But to his surprise, she had turned her head and kept her gaze at the window, focusing on the storm outside. Her face stoic, the only movement was a brief flutter twitch on her cheek whenever he made a new prick.
“It’s something you learn hands on over the years,” Monte finally replied, his brow furrowed in concentration as he continued to work. “Especially when there are accidents. I’ve had to help out the local Lycan pack from time to time.”
Kiri’s hazel eyes widened slightly at the mention of the Lycans. “You helped them?”
He grunted an affirmation, not looking up from his task. “When a large storm causes sudden damage…We minotaurs...we’re good at lifting heavy things.” He let out a gruff chuckle at that. “Falling trees and limbs mostly. I’d clear what damage I could.”
He flickered his gaze onto her face briefly, checking to see if she was okay, then returned to his work. “When I wasn’tplaying lumberjack, I’d assist the local healers.” With the last stitch secured, he wiped away a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead with the back of his hand. “Got my medical lessons from them.”
“Are storms frequent here?”
“Sometimes we get storms.” His brow furrowed at the question as he reached for a roll of bandages with one hand while the other gingerly applied an herbal salve onto the newly stitched wound. “Very rarely do we get big ones that take down trees—and homes.”
“I guess the mountain ridge protects this area, huh?” Kiri blinked as if contemplating his words. “How often do you help others? What local monsters are there?”
“Often enough.” Monte shrugged self-consciously, feeling odd speaking about himself. “What about you? How does a human like you end up this deep on Monster Island?”
“I was hired by a firm...” Kiri paused, her hazel eyes meeting his. Her gaze held a hint of defiance, a lick of challenge. “To create content about the monsters on Monster Island to get humans to visit.”
“A job?” Monte’s brow rose at her words, his hands pausing momentarily from spreading the healing balm on her last wound. “What kind of job has you wandering in storms and falling off cliffs?”
He had known that humans were starting to visit the island, but he didn’t expect one to venture so far from the safety of their landing sites.
He was curious, but also wary at the thought of more humans on the island. It wasn’t that he disliked humans; rather, the idea of his peaceful sanctuary possibly becoming overrun with them felt like an intrusion.
Kiri chuckled lowly, her fingers tracing small circles on the rough blanket covering the back of the couch. “I’m a contentcreator,” she said, her voice soft and filled with amusement. “Fancy term for ‘someone who posts things on social media to get people to buy stuff.’ My firm wants to create a campaign about Monster Island.”
His nostrils flared; her mention of social media seemed foreign, unorthodox even. She was from a different world—a digital one that he didn’t follow. But this was part of his world now—helping humans understand them without the fear and prejudice that had maintained distance for generations.
One that somehow made them have the ridiculous idea that theyatehumans.
“I see. They want humans to see that monsters are not so monstrous, huh?” His voice was rough, his gaze focused on her injury as he tried to process this new information. “You’re saying they want to turn this place into a...tourist attraction?”
Kiri laughed, a sound like a wind chime that echoed within the cabin. “Something like that...They want to show that monsters can be friendly and welcome human visitors.” Kiri nodded, her teeth worrying at her lower lip. Her hand reached out hesitantly, fingertips brushing along his fur-covered wrist. “They want to show that cohabitation is possible.”
An unexpected warmth shot through him from her touch, causing him to suck in a deep breath. His heart pounded in his chest at her words, his gaze dropping onto the stitched wound on her side. “And they sent you here alone? Into the unknown?”
His dark brown fur bristled at her words. Cohabitation? He couldn’t imagine what that would look like, how it would change his world. Monte had always kept to himself, preferring the solace and orderliness of his forest home to living within society. The brief trips to Lone Lake Pack’s village were enough socializing for him for a long time.
Jasper was the only monster he interacted with often—almost daily—and that was only because he was the local mail gargoyle.
Other than that, he kept to himself and lived off the land for a long time.
Monte felt a twinge in his gut. This was not the world he wanted for himself or his fellow monsters. He found himself wishing for simpler times when the island was unknown to mankind.
But then he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to sell his carvings and wooden furniture to a larger audience…or meet Kiri.
And being touched as freely as she was doing…would’ve never happened.
What was happening to him?
Her strong gaze softened as she nodded slowly. “Seems foolish when you say it like that,” she admitted with a slight sigh.
Monte felt an odd sense of admiration toward her bravery and determination. Here she was, injured and far from home yet still had the heart to laugh. His large hand, rough with calluses, gently squeezed hers.
“Bloody brave is what it is,” he grumbled as he finished what felt like hours of stitching and bandaging wounds, finally standing with a satisfied nod. “There, all done,” he said with a small smile as he tied off the bandage around her ankle with nimble care. “That should hold, but you’ll need to rest and let it heal.”
Kiri nodded, exhaustion settling over her features. “Thank you once again,” she whispered, her eyelids growing heavy. “For everything.”
