“You should be asleep, Pretty Monster.” His deep, dark voice hums through the room.
The hair along my arms lifts. It shivers through me.
Imagine having a crush on the older guy in school and never, ever admitting it. And now imagine that guy is actually a seven-and-a-half-foot-tall monster who now visits you at night.
Under your bed.
Yeah, the crush I had on him then is still alive and well, obviously.
I pull forward through the heavy curtain of sleep and slowly open my eyes as a soft smile presses to my lips. He can change my mood just like that. He’s a reassurance and a blessing. A true friend.
“And you shouldn’t be hiding beneath my bed, but here we are.” I lie perfectly still, the smile still haunting my lips as I wait for the quiet to fade and his warm voice to calm me once more.
“Do you need me for something, Bella?” His breath kisses across my name in a more delicate tone like even my name is something he holds with care.
I swallow, and though I want to crawl under the bed and demand he take me to her, I try not to show my cards. I don’t want anyone knowing how important she is to me. It’s dangerous in the Kingdom of Carnal to care about someone. Those bastards will kill everyone you love just to see what breaks you.
So I can’t tell Ruin. Even if he is the closest thing to a friend that I’ve had in a long, long time.
“I haven’t seen you in years,” I whisper.
It’s a distraction, but it’s true. He’s careful not to break the rules like some monsters do. They cannot enter the mortal world. If a human comes to them, if they reach into the depths of the darkness under the bed, that’s fair game. If they summon a haunting at a séance, that’s fair game. Hell, if they leave the closet door open and accidently say the wrong prayer before bed, that’s fair game.
But otherwise, they cannot come uninvited.
So what the hell did Ivy do to gain the attention of the Sand Man?
“I’d say the same but...” His velvety voice carries off like a shadow in the night, and it has me sidetracked for a moment.
“You’ve seen me?” I arch a brow at that, but curiosity really can kill.
“Mmm, you had a mirror on the back of your bedroom door in your apartment. It showed...” his throat clears roughly.
“Did you spy on me?!”
“No!”
A disbelieving silence falls in before he speaks again.
“I checked in on you from time to time. Especially when that man lived there.” His voice rumbles beneath me, and it’s such a relaxing sensation to feel his tone as well as hear it.
It feels safe.
The smile against my lips is bittersweet, and it only grows as he confesses his protectiveness over me.
“Thank you. For taking care of him, by the way.”
His hum of a reply is short. “He tasted as disgusting as he acted.”
“I believe that.” I don’t dwell on the specifics of how Ruiner got rid of Jonathon. He’s a soul eater, but he’s also... a mixture of monster races. I don’t need to think too hard to imagine the details. I’m grateful all the same.
“Ruin,” I whisper, and I swear I hear a faint groan at the sound of his name against my lips.
“Yes, Pretty Monster?” His words skim across my flesh, the hair rising across my arms like a lover’s touch ghosting down my body.
“Can I see you?”
At that, hesitation settles. The weight of it presses down on me in the silence.