But that very temptation is the reason I’m leaving today. And because Kaida can’t find me down here. We’ve been separated many times before, and she’s always found me. I’m not sure she’d succeed underground though.
I wait to get dressed until after I prepare a hearty morning meal. I’m not sure when I’ll have the next opportunity to eat like this again, so I’m going to enjoy it while I can.
The atmosphere hasn’t changed much since I arrived. Notto is still a damn creep, staring at me all the time. There’s an entirely different vibe from his stare than there is from either Drystan or Keary. It’s not comfortable, and he obviously finds my unease amusing.
Keary… I’m confident he only wants to fuck. His suggestions are almost always innuendoes concerning touching me in some way. If they weren’t monsters, I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed. It’s been a while since I got off with another person, and my hand is only so exciting.
But theyaremonsters, and that’s a level of vulnerability I’m not sure I’m willing to expose. Though, if I’m being honest, they somehow become more appealing, more attractive, every day. My resolve fades a bit with every night I go to bed horny and every aching erection I wake with.
Just another sign that I’m becoming far too trusting. Another reason to leave before I make a stupid decision and end up dead, or worse—enslaved.
The mornings have become routine. I cook whatever food they retrieved in the night, usually splitting it between two meals. This morning, I prepare all the perishable items. I’ve never seen them cook except the day they brought me here. I’m not sure heating canned goods and opening a package of freeze-dried food is considered cooking, but when fresh meat and produce are so hard to come by, it’s stupid to let it go to waste.
The monsters gather around as they have every morning. Drystan sits on the table behind me with Keary sitting in a chair beside him. Notto stays in the next room but always in a chair where he can watch us.
I can feel their eyes on me, their gazes burning into my back. I began wearing only a towel because I wanted my clothes to dry after I washed them. However, I might have enjoyed the way they looked at me a little too much. I totally could have put my clothes on days ago, but I opted to stick with a towel instead.
Clearly, my survival instincts have peaked, right?
Most mornings, I ask questions. Most of the time, they answer outright, but there are times I’m sure they don’t tell me the entire truth. There are times when they haven’t actually answered the question even after a long, rambling, sometimes interesting response.
We eat in silence too. I make sure the dishes get washed so whoever uses the underground shelter next doesn’t have crusty dishes, then I head for the shower. One more hot shower before I head back out into the world.
I finally put my clothes back on, and while they’re stained and torn and a little stiff from how they dried, I’m pleased that they’re clean. It feels weird putting them on after a week of wearing little more than a loin cloth.
It appears that my first stop is going to be finding new socks and sneakers. My sock is torn and saturated from where the quill went through it. My sneaker is covered in blood. I did my best towash it out, but between the pain I’d been in that morning and the fact that you can never truly get blood out of fabric, I know it’s only going to attract more predators.
For now, it’ll have to do.
The monsters are in the room they’re always in with all the seating. Keary immediately frowns when he sees that I’m dressed.
“So… Thank you for the rescue,” I say, feeling a bit awkward. “I think I’m going to head out now.”
Drystan’s frown joins Keary’s. Notto remains as disinterested as he usually is, though he’s still staring at me intently.
“To find the monsters who killed your parents,” Keary says.
I nod.
“You’re wearing that?” He pointedly looks at the blood stains and tears in my clothes.
“I’m not going to wear a towel.”
My snark earns me a flash of a wide smile, and when Drystan smirks, I have a feeling I’m not going to like the next words out of Keary’s mouth. “We have a whole room filled with clothes. You can choose what you want.”
I huff. Where was that information a week ago? Instead of getting irritated, I say, “Thanks. Where can I find this room?”
Keary gets up, and I follow him. Drystan follows behind me.
“We enjoyed seeing the hint of your junk,” Drystan says. “And your sexy back unhindered.”
“Don’t forget the plump ass and thick thighs earned by years of walking and physical work,” Keary adds helpfully.
“Glad I could entertain you,” I deadpan.
“If we thought you’d have appreciated it, we’d have walked around naked, too,” Drystan says. “You’re pretty set on keeping a wall between you and us though, so we didn’t bother, but there were lengthy debates on doing so.”
“Uh huh.”
