your neck.

You hiccuped, squeaking while you did it. “Oh come on now Alfie. Be reasonable. No one is one hundred.”

Alfie leaned down and came close to your ear. His breath tickled, sending exciting little shocks down your skin. You held your breath, hiccuping again, despite your wishes. “You are. And that’s what makes everything worth it. Just being with you makes my day.” He kissed your cheek again. “Now, let me finish that soup.” He walked back towards the oven while your heart went into overdrive. You chugged soda, hoping it would cure the hiccups. You just smiled, thinking how the real one-hundred in the room was Alfie.

#physically I'm at work #mentall im sitting in front of a sindow squeling and kickikg my feet #10/10 #exophilia #these two are adorable

[monstersarefriends]

Alfie the Minotaur: Part One

You wouldn't exactly expect Hepheastus Academy to be the breeding ground for romance that it is. But yes, it is. And by grounds, we mean dirt this time. And the dirt is up turned and messy. Romance blooms, much like the student gardens on campus. Female Reader x Male Monster (both cis)

The campus cafeteria usually opened early every morning, it was one of the things you knew you could rely on. You enjoyed the coffee when it was fresh, and they had these interesting little pastries you would get along with whatever breakfast sandwich was being served. Today, you had hoped they would make something with bacon, perhaps even use that rare bit of gruyère that came into stock once in a blue moon.

Instead, as you rounded the corner from the parking garage to the front of the campus, all you saw was a ripped up lawn and security tape wrapped around the cafeteria doors.

“Oh no,” you murmured under your breath as you looked at the carnage. You stepped onto the sidewalk, looking down at the lawn which was diverted so deep you could lay down in it like a coffin. Dirt and debris was kicked up, chunks of grass was strewn everywhere. Flowers. Bushes. All the wonderful colorful things on the front lawn were totally destroyed.

You frowned, not because of the missed breakfast, but because you knew the front lawn of Hephaestus Academy was considered a work of art. The groundskeeping team took pride in their work.

“Keery is going to freak the heck out,” you mumbled to yourself. You took out your phone and wondered if you should call her, or if it would be rubbing salt into the wound. Keery had been part of the gardening department for years now, she’d be crushed to see what had happened.

You walked down the street a bit, heading towards a little bistro that sustained itself on late students and teachers wanting to escape the academy for a moment. As you were about to cross the street you heard a sniffle.

In the shadows of the trees, where the walkway was shadowed by the building, someone was sitting with their head in their hands. You approached gingerly, taking small steps as the person continued to sniffle and huff.

“Are you okay?” You asked with a hint of caution. This was Hephaestus Academy, and after an accident on the lawn it really could be anybody. “If you’re hurt, I work with the medical response team.”

“No, I’m fine,” the man sniffled. “Just frustrated.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you murmured.

The man slowly stood, revealing himself to be quite big. Was it one of the heroes on campus? He was certainly built like it. But as he stepped into some light, you saw he was wearing dark blue coveralls with the academy logo emblazoned on the pocket and back.

He dusted off his rear then sighed heavily. “Nothing to apologize for.” He stepped further out into the light, keeping his head down. The large minotaur was a well known sight on campus. His strawberry blonde fluffy hair, and chocolate pink muzzle, along with his large figure stood out, even amongst the heroes of the school. He had worked there since long before you started.

“Mr. Findlay.” Your stomach churned as you tried to think of something comforting for him. After all, it was all his hard work on the lawn that was destroyed. “You weren’t here when it happened, I hope?”

He shook his head, strawberry blonde fluff was clipped back from his big, brown eyes. “No. Happened late last night,” he grumbled.

“That’s…good-” You trailed off from your words. “Do you want me to get you anything at the bistro, Mr. Findley?” You had no idea what to offer aside from that.

He looked at you and a sort of smile crossed his face. “Call me Alfie. I’m not a teacher here,” he half heartedly chuckled. “I’m a bit too upset for anything to eat right now, but uh…thanks.”

You looked over the destroyed lawn. “Maybe it’s not so bad. I mean, Keery’s told me you like planning and trying to find native plants to grow. She-” you began to lose your momentum and second guessed what you were saying. “Keery told me you were looking for a way to incorporate a communal garden so-” You turned weak and mushy, wanting to run away from your own words.

Alfie took in a deep, deep breath that puffed out his already thick chest. His ears flopped up and as he let his breath out, that sort of smile became a full smile. “That’s a good way to look at it. I’ve been upset all morning over what was destroyed, you know?” He glanced down at you. “So you know my Keery huh? She’s one of my best workers.”

