Edin (Monstrous, #2)

by Lily Mayne

I watched as Danny wandered over to where Wyn was still leaning. When he reached him, the monster snagged his waist and dragged him closer. As Danny settled his back comfortably against Wyn’s front, the Soul Eater’s hooded head dipped to Danny’s neck for what I could only assume was a kiss.

I was pretty sure my eyes bulged out of my head. I wasn’t prejudiced, but I’d never seen a human and monster be… romantic. I didn’t think it was possible. Well, at least I hadn’t before. Before meeting Edin. But he definitely made me feel and think things I shouldn’t.

It was almost comforting to know that other humans were attracted to monsters, too. And, I mean, fuck… Edin was just like a big, overgrown, jacked up purple dude. Wyn was… inhuman. Everything about him screamed demon. Ghoul. A creature that lurked in the shadows and the dead of night. B...

Before Danny could say anything, the Soul Eater tightened his grip and spoke. “You have your own now, boor. Stop flirting with him or I will have to rip out your throat.”

There was a moment of silence. “So I need to save him.” Wyn crossed his arms. “And why are you telling me this?” “Wyn,” Danny admonished, reaching out with his foot to hook it round Wyn’s hip. The Soul Eater let himself be tugged sideways until he was standing between Danny’s spread legs. Danny slung his arms over Wyn’s shoulders from behind. “How can we help?” he asked me.

“I don’t know you, human. And I don’t know your friend.” His hood turned, towards Edin. “If this human is important to you, Edin—” “Hunter is,” Edin said. “So that means Charlie is.” Warmth bloomed within me, and I had to force my face to remain impassive so I wouldn’t gaze at Edin like some soppy fool. I wasn’t sure how well I did concealing the rush of affection for the big purple monster that spread through me, because I noticed Danny watching me with a tiny smile.

Before I could stop myself, I turned and grinned at Edin for just a second, overwhelmed with gratitude towards the big purple monster. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without him. Hell, I wouldn’t have gotten out of that fucking sinkhole in Kentucky without him. I owed him so much. Edin stared at me, looking mildly shocked. At first I couldn’t think why, then I realised—I was smiling. Had I ever smiled at him before? God, I really was a surly asshole. Why had he even put up with me for this long?

“Of course I’m fucking going.” Edin hesitated, which made me clench my hands into fists. “It will be very dangerous, Hunter,” he eventually said, in a voice I knew was meant to placate me. “And if you are there, I will only worry about you—”

“You won’t be a help.” Wyn’s voice was flat. “You’ll get in the way. You will distract Edin. You’re not coming.” My blood pressure rose. “Listen—” “Hunter.” Edin’s big hand gripped the back of my neck, squeezing gently. “Please. Stay here with Danny.”

“Are you sure?” I said at length, the reluctance clear in my voice. “You’re sure I wouldn’t be able to—” “I’m sure.” Edin’s thumb stroked the pulse point at the side of my neck, making a spark of pleasure shoot through me, loosening some of the tension keeping my neck and shoulders tight. Honestly, it felt like they’d been impossibly tight for weeks at this point. I exhaled. After a long pause, I said, “Okay. I’ll stay here.” Edin rumbled out a low, pleased sound, squeezing my neck again before letting go. “Thank you.”

I stared at myself a moment longer, but my eyes glazed over as I remembered Edin grinning at Danny’s handsome face. Calling him his favourite human. When my stomach twisted, I jerked back from the sink and scrubbed rough wet hands over my face. What was wrong with me? This was pathetic. Edin and I were just… current acquaintances working together to achieve a goal. That was it. I couldn’t stand around getting all twisted up because he’d complimented another person in front of me.

“And what will I get if I win?” Wyn called. Danny made an impatient noise, getting back into position. “Come on, you know I’m a sure thing anyway, baby,” he yelled back. “Just throw the damn ball.”

BABY!!!

Danny grinned in triumph, setting the heavy bat on his shoulder and sauntering towards Wyn. The Soul Eater met him halfway, pulling him close and running blackened fingers up Danny’s spine. “Alright, you get your massage. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself otherwise.” Danny wrapped his free arm around Wyn’s neck. “Shit, you know you’re still gonna get it, Soul Eater.” His face disappeared in the darkness of Wyn’s hood as they kissed.

