Page 8 of Monster Girl Awakened
I simply stroke his hair again, and smile down at him not making a big deal about it. “Nothing to thank me for, Poppy. Now, would you like to talk about it, or are you ready for me to win you the biggest Troll plushie I can find?”
His silver eyes roll up to look at me, forehead wrinkling slightly as he searches my expression as though he’s trying to figure out how sincere I’m being. “Do you really mean that?” he whispers.
I wet my lips, face tightening with determination. “I do.”
Oscar stares at me, eyes a little hazy as though he’s having an internal debate over confiding in me, so I decide to offer him a piece of my vulnerability to help make his decision. “I’m sorry,” I say, voice rough, guilty eyes dropping from Oscar’s gaze.
He seems to startle at that, clarity snapping back into gaze. “What?”
“I’m sorry for acting so brashly, without letting you know or even considering how you felt being dragged into a situation like that.” My words successfully shove away any lingering happy buzz from feeding off of the shop owner’s fear earlier and I swallow hard.
Then Oscar does the strangest thing. He starts to laugh, head lolling back on my lap with the strength of it. When he notices my face screw up in hurt and confusion though, his laughter cuts off abruptly though a smile lingers on his mouth. He reaches up to gently cup my jaw, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Nessa, you take on the guilt of too much stuff. It wasn’t just you, it was a mix of a ton of things and nothing at all. Whenever something too chaotic happens, be it good or bad, I tend to spiral into a panic attack as soon as the crazy moment is over and I’m safe or calm.” He lets out a breath, face serene as I absorb that. It lifts some of the weight off my shoulders and clearly his expression of vulnerability does the same for him as he sits up in my lap slightly.
“So, about that giant Troll plushie?” he asks, voice a little raw from his panic attack, but he’s no longer white as a sheet or trembling slightly. He’s also smiling again, his mood and overall aura much lighter.
Giving my head a physical shake to shove away any lingering negative emotions I grin, eyes locked on his. “You bet. You won’t know what’s hit you when that giant plushie knocks you on your ass.”
He laughs and pushes up to his knees, before helping me up as well. After dusting off my butt I lower the barrier, watching Oscar out of the corner of my eye to make sure he’s okay before we make our way to the section with the arcade game stalls. I rub my hands together, grinning like a fiend. Time to win Oscar the Troll plushie I promised.
Chapter Four
Nessa
SadlyIwasn’tableto get Oscar the Troll plushie I promised—the stalls were seriously lacking in any sort of human memorabilia—so I had to go the old fashioned route and win him a giant horned bear teddy. My eyes slide to the man in question who’s walking beside me, a huge smile stretching his lips, his arms wrapped around the bear. It’s at least five feet tall, covered in shaggy fur and has four curled horns sprouting from its head. The beady eyes though, they’re creepy if you ask me. I wrinkle my nose before knocking my arm into Oscar’s playfully.
“So where to now, Poppy?”
His silver eyes slide to me before flicking to look at someone a ways in front of us. When I follow his gaze I find Dylan striding towards us. “I’ve got something I need to do so I’m going to leave you in Dylan’s capable hands and will see you later on.”
That sentence in itself has suspicion niggling at me, but the man in question walking toward us with a small smile fixed on his face, and those bright blue eyes glittering in the sunlight have me distracted enough to forget about that for now. His T-shirt and jeans don’t do much to hide his broad shoulders and swimmer-build. If anything it has my tongue darting out to wet my lips. His brown hair is messy and has grown since I last saw him, but it’s his missing black glasses that captures my interest. His eyes are so bloody bright without a layer of glass between them and my gaze. They have my interest piqued about what type of supernatural he is, since I still don’t know.
“Hi,” Dylan murmurs as he comes to a stop a few feet from us. I mumble a greeting back, a little confusion swirling through me. It’s not that I’m unhappy to see him, just a little suspicious about the way Oscar met him here and is sort of handing me off to him.Like this was planned. Hmm.I also can’t help but recall that he never actually gave me an answer about where the guys were earlier, just distracted me.