You nodded, swallowing down a bit of fear. “We were roommates during freshman year of college. We’ve just stuck with each other ever since.”

His eyes widened and his ears perked up again. “Oh! I know you!”

A jolt traveled all the way through your spine.

His smile grew wider, his eyes a little bit brighter so they resembled balls of caramel. “Keery talks about you all the time. You’re the one who found that ginseng plant in your backyard she brought in.”

You nodded. “Yeah. It was in my folk’s yard back home. It was thanks to Keery I even knew what I was looking at,” you chuckled softly. “I thought it’d be nice to have on campus, considering it could be used for the med team too.”

“It was a good find. I’ve always wanted to try and grow it myself.” He sighed and looked back out across the lawn, a bit of defeat returned to his gaze. “Ah but…you go on and get your food. That bistro is going to be a mess in a few minutes, what with the cafeteria closed. I should be getting to work, figuring out how we’re gonna clean this up today.”

“It’ll be okay,” you tried one last attempt at comforting. “You’ll have this looking better than it did in no time.”

Alfie sighed. “Yeah, hope so.” He waved then walked on towards the brunt of the damage.

The day progressed somewhat normally from there. Aside from detours on campus to avoid the front lawn, everything ran as smoothly as could be expected. You sat near the window in the medical wing, just so you could keep an eye on the grounds below, checking in to watch Keery and the rest of the team doing their best to fill in the large divot.

As you were cleaning up your work area at the end of the day, your phone chimed. While the head of the department gave you the eye, it was the end of the day, so she didn’t fuss at you for having your phone.

You sneakily took your phone out still, seeing Keery had sent a text. “Grounds team is going to The Tower. Come join us.”

“Hard day?” You asked.

“You have no clue. I’m outside if you’re on your way.”

You headed out, finding Keery looking over the front lawn with several others of the grounds team. All of them looked exhausted and haggard, but still they wanted to all go to The Tower to cap the day off.

Keery leaned into you as you walked down the street. “Thank you for coming.”

“I’m just a designated driver to you,” you sighed dramatically.

“You’re more than that. You’re also going to hold my wallet in your giant tote bag,” Keery teased.

You smirked and rolled your eyes. “I like their appetizers here.”

Keery sighed with relief. “My treat, get a few since I’ll probably be crashing with you tonight. Your bed is so much nicer than mine, and my back isn’t going to want to cooperate regardless.”

Inside The Tower the live music was playing, soft guitar and bongos filled the stairwell as you climbed up towards the top. The scent of hot wings and spilled beer wafted through the door as you stepped inside. The old wood floors creaked as rowdy cheering burst from the pool tables.

“Over here!” Alfie waved you down from the row of tables he was guarding. He smiled as you came over, pulling out chairs for you and Keery. “Lady Ginseng, good to see you again.”

You cheeks flushed. “You too, Alfie. You look in better spirits.”

“Lady Ginseng?” Keery chuckled.

“We met this morning.” Alfie took a seat across from you. “She kept me from losing my marbles this morning.”

Keery picked up a drink menu from between the condiments on the table. “She’s good at that.”

“How was it today?” You asked.

“Awful,” he huffed. He took out one of his clips to adjust his fluffy hair. “But, we’ve got the divot filled in, we’ll smooth it out tomorrow, clean up, get grass planted, then figure out plans from there.”

Keery set down the drink menus as the waiter approached. “He’s talking about that communal garden again.”

“It wouldn’t be too hard. Not until they approve the greenhouse for whatever semester they deem reasonable,” Alfie laughed.

“I didn’t know they were planning a greenhouse.” You took a menu from the waiter and requested ice water.

Keery scoffed. “They aren’t. He is.””

Alfie let out a heavy sigh. “I’ve been trying to get the program off the ground for ages. I’ve even been working with the culinary department in hopes of upping our chances. But funds for the school are very particular these days. Lots of people in power are even questioning the need for this academy.”

“Not everyone likes heroes, I guess,” you muttered.

As more of the grounds team came into The Tower, the more Alfie’s attention was drawn away. You and Keery kept mostly to yourself, joined by a few others on the team.

Later, Keery went to the pool table to play, while you stayed at the table to enjoy the live music. Alfie came back, taking his seat and turning to look at the band himself.

“Not a pool player?” You asked.

He scrunched up his face and shook his head. “I’m not a sportsman at all.”

From his appearance, you wouldn’t have guessed that. “Really?”