Before I could stop it, my mind started wondering what Edin would be like with a… partner. For some reason, I didn’t think he’d be as sweet as Wyn was to Danny—and there was something I never, ever thought I’d be thinking about the Soul Eater.

In that moment, I realised that I couldn’t keep trying to deny or ignore it. My attraction to him. Seeing Danny and the Soul Eater had caused that easily tempted part of my brain to take over. To whisper: Look, it is possible! Look, someone else wants a monster too. That means you’re allowed.

And now, when I looked at Edin, it wasn’t just an ember of attraction low in my gut that I could push away and ignore. Now, it was like that ember had flared and the heat was filling up every bit of me. Now, when I looked at him, I could feel my entire body reacting. I wanted him. I wanted to touch all that hot, smooth skin that was always on view, always fucking tempting me. I wanted to hear that impossibly deep voice groaning out with pleasure. I wanted to fuck Edin. And judging by the way he was looking back at me, he knew exactly what I was thinking. And he wanted it too.

“Want to fuck?” I blurted out before I could talk myself out of it. My face went hot, but I squared my shoulders and stared at him, waiting for him to answer. If he said no, fine. I’d go and furiously jerk off to try and ease some of this tension inside me. I didn’t think he would, though. I was pretty sure he wanted this as bad as I did. Edin’s face jerked with shock. He stared back at me for a moment, before his eyelids dropped a little, heat flooding through them. His expression made me swallow, cock twitching in my pants. “Yes, Hunter. I do.” His voice was so deep, intimately so, as he sauntered closer to me, until I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. He raised a hand and grasped the side of my neck, not a particularly gentle touch, but then his thumb brushed softly over my chin.

“I’ve wanted to fuck you since the first moment I saw you, josdo,” he said, and my heart started to pound harder in my chest. “Josdo?” I repeated, trying to pronounce it just how he had—joz-doh. My voice was hoarse. “What does that mean?” Edin grinned wide, fangs glinting as he leaned forward. “It means ‘morsel’, human. Because that day we met, when I told you I didn’t want to eat you…” He leaned even closer to nuzzle my ear, making a pleasant shiver run up my spine. “…I lied.”

coughed out a short laugh, lips curving up into a grin. Edin stilled, staring at me. “You are even more handsome when you smile like that, josdo,” he told me, his voice a rumbly purr.

“Are you alright, josdo?” I shot him a small wry smile, feeling it tug my snarled lip. “All good, scratch. I’ll be fine.” I went to slug his shoulder, forgetting I was bound until my hands jerked back down. “Worry about yourself. You’re the one going out there to take on a bunch of behamots.” “Gah.” Edin waved a dismissive hand. “We will manage.”

He hesitated, then reached out and stroked the back of my head again, his touch much gentler this time. Shivers danced down the nape of my neck when his big thumb stroked the shell of my ear before rubbing my earlobe. Our eyes locked. Edin’s gaze flickered down for a brief moment when I swallowed with a rush of nerves, tracking the bob of my throat. Then he looked back up, his too-big pupils widening as we stared at each other.

God, I wanted to kiss him. But I wouldn’t. Not after that moment earlier in the apartment, and especially not with the Soul Eater in the room, breathing down my n...

earlobe one last time before dropping his hand. “Yes.” I was vibrating with tension as I watched them head for the door. “Be careful,” I said. Edin shot me a grin as Wyn ignored me.

“I’ll relax when Charlie and Edin are both here in this room.” After a second, I tacked on,” And, uh, Wyn, obviously.”

“So you and the Soul Eater… How did that happen?” His mouth twisted up into a grin, and he slotted in another puzzle piece. “Kinda wild, right?

“I’m not in love with a psychopathic serial killer.” My brows hiked up at that. “In love with him, huh?” Danny smiled, his expression turning disgustingly soppy. “Yeah.”

“Where’s Edin? Is he okay?” I rushed out. I was too frantic to feel any fear in the face of the Soul Eater in that moment.