“What have you guys been up to?” Dylan asks, smiling as he watches me, his cheeks a little flushed. It has me grinning, excited as anticipation over what he wants to show me today bubbles up in my gut.
“Oh you know, just the usual. Sightseeing, food, Nessa putting the fear of the Goddess through a woman to save a bunch of wild-caught exotic creatures. Rather uneventful for Nessa’s standards I suppose,” Oscar says casually, then his eyes light up. “And she won me this giant bear.” He holds it up proudly, before patting it on the head gently like it’s a living being.
I chuckle and Poppy tosses me a wink. Shaking my head, I stick my tongue out at him before refocusing on Dylan. He’s watching me, his eyebrows practically touching his hairline and I cringe slightly.Oh right, Oscar mentioned the shop owner.I groan and rub a hand over my face. My impulsiveness will be the death of me one day, I swear. Until then, the attention it draws to me can be my fucking karma. Dylan’s blue eyes dart to Oscar before he strikes up a conversation about theincident,which I zone out of.
My eyes drift around the marketplace, over the stalls and the individuals laughing and having fun. It has an ache throbbing in my chest, the sudden urge to call Lexi filling me. This is exactly the kind of thing we’d do together. Impulsively, I reach for my phone only to pause. I’m supposed to be giving her space, so I cross my arms instead and force my thoughts to something else.
The something that has been nagging at me since I got over how hot Dylan looks. My brows draw down and I narrow my eyes at the crafty troll beside me. I swear this is coordinated. Which means Corin is probably involved, too. Oscar, the brat, must have spoken to them about today without including me. I open my mouth ready to question him when his focus returns to me, but Oscar darts in close and cuts me off by wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me into a tight hug. I jump, surprised, but then my arms come up to return the embrace, the plush teddy pressed between us.
“Thank you again for earlier, Nessa. It really means a lot.” He pulls back slightly so he can meet my eyes to fully convey how grateful he is. I smile and nod, an odd bubbly feeling rising in my chest. He nods once, then darts in, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of my lips before dancing away with a silly grin on his face. “See you later, and thanks again for my new friend.” He holds up the bear, showing it off to Dylan once more, before turning around and dissipating into the flow of the crowd. Watching after him, it’s a moment before I realise I didn’t get a chance to question him. I shake my head, deciding to leave it be for now, and grin at Dylan.
“So where are we going?” They clearly have a plan and I’m happy to go with the flow and get to know them more.
He tips his head down, hair falling forwards to partially cover his face before looking at me through his lashes. “I, uh, was thinking we could go to a quieter part of the market. If you want to, or we can stay here if you—”
I cut him off with a gentle smile to let him know I’m not upset by the idea. “Going somewhere quieter sounds great. My ears have been protesting for a while.”
Some of the tension in Dylan’s shoulders eases and I relax with him. He’s strung tighter than a bow string and all the chaos going on around us isn’t helping, so I’m quick to follow him when he takes off through the crowd. It takes a few minutes, but then the crowds start to thin and Dylan eases through a small space between a pair of tents, and it’s as though the sound of the fair eases immediately. My eyebrows raise and I turn around, squinting my eyes to see the magic barrier that’s woven in a giant dome over what looks to be the entire Travelling Market. “Holy shit,” I breathe.So much power. My own magic flare’s in response, having been a constant hum under my skin since using the animal abuser woman’s greatest fear against her. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m literally feeding on their fear. A thrill goes down my spine as the echo of her terror rolls over me before I shake it off.
“It’s crazy hey? It takes thirty A-class monsters to keep it running at full capacity, and the other supes who work here contribute alongside that whenever they are able to,” Dylan says quietly.
“That is crazy.”
Blinking out of the magic’s thrall, I continue after Dylan when he heads into the forestry surrounding the marketplace. I have a second of hesitation before stepping in after him. It takes me a few minutes before I realise that we’re walking around the marketplace and that Dylan somehow seems to know exactly where to go without actually being able to see the barrier through the trees. “How…” I trail off, my voice thick with confusion.