“Never got into it much. Was always a farm boy. Tried playing football in school, but I was so terrible at it. Even T-ball was a challenge.”

You smiled, trying to keep from appearing too amused. “I get it.”

“You look like a swimmer,” Alfie remarked.

You snorted and cupped your hand over your mouth as you laughed. “Oh gosh, no! I’m just a bean pole. For some reason I can’t sink. I just float and can’t do anything.”

Alfie just smiled. “Too full of hot air?”

You grinned. “Maybe.”

Alfie’s eyes glanced back towards the stage. He seemed distant for a moment, then he sat up straight and turned himself to face you, holding his half full beer between both hands. “So, med team huh? What’s that like?”

“You know that show Harmony Hospital?” You asked.

Alfie nodded and took a sip of his drink. “The one that’s basically a soap opera but played during the evenings?”

“Yeah! That one. It’s absolutely nothing like that. In fact I think it’s more paperwork than actual medical work most days.” You shrugged.

“I guess that’s a relief?”

“Sometimes, I’ll take paperwork over romantic drama any day,” you laughed.

Alfie nodded, looking down at his beer then back at the band. “What’s your call to arms then? Like…do you do bandages, stitches?”

“Teeth.”

He looked at you confused.

“I’m a dental assistant for the time being,” you chuckled. “But I’m working my way up from there. I got a scholarship to do this work program at the academy.”

“They have a dental team?”

“Hey now, lots of fighting happens around the face area.” Your circle your fingers around your head. “Do you know how many broken teeth I’ve had to deal with this month alone? Caps, fillings, x-rays, this school sees lots and lots of all those.”

Alfie had a smile on his face. “Do you like working in mouths?”

You gave him the eye. You got that question a lot. It was like working with mouths and feet were the weirdest things a person could focus on. “No weirder than the rest of the natural body. Everything about that is weird.”

Alfie gave a nod. “Okay. I’ll agree to that.”

You looked back towards the band as the song began to change. “It’s a family thing too. I’m just used to it.”

“Is your mom the tooth fairy?”

You turned back to Alfie. “No, my dad. Why?”

A shy smile crossed his face and he shook his head. “Just that…you look like a fairy. That’s all.”

Your stomach flip flopped and you looked back at the band. “Oh well, uh…thanks I guess.”

“I was trying to go for a compliment. It sounded way too corny didn’t it?” Alfie laughed. “Geez. I’m sorry.”

“Good attempt.”

“Maybe I can try again,” he said with a much quieter tone.

You weren’t sure you heard him over the music. You leaned further over the table to get closer to him. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

His expression was embarrassed, maybe he didn’t want to be heard right away. “I said: maybe I can try again.” he spoke a bit clearer, but there was an obvious lilt to his voice.

You had to giggle. “The fairy thing?”

Alfie laughed, brushing aside some of his fluffy hair that had come loose. “Maybe, over coffee?”

Your heart spiked and you fidgeted with your fingers for a moment. “Coffee? I don’t think it’s very good here.”

Alfie shook his head and pointed towards the exit. “In the morning,” he offered. “I’m much better in the mornings.”

“Oh uh…yeah. Me too.” You returned his shy smile with another. “I usually go to the cafeteria, but I don’t know when they’re going to open it back up.”

Alfie had moved aside his beer and was leaning more against the table. “The bistro down the way maybe? That’s where you were going this morning, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it was.” You looked around the room, unsure where to focus your eyes. Your cheeks were warm, and your stomach was bubbling up a storm. “Sorry, I’m not used to getting asked out.”

The smile that spread across his face did some to soothe your nerves. “I’m sure Lady Ginseng is much more accustomed to proper courting. But I’m just a silly little farm boy. If I see a chance, I’ll take it.” He scratched behind his ear, and some of that fluffy hair spilled from the clip.

You bit the inside of your cheek, nerves bubbling up much more than your excitement. There was a conversation you often had to have when this sort of thing happened. It wasn’t a first date sort of thing, let alone a coffee thing, but it always came up eventually. You never had much success with it, but Alfie seemed kind. Perhaps, this once, you could risk it.

“Never courted,” you let out a laugh. “Chance well took I would say.”

Alfie nodded over to the pool table where you became aware that Keery was watching you both intently while also trying to pretend she was into the game. “I hope you don’t mind, I had to ask Keery a few things before I approached you.”

You met Keery’s gaze and she ducked her head down. “What did you ask? Maybe I can clear some things up,” you laughed.

