“This was a good decision,” Bronte whispered. “Even if we couldn’t do it on our own. I’m glad we did it.”
“Me too, baby,” Arat said, pulling him close as we all stared in horror for far too long.
Plum took my hand and pulled me from her husband. “Come on. I think we’re going to have to see if we can gain their trust. Monsters aren’t going to be seen as safe and especially not men.”
I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes.
“Someone grab Seneca and Veri. And the Taru women. We need a gentler voice right now,” Plum said.
“We shouldn’t get Maryn, then,” Tyrus snorted. “That woman is not gentle.”
“And that’s why there are no men in their beds. They’re too weak,” Plum quipped, turning her back on Tyrus.
Tyrus’ eyes turned dark. Beside him, Ryker laughed. A low sound that rumbled deep in his throat. He reached for Tyrus, bringing the oni to him with his arm around his waist and several of those death tentacles snaked around his body.
“Called you,” Ryker murmured, still laughing quietly.
Taranis pushed me gently into the room, and I stopped at the door of one of the women. She had a very significant bump. Slowly, I pulled the lock on the door and opened it, keeping my eyes on her.
“Hi,” I whispered, crouching down, so I was eye level with where she was huddled on the mattress on the floor. “My name is Hadley. What’s yours?”
“Celia,” she whispered.
“Want to get out of here, Celia? I can bring you somewhere safe.”
Her chest rose and fell with her fear. Her eyes darted to those gathered at the door. Biting her lip, she looked back at me.
“I promise you, not a single one of my men will hurt you. Ever.”
“They’re all yours?” she whispered.
I smiled. “No, not all of them. But a lot of them. Those that aren’t are good friends. As soon as we get you out of here, we’re going to take this place down. Bury it in the ground.”
“What about the monsters?” she whispered.
“The world is full of monsters, Celia. Some bite while others protect.” I stood and offered her my hand. “We’re going to keep you safe.”
Her hands trembled on her stomach before she slowly got to her feet and placed her hand in mine. “Thank you.”
I think I just found what I want to do with my life.
Hadley
The last severaldays were a whirlwind that felt a lot like the days leading up to our botched yet successful strike against Silence. We had lost one of the pregnant women. When Koa started yelling in our ears to get out, she had been so afraid that she ran in the opposite direction. Straight into the awakened hybrids.
We got out and Ryker took the entire building to the ground. Watching it fold and spark, burst into flames and moan like the ground was being forcefully pulled apart was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I had one of the last women wrapped in my arms as we watched it happen. We watched Ryker standing in the middle of the street, a monster like no other, destroying the building before our eyes.
I swear, I could see faces in the darkness of his death touch. Hear the screams echo. I was more than a little disturbed when Tyruswalked outof Ryker’s black reach.
Of course, that had really pissed off his family. Iker took him by the throat and said something low and fierce. I might have been afraid for him, except I could read the fear in Iker’s face. Tyrus wrapped his arms around Iker, smiling when his husband couldn’t see, and watched Ryker do as I said he’d do. Bury the building until there was nothing left but an empty stretch of land.
“Just like old times,” Ady said, coming up beside the nightmare monster and threading her fingers in his. He didn’t have a face right now. Just a head. A body lined with spikes and death. “Let’s go home.”
But we didn’t go home. We brought all the victims we freed back to The Harem Project. Ryker followed because he had a whole bunch that he hadn’t eaten—or whatever it is a nightmare demon does with them—within his, uh, arms? I wasn’t sure about the anatomy of his particular monster.
The woman I helped along stared at us all. When I settled her into a room, she grabbed my hand. “What are you?” she asked. Her eyes fierce. Afraid but brave.
“I’m a monster, too,” I told her, smiling. “I’m a storm.” Holding up my hand, I let lightning dance along my fingertips.
