Page 45 of Maneater

I clasp his hand, stroking his skin that will soon be covered in fur. “I understand, and I’m happy for you.”

Rex furrows his brow. “You are?”

“I’m happy there’s somewhere you can relax with your friends without worrying about the human world.” I chuckle. “We can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.”

His features soften, and he cups the back of my neck as he leans down to place a kiss on my head. He pulls me into a hug.

“You’re a sweetheart.”

We share a quiet moment before we reluctantly pull away. The noise and chaos around us are increasing as more groups arrive. Time to face the music. Or in my case, the monster population at its finest.

As we make our way to the large, open meadow where almost everyone is gathering, my panic does something astonishing. It slowly begins to morph into wonderment at my surroundings.

The atmosphere is joyous. Nothing about this gathering inspires fear. I’m with someone I care about who can’t wait to introduce me to those closest to him.

Rex nods and smiles at various beings as we stroll through the crowd. The occasional curious gaze lands on me, but for the most part, everyone is lost in their own concerns. After all, getting ready for the Solstice celebration is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, so we’re not quite at the social part of the event yet.

We arrive at the back of a line near a shady spot of closely positioned trees. The cloudless sky does nothing to temper the effects of the sun, and I imagine that some of the nocturnal creatures might find it difficult to deal with.

I lift up on my toes and whisper to Rex, “Are some of the species unable to be out in the day at all?”

Rex rubs his chin, then leans down to whisper back. “I know a few are light sensitive because they’re nocturnal. Maybe the gargoyles? Not sure.” He straightens, crossing his arms. “You know, now that I think about it, I only ever saw one gargoyle couple during a solstice. They showed up the first night to complain about something, then left. They’re not all that social.” He shrugs. “They’re usually off fighting demons or hiding in their lairs.”

Now I’m sorry I asked. I’d rather not know about demon fights, and statues coming to life. That seems more disturbing than any of the cryptids surrounding me. I’m basically never going near a cathedral again.

It’s our turn to check in, and I lower my eyes. I refuse to gape at the adult human-sized rabbit sprouting an impressive set of antlers that’s sitting behind a long folding table. My avoidance is short-lived.

“Darien? I’d like you to meet Fred.” Rex’s tone is almost giddy. “Fred, this is Darien, my date.”

Date? The word choice strikes me as odd for some reason. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been referred to that way before.

“Oooh, wonderful!” exclaims Fred, as if this is the most exciting moment of his life. “Everyone will be so thrilled to meet you. Welcome!”

Aww, that’s a sweet response. Maybe my incessant fretting over whether I’ll be accepted is a tad dramatic.

I raise my eyes and smile. “Thanks so much. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone. I can see this event is going to be amazing.”

Fred nods as he flips through some index cards in a long box. “I’m sure you’ll have a blast. Uh…let’s see.” He triumphantly plucks a card free from the box, then hastily scribbles some info on it before relocating it to another box. “Your usual cave is ready to occupy. There was a bit of a bat problem, but they were safely relocated.”

I keep my lip-curling to a minimum. I seriously better not hear one fucking word about vampires, or I’m out.

“Here’s a list of events and times,” Fred continues. “And the map of the booth spaces is on the other side.”

Rex accepts the piece of paper and studies it. “Was I able to get a corner space this year? I had a lot of orders for the pet trees, and they take up a lot of space.”

He’s not kidding. The only way we were able to fit them in the truck was to disassemble them.

Right as we’re wrapping things up, a majestic, bizarrely tall being rushes up to the table. I struggle to keep my jaw off the ground as I take in the sparks of electricity zapping around him. No one blinks an eye at this spectacle.

As for myself, death by an explosion of lightning seems imminent.

“Hey Rex, great to see you.” The electrical giant doesn’t spare me a glance, but I’m not insulted. The poor guy appears frazzled and a little out of breath. “Fred, have you seen George? I need him to fix one of the stage risers immediately. A section is wobbly, and one of the swamp apes was almost annihilated when he tumbled off the platform practicing his dance routine.”

Fred’s furry little brow wrinkles. “Gee, Bob. I’m not sure. Let me think.”

If I find out there’s a cryptid named Steve, then I will have heard everything.

I must admit, however, that Fred is an attractive jackalope. His coat is a vibrant, warm shade of brown with red and orange undertones, and a slight textured wave through his fur. The urge to pet him washes over me, but I resist. I’m trying to keep mortifying faux pas moments to a minimum.