“Just the basics. If it was okay to ask you out. If I was even your type. Were you seeing someone-” he shook it off in chagrin. “Eh, you know. The questions you kind of want to hear from the best friend.”

The music had gotten soft again, so you could hear him without having to shout back and forth. “What did she say about my type? I’m curious now.”

Alfie laughed. “Ah well, she told me it’s not so much a type as a uh…vibe.” He let out an anxious laugh. “I hate that word but it fits here.”

You agreed with that, nodding a long. “And what did she say about that?”

“Cozy came up. I’m not sure what cozy means or-” he looks down at himself. “Let's face facts, I look like a cozy guy.”

Your face burned more as you giggled along. You wouldn’t dare say it, but there had been many a conversation with members of the med team about Alfie as he worked. His butt was often brought up, his hands too. He was a common appearance, so he was a topic of conversation a lot. You could admit he was a good looking fellow. You liked how his strawberry blonde hair and chocolate strawberry nose made him look so cute and happy. You liked how excited he was about his work. You found passions attractive, and Alfie did fit that.

The waiter came by, setting down a glass of sweet tea before Alfie. “But I think it means something else. Not sure what. Maybe I’ll get to find out for myself.”

Cheering from across the room at the TV forced silence between you two for a moment. When it was quiet you gazed at one another and had a small laugh.

You nodded at him. “Maybe. I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

Alfie looked down at his tea, grinning from ear to ear. “Looking forward to it, Lady Ginseng.”

“How come Lady Ginseng?” You leaned back over the table. “I’ve wanted to ask you that all night but haven’t had the opportunity to.”

He shrugged. “It just came out as word soup when I saw you. I’m afraid I couldn’t remember your name right away. And rather than fumbling and failing at recalling it, I just popped that out. You found the ginseng and you seem kind of, I dunno, a bit regal to me.”

You laughed a bit too loudly then cupped your hand over your mouth, smiling bashfully back at Alfie. “A fairy and regal? Boy, you’re going to find out a lot about me that fits neither one of those.”

He just grinned. “That’s the whole point of these things, isn’t it?”

Part Two coming soon, or beat the wait and check it out over on Patreon!

#exophilia #minotaur #gods they're both so cute 🥺

[monstersarefriends]

@wereralph

[monstersarefriends]

Pre-order: Don't Shoot the Messenger

My novella, Don't Shoot the Messenger, is now available for eBook pre-order on Amazon!

Print pre-order to come!

Despite how it might seem, being a messenger for the feared sea-demon pirate, Admiral Satrasi, infamous far and wide for having an entire fleet of raiding vessels who answer to him alone, is a relatively safe job. After all, no one knowingly crosses the Admiral. Right? The most recent captain looking to join his fleet hasn’t gotten that bulletin yet. He's going to find exactly what happens when someone interferes with the Admiral's favorite messenger.

[monstersarefriends]

Where can I send in my application as the himbo human diversity hire?

Supernatural biker group idea. Thanks, Instagram.

So this morning when I was half awake, Insta showed me one (1) video of a stoic-looking guy dressed all in black, with a fully tinted visor, sitting on a black sports bike, and this idea was born. (It was one of those ‘meet the gang’ videos with the jokers and the ADHD-ers and the short one and the dad one, and this guy was the stoic silent one, so…)

So this is now all I can think about...

A biker group but they’re all supernatural of one kind or another in a very human world (supernatural is unknown/secret). They met through the owner of the local bike shop, who’s a werewolf, and they started hanging out. They don’t always ride all together, but here’s the full group.

It’s a long list/post, so here’s the short version: dullahan, werewolves x2, banshee, part-goblin, ghost, ace succubus, demon, merman, mimic, and a vampire (the one who sparked this all off about four hours ago and I’m still thinking about it). 

I hope you like them:

There’s the dullahan who wears different fuzzy helmet covers for each ride (his fav is the floppy pink bunny one) and is the goofball joker of the group. Always the first to start shenanigans at a red light. Killswitch king. First to leap off his (bright orange) bike to help someone if they topple over, but the very last to tell someone their kickstand is down and that’s why they can’t start. Sticks signs on his friends’ backs that say things like ‘It’s my birthday today - honk! (my friend put this on my back and I have no idea it’s there)’. Rarely on two wheels - wheelies whenever he can. Big social media following for his good vibes and fun times. Name: Pumpkin.

