Edin (Monstrous, #2)

by Lily Mayne

A head—with horns—appeared, peering over the side of the hole, nothing but a silhouette against the bright sky behind it. A mixture of relief and apprehension flooded my limbs.

The head cocked. “Hello, human.” Its voice was so deep that the irrational part of my brain worried for a second that it would make the sinkhole worse if it kept talking.

“Please help me.” I tried to calm my breathing, to steady my voice. “Can you get me out?” The head cocked again. “You want to get out?” Was this monster stupid? “Yes, I want to fucking get out!” I paused, panting too quick breaths. “Unless you’re going to eat me or something if I do.”

A deep, rumbling laugh. “I don’t want to eat you.” The monster paused. “Well, I mean…” it then added in a contemplative voice. I saw its head peer further over the...

His skin was a pale purple, and I could see the hint of a fang peeking from between his lips. His hair was long and kind of messy. Also purple. Dark purple, like his eyes, which were bigger than a human’s and had much larger irises, giving them a creepy look.

“Well.” The monster sounded a little hesitant. “It’s not good.” “What?” I felt a little faint. “Don’t worry, though, they’re not going to eat him,” the monster continued in a brighter voice, as if that was the best news.

“I will help you.” I gaped at him. “You what?” The monster nodded once, uncrossing his arms and sauntering closer. “I’ll help you get your friend back.” My blood pressure was reaching dangerous levels. “I don’t believe I asked,” I gritted out. “I asked you to tell me which direction they took him. That was it. So just. Tell. Me.” “We will find your friend quicker if I help you, human. Isn’t that what you want?” He shot me a wolfish grin, complete with fangs. “You are wasting time standing here arguing with me. Let’s go.” “I’m wasting time?” I exploded. “Just tell me which direction they took him, you asshole!”

“Why the hell are you helping me?” I emphasised the word sardonically, because the jury was definitely still out on whether he’d be a help or a goddamn nuisance. The monster glanced over at me, brow quirked and big eyes hooded as he looked me up and down. He shrugged one shoulder. “I like the look of you, human.” He grinned at me again, fangs glinting.

“It means just that.” The monster shrugged again and glanced over with a tiny, amused smirk that showed a peek of fang. “You are very angry. I’m sure you’re worried about your friend.” He reached out and patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

“I only mean that you look like you can handle yourself out here. Don’t worry, human.” He shot me a wide, fanged grin. “I think you’re pretty.”

Edin snorted with amusement. “Yes. Trust me, human.” Fat fucking chance of that happening.

Edin grunted. “Why does that make me being called Edin ironic? That I look like this… devil?” I realised he probably had no concept of our religions. “The Bible, this religious text, has the Garden of Eden in it, where the first humans lived. It was a paradise. The devil was the evil guy who got the humans to give in to temptation, so they got kicked out.” Edin chuckled. “Sounds like me.” He shot me a wolfish grin.

I ignored the weird flurry of unease in my stomach and raised a brow at him, but said nothing.

Was Edin seriously saying that the monsters were actually just… excited tourists? “What do you—Seriously?” Edin glanced over at me, his big eyes gleaming so eerily in the sun. “Yes. Why would I lie? The tear between our world and yours got bigger, and it let us all in.” He shrugged. “Obviously there are some that want to hurt and kill. Just as there are humans who want that too. For most of us, though, it’s just… somewhere new to wander. That’s all.”

anger out of my tone. Edin looked over at me with hard eyes. “Monsters, if you insist on being so general, did none of those things, human. Your military did.” I flushed with anger. “The military—” “—Was the one who started attacking us,” he interrupted. “All of us. Indiscriminately. There are some species of monster that came here who would never hurt a living soul. Yet that didn’t matter, because they looked different.”

This monster was going to age me by twenty years, I swore to god. If I had a heart attack before saving Charlie, I’d use my last dying breath to somehow take this annoying, overbearing purple dude down with me.

It was quiet, and would have been peaceful if I wasn’t vibrating with fury at the fact that this monster had made me walk to an empty fucking field. Edin just chuckled, making me clench my hands into white-knuckled fists. I wondered what he’d do if I punched him in the goddamn jaw.

I jumped when a big, hot hand gripped my shoulder. My jaw clenched, entire body painfully aware that the monster was touching me for the first time. My nape prickled with awareness, fingers twitching. Half of it was instinct I’d trained into myself when it came to monsters. The other half was… just weird.

I went stiff all over. “I’ve managed twelve years fighting monsters out here just fine, asshole, so—” “Gah, you are so angry all the time!” Edin waved a hand at me and loped past, heading towards the tunnel to my right.

“Every minute you waste bickering with me is another minute further away from your friend. They are travelling much faster than us.”

“For the record, I think you’re a goddamn asshole,” I told him. The headache already pressing behind my eyeballs sharpened. Edin just laughed, which only made me angrier.