There’s the werewolf, with a rocking dad bod and the only one who doesn’t ride a sports bike. He’s got a Harley and doesn’t give a shit. In his mid forties, probably (it's hard to tell with werewolves). Always has snacks and supplies for all occasions and a full first aid kit. Navigator by default or they’ll never get where they’re going or home again. Will help you work on your turns if you’re new and will always know what’s wrong with your bike before you even know there’s anything up. He owns and runs the bike shop with his nephew. His social media is all over the place, from oddly cropped/framed photos of his BBQ and beer last weekend to an ok shot of his bike on the driveway but the lighting is shit and he’s got his fingertip over the lens. Name: (unironically) Dad.

Another werewolf who got into riding because of his uncle. Tall, kinda gangly, curly brown hair and big brown eyes that make him look innocent when he’s usually up to no good. He was a bit lost as a teenager, got into some trouble and acted out a lot, and then spent one summer helping in his uncle’s bike shop and learned to ride when he was seventeen, which helped him find his niche/people and settle down a bit. Smokes, drinks, has lots of piercings and tattoos and is still a bit wild and unpredictable, rides a bike that’s a bit too powerful for him but he’s working on it. Gets more speeding tickets in a year than birthday cards. Often gets into small fights/arguments/pissing contests with Demon (see below) because their personalities clash. Bisexual, and has a big crush on Ariel (see below) but won’t admit it to himself. It’s ok. Ariel knows, and is patient. Name: Hot Shot (originally used in a kind of derogatory/sarcastic way by the others, but now it’s become affectionate and he’s ok with it).

A banshee with long black hair that she wears in a thick braid, tall, tattooed, total gym junkie, ripped muscles, often mistaken for a guy when wearing her gear coz she just kinda blends in. Takes no shit, deals no shit, rarely found dancing at the lights or messing around, but if Coco goes in for a fist-bump, she’ll reciprocate. Rides near the back of the group near Tepeš or Coco (see below) and makes sure everyone is doing ok. Pretty big on socials, mostly for her gym and muscle content, but some bike stuff but never interacts with her followers or responds to comments/DMs. Name: Pixie. Don’t ask, and sure as hell don’t snicker.

A nonbinary part-goblin – has to ride a small-ass bike and makes it their entire personality. Can’t do a wheelie, doesn’t care. Always hungry, always late, always out of petrol, always over-caffeinated, and always the one who didn’t pee before they left. Worst navigator. Partakes in Pumpkin’s shenanigans wholeheartedly. Big fan of using a sticky hand and a tiny water pistol for laughs at red lights. Features on the others’ social media pages but doesn’t have a big following of their own because they’re always having too much fun to bother to post anything. Name: Greens or, more commonly, Pickle.

A short ghost possessing her black and neon pink suit. Has a pink helmet with a venom-style maw decal, and a hot pink bike. Joins Pumpkin and Pickle in shenanigans at lights sometimes, but she’s usually laughing and singing and waving at people. Likes to blow smoke/vapour out of her visor like she’s vaping. Her socials only have two posts from a few years ago, but she’s got a huge number of followers anyway. Name: Barbie or Tippy-Toes.

Ace succubus who gets her energy/sustenance from the adrenaline and good vibes of the group (and the people lusting after Demon, see below). Brunette, unassuming, soft figure, sweetheart, kind of in the middle when it comes to the ‘pranks to calm’ scale. Always down to go get snacks with Pickle and usually comes back with some sugary, coconut milk, caramel latte monstrosity that has everyone with good scent detection retching comically. Has been training with Pixie in the gym to get her confidence up. They might be dating. No one is sure and no one wants to risk Pixie’s wrath by asking. Socials all private and only followed by her friends. Name: Coco.

A demon who wears no special gear (except a helmet) because he’s basically indestructible and instead usually rides in a white t-shirt that shows off his tattoos and toned arms, and black jeans that make his ass look good. Everyone thinks the black and red horns on his helmet are decoration but actually they’re his own horns, glamoured to hide the holes where they come through the custom helmet. He gets all the attention for his hot body and he loves it. Wouldn’t be seen dead in one of Pumpkin’s stupid helmet covers but also wouldn’t ever want him to stop wearing them. Big Protecc of the group with an extra soft spot for Coco - crush? Who knows? He's hard to read. He and ‘Dad’ taught Coco to ride. He’s prone to big road rage though, and not above using some magic to get payback (non-lethal, though only because Dad won't allow it and (more likely) it would upset Coco) on assholes who cut them up or don’t look where they’re going or let them merge… Also does wheelies a lot and spits flames out of his exhaust. No one is sure whether it’s the bike or magic. Platonic besties with Barbie and races her a lot at lights, and pedals comically whenever he overtakes Pickle on their tiny bike. Has a huge social media following, loads of sponsorship offers, and 90% of his comments are people begging for a face reveal. Name: Demon. Just, Demon. He thinks it’s funny. No one else does.

A Merman who can shapeshift into a human but whose human legs are paralysed after a run-in with a boat when he was a kid, and he uses a wheelchair on land and has an adapted bike to accommodate his disability. Finds the human world more interesting than the ocean, and is a professional model. Trademark, very long, very shiny red hair that's probably insured for more than all the value of the group's bikes put together. He rides a green/blue bike the same colour as his mer-tail with custom fishscale paintwork. He's very chill and easy going, gay, rainbows and positivity patches all over his jacket, waiting for Hot Stuff to wake up and realise they like each other. Name: Ariel.

Mimic who *is* their suit, helmet opens up into a big drippy maw with lots of teeth and a huge black tongue but they’re actually kinda shy about it. Can take any shape but their natural form is basically black goop like venom. Strong af, and can wheelie, but doesn’t like the attention. Doesn’t talk much because it’s hard to do it without moving the helmet in an unnatural way, but is more open around just their friends. Also private socials and doesn’t post much anyway. Name: Ninja

And finally, finally, the one who inspired all of this: a vampire who never takes his helmet off, is never seen without full gear (which is all black and covers every inch of him, and probably very expensive) and he mostly does night rides with the group. Very chill, very gentle, comes across as stoic, and is tall and muscular and solid. Will go along with shenanigans but in an understated way, and can be goaded into a race if you’re cheeky and persistent enough. Rarely speaks (but can). Hand gestures only, but still very expressive. Mostly just lurks in the group chat til someone asks him a direct question – then he’ll reply with as few words as possible (not because he's being rude, he's just laconic). Very protecc. Always rides at the back of the group, but still spots the police first because of his night vision and vampire eyesight, and nips in front of the rider ahead of him to let them know by tapping his helmet, and they tell the rest through their comms. Also does a lot of solo rides through the city at night to clear his head. Will always stop to check on another rider if he sees them on the side of the road, even though he doesn't speak. On socials he’s the group cryptid and the only one without social media, which only makes people more curious. He doesn't do it deliberately, but the others use it to their advantage, and he's ok with that. To this day, Pumpkin’s most popular video is still a ‘two types of biker’ vid, with Pumpkin doing crazy-high-energy dances at the lights with his bunny ears flip-flopping all over the place, and in the second shot, vampire lad is just sitting there with his arms crossed and then shaking his head a little at the end before it cuts, and all the comments are about how hot he is (despite because of not seeing an inch of him). Name: Tepeš

Bonus story points if the group ends up adopting a human into their ranks who has no idea that any of these guys is supernatural in any way. Pumpkin? Just committed to the bit, so he doesn’t take his helmet off. Pickle? That greenish skin? Probably a medical condition - who cares so long as they’re safe to ride? And those pointed teeth and yellow cat’s eyes? Ever heard of body modification and contacts? Banshee? The lady’s scary enough without trying to figure her out. Dad? He’s hairy and has thick canines, so what? Ninja? Whatever that was, it was probably just a trick of the light, right? And Tepeš? He’s probably just busy during the day, and maybe he’s just here to ride - who says we all have to be chatty all the time? He’s nice and he waited with you when you stalled at the lights, and he fended Pumpkin off your killswitch too. The human’s name becomes ‘Token’ and they have no idea why, but they’re just happy to have been given a nickname that’s not related to a super embarrassing incident.

So yeah. That’s today’s all-consuming fixation. Hope you like - I want to write Tepeš a story with his human (maybe not Token), but… I’ve got other things to work on right now, including the gnoll story that won the poll recently (thank you), and Wolfmaw Gym which did really well too. Thank you for voting, and lemme know if you like this idea and I’ll add it to my ‘to work on’ list too... :)

#supernatural biker group #fantasy biker group #dullahan #werewolf #banshee #part goblin #demon #ghost #vampire #mimic #merman #succubus #ace succubus

[monstersarefriends]

Different space bat lizard man

[monstersarefriends]

🌟Late night dip🌟

[monstersarefriends]

Sketches of Locryn Trevethan - bucca gwidden (Cornish water spirit/shapeshifter), from Laces for a Lady.

#bucca gwidden #cornish mythology #laces for a lady #ghosti's doodles #bucca #friend shaped