Some deep, rational part of my brain told me I was being a dick. He wasn’t actually being an asshole. Not at all. He was helping me. But for some reason, I was overreacting to everything this big purple monster did or said, and I had no idea why. Something about him just… gnawed at me. Twisted something in my gut.

I eyed his tail, which was flicking irritably, its dagger-like tip swiping dangerously close to me. I couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or not, and I narrowed my eyes at his broad, bare back with suspicion. “Watch the tail.”

Then he looked back at me, and I saw his big eyes soften a little as he took in my no doubt sorry state, limping behind him. “Don’t worry, human. We’ll get your friend back.” He cocked his head and stopped a moment later, turning to face me. “What’s wrong?”

Edin’s gaze hardened. His brows furrowed into a frown as he stared at me. “Are you this unpleasant all the time, human?” he asked me. I felt my face go bright red behind my mask. “Or have I done something I’m unaware of that is particularly offensive to you?”

I could feel Edin’s muscles flexing against my side as we walked, and it was weirdly distracting. His skin was so hot, and this close his scent filled my nose. Like leather and freshly cut wood. It was a welcome respite from the cloying smell of dirt, and I inhaled it gratefully.

“You okay?” I asked, a little out of breath as the adrenaline wore off and agony seared through every inch of my body again. “Did they hurt you?”

He was lounging back on the hood of an old car, hands behind his head and face tilted to the sun. I stared for a moment, my gaze automatically dropping to take in his huge biceps and bare chest. To assess him as a potential threat, I told myself, ignoring the pulse low in my belly.

Edin’s head lazily tilted to the side as he cracked open one dark eye. A wolfish grin spread over his face. “Good morning.” With an impressive display of strength that I refused to gawk at, he sat up, his abs rippling, and slid off the hood of the car to land with a thud. “How are you feeling?”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re kinda bossy?” I asked as we continued walking, eyeing up the wide expanse of his bare back. I grew almost hypnotised watching the muscles in his back shift in the dim pink light as he walked. I told myself it was only because there was nothing else to look at. Edin snorted. “Yes.” He shot me a brief, arrogant glance over his shoulder, brow raised. “And I am assuming someone has told you that you are a bad-tempered bastard.”

Looking over his shoulder, he bared his fangs at me in what I assume was the monster version of a scowl. “I’m not that old.” I mean, he didn’t look old, but it was kind of impossible to judge his age by human standards. “How old are you?” He huffed. “Only around five and a half thousand or so.” My breath caught in my throat, making me choke. I coughed, spluttering. “You’re what?” “It’s not that old,” Edin shot back immediately, tone defensive. “I’m nowhere near as old as Wyn. He’s over twelve thousand. That’s old.” He chuckled. But I’d frozen, instinctive tension making my limbs seize up. “Wyn… Wyn the Soul Eater?” Edin glanced back and, noticing I’d stopped, came to a halt too. “Yes. So?”

“Are you okay?” I asked Edin. My voice got rough. “I’m sorry.” God, I was fucking up at every turn. It was like I’d forgotten all my military training; all my expertise. “I should have moved when you told me to. I didn’t mean for you to have to fight—” “It’s fine.” Edin squeezed my shoulder once more before letting go. “But are you hurt?” I pressed. That monster had looked like a thick, hulking statue carved from rough stone. And it had been pummelling Edin really fucking hard.

Edin looked back to bare his teeth at me, and I almost smiled. “Alright, fine. Not old scratch. How about just scratch? You mind if I call you that?” He shot me a wolfish grin. “You can call me whatever you want, human.” His voice was a low rumble, somehow intensely intimate. My breath caught, and I felt my throat bob as I swallowed. I saw his big eyes track the movement before he turned to face forward again.

Something like desire coiled low in my belly as I stared at the back of him, and it made my heart thud hard in my chest. Fuck. Was I… I couldn’t be attracted to him. Could I? That was crazy. And totally inappropriate, given the circumstances. It wasn’t helping to calm my traitorous body when Edin looked at me like… like he was attracted to me too. Hell, he’d just been looking at me like he’d be down to get naked right here, right now if I gave him a sign. Shit. This wasn’t good.

I spun and blindly reached out to grab Edin, patting him down, trying to feel for injuries. “Are you okay? Did it get you? Are you hurt?” Edin stilled my hands in a gentle grip. “I am fine, Hunter. It didn’t get me.” I exhaled in relief, resting my hand against Edin’s big, solid pec for just a moment, oddly comforted by the smooth heat of his skin beneath my fingers. Then I patted his chest once and let go. “Good.”

I hesitated. “We can take watch in shifts. I know you like sleeping—” “No.” Edin shook his head. “I can go perfectly fine without. I don’t need it. You do.” He jerked his chin towards the couch and shot me a crooked smile. “Stop arguing and go.”

My belly swooped and I looked away again quickly, clearing my throat. “Not that I’m complaining,” I said. “I’ll be happy if I never have to set foot in those fuckin’ tunnels again.” Edin chuckled. “Yes, it’s nice to be out of them.” He shot me a smirk. “Although now you won’t be able to stare at my ass all day as we walk.” I choked on a breath, cheeks getting hot even as I glared at him. At least the lower half of my face was covered behind my mask. “In your dreams, scratch.” “Mm.” His big eyes gleamed as he side-eyed me. “Yes.” Wait, what? My breath caught, but I refused to look over at him as we walked. Was he saying that yes, he had dreamed about… that? Or…

I swallowed, resisting the urge to shake my head to try and get rid of the thoughts suddenly crowding it. What did Edin mean? What had he dreamt about? Was he… Had he dreamt about me doing something to his ass?

Now, though… Now, I was hyper-aware of the half-naked specimen of ultra-masculine perfection walking beside me. Edin looked like he could be carved from marble by one of those ancient sculptors. I still tried to convince myself that it was jealousy I felt when I looked at him, but it was getting harder to keep that up.

I hadn’t ever realised I’d be into someone who was bigger than me. Taller and stronger. Because I’d never come across it before. I’d always been the one in control. The one who had to be careful because of my size. The one who’d done all the work, so to speak.

He truly did look demonic, but altogether it was… pleasing. His face was so interesting to look at. And so expressive.

I’d just stood back up and was reaching for my pants when Edin barrelled into the room. “Hunter—” He stopped dead, staring at me. It would have made me self-conscious about my leg if my stomach hadn’t dropped with panic. “What’s wrong? Is it Charlie? What’s happened?” “What?” Edin blinked, and then his brow cleared as he raised his eyes to meet mine. “Oh, no. Nothing. Nothing’s happened.” I sagged with relief, turning to face him with my hands on my hips. I’d been in the military too long to give a shit about standing in front of him in my underwear. “Then what?” Edin blinked again, before a slow, dangerous smile curved one corner of his mouth. When he sauntered closer, I swallowed and barely refrained from taking a hesitant step back. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” His voice was even deeper than normal, rumbling through me as he stopped just a couple of feet away.

No, his eyes were greedily taking in the light covering of hair on my chest, before dropping to follow the trail from my navel that disappeared into my underwear. His head cocked, eyelids heavy and overly big eyes gleaming with… something. “Do all humans have this?” His voice was raspy. I swallowed, stomach tightening. “Have what?” A fang worried one corner of Edin’s lower lip. He reached out. My breath caught in my throat when fingertips brushed featherlight over the trail of hair below my navel. “This,” Edin rumbled. Oh shit. I was frozen, knowing I should move away, but I couldn’t. Edin glanced up and met my eyes, his fingertips still resting on my lower stomach, and something sparked between us. “I…” I licked my lips, but it only made me tense up more when Edin’s eyes dropped to follow the movement. “Not all, no,” I managed to get out, but I sounded like I’d been eating gravel. “Mm.” Edin let out his little rumbling noise from his throat. When those fingertips moved, brushing over my skin, my heart started hammering in my chest. I felt my dick twitch, and my face went hot when I realised it would be extremely obvious if I started getting hard right now.

Edin’s lips curved back up into a smirk, and I couldn’t tell if I was relieved or disappointed when those fingers drew up—away from my dick—and feathered lightly over the short hair between my pecs. “I like it,” he rumbled, his big pupils widening as he looked at me. “I…” My heart was racing, and sweat prickled at my hairline. “Uh… good,” I said lamely, mouth dry and brain totally empty from Edin’s proximity.

“I’m not getting into bed with you leering at me, scratch.” I raised a brow back at him. “Or is this just an excuse for you to stare at my ass.” I wasn’t sure what made me say it, but my stomach lurched with anticipation when I did. Edin just chuckled. “I don’t need an excuse to do that, human. But I would appreciate a look at it while you’re not wearing pants.” Pleasure fizzed in my gut, and I felt the scarred side of my lip twitch. “Damn perv.” But something snagged me, and with a bold look at Edin I dropped my pants on the carpet and turned towards the bed. “Bye, Edin,” I threw over my shoulder as I pulled back the covers. I could feel his eyes on my ass, and my cock twitched.

I avoided looking at Edin, because every time I did I felt his fingers on my skin again, achingly close to my dick. I had done a quick take of his frame when he’d met me outside my room after I’d slept, and I’d realised that he didn’t have any body hair, not even on his legs, which went some way towards explaining why he was fascinated by mine.

My stomach lurched when my mind drifted over to Edin. Specifically, to the way his fingers had felt on my abdomen earlier that afternoon.

His touch had been so light, but tension had pulsed heavy between us. Something that had been building up for a while now—that was becoming harder to ignore.

“Wyn.” I tensed up, reaching for my shotgun as my eyes darted around us. The Soul Eater? “Where?” Edin shook his head, lips quirking into a little smile. “No, he’s nearby, but not that nearby.”

“Are you going to tell me this is some monster psychic bullshit you all possess?” “Well, I guess it must be seeing as you humans don’t have it,” Edin replied in a sardonic, patronising tone that made me grit my teeth. Insolent fucker.