I didn’t hear what Danny said back, because in that moment Edin limped into the apartment. I froze, breath catching. “Fuck, scratch,” I choked out, before rushing forward. “What the fuck, Edin? What did you do? I didn’t—” I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat, wanting to hit him as impotent frustration pounded through me.

His irises were so big, it felt like I was drowning in that deep, rich purple as I stared at him, our noses almost touching. “Why do you keep looking at my mouth, Hunter?” Edin murmured, his voice so low it rumbled through me, tightening my stomach. I refused to lean back, to back away from the challenge, even though there was no way I’d be able to bring myself to try and kiss him again.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, looking back up to arch a brow at him. “No more fake pain in your ribs, I hope?” Edin snickered. “They’re fine now. The bath helped immensely.” I snorted, running my hand up and down his side, feeling the muscles twitch under the hot, smooth skin beneath my fingers. My stomach flipped with sweet pleasure in response. “Sure it did.” “Mm.” Edin leaned in to rub his cheek against my temple through the fabric of my cap—a similar weird show of affection like before, after we’d fooled around. “Thank you for looking after me, josdo. Did I say that before?”

I fought the instinct making me want to tilt my head up, rip down my mask and capture his lips in a kiss. Instead, I ran my hand round to the thick slab of muscle flanking his spine, unable to stop touching him. “Don’t mention it. You’ve looked after me plenty.”

Fuck, I wanted to kiss him. So bad. I wanted to feel Edin consuming me.

“I have never done it. I’d—Wait.” He jerked his gaze back up to my eyes, frowning. “You don’t want to do it with me?” “What?” I blinked. “I didn’t say that.” “You just said ‘no kissing’.” Edin leaned up on straightened arms, glaring down at me. “Why not? I want to. You don’t want to?” He stilled. “You said you don’t want to because of my mouth. What’s wrong with my mouth? Is it the fangs? I—”

“Scratch.” I reached up and palmed his big head between my hands, forcing him to stop and look down at me. “Not your mouth, you jackass.” I huffed out a breath. “I thought—I went to kiss you before, at the apartment—” My face was on fire. “—and you moved away so I assumed… You know.” I waved a hand vaguely towards my mouth. “Because of my lip.”

“You are so handsome, josdo,” he rasped. I just shook my head. “You are,” he pressed, head leaning down to nuzzle the scarred side of my mouth. “Show me. Kissing. Show me.”

I exhaled a shaky breath and reached up to palm his face again, thumbs resting on his cheek bones. His mouth was already so close to mine already, all I had to do was turn my head to kiss him. He went still, and I could feel him concentrating on what I was doing as I pressed my lips to his.

It felt strange. I hadn’t kissed anyone since getting the scar, and I had to adjust to compensate for the tightness tugging at the left side of my upper lip. Edin finally kissed me back, tentatively, and I barely managed to stop myself from making a low sound again...

“I will be sad when you leave, josdo,” Edin eventually said into the darkness, his voice rumbling through the mattress and into my bones. My throat went tight. Fuck. Why that? Why did he have to say that? “I…” My voice shook. “I’ll be sad to leave you too, scratch,” I got out hoarsely.

brb gotta go cry

An overwhelming rush of anger boiled through me. They’d tortured Edin to see if they could control him. This kind, selfless, gentle monster. He looked scary and dangerous, like a demon, but he was… good. Wyn was right. Edin was good.

“Why didn’t it attack them? Surely if it was threatened or captured it would… go crazy?” “It depends on the rycke. Their temperament. Their nature. They are protective more than they are self-preservative, if that makes sense. A rycke may be able to withstand an immense amount of pain itself, but the moment it sees something it cares about being hurt…”

When we finally broke apart, I rested my forehead against his. “I want you to keep telling me, Edin. I want to know you. Everything about you, before we… before I have to go.” I swallowed. “Okay?” Edin was silent for a long moment, but eventually he nodded. “I want to know you too,” he said, deep voice quiet. So I nodded back and closed my eyes, refusing to let go of him until I fell asleep.

He’d been on his own for so long. I pictured Edin walking alone for miles across the Wastes. Just walking. That was what he’d been doing when he found me in that sinkhole. I hated it. I hated the thought of it. Did he get lonely? I imagined he surely would. He was a sociable creature. He liked company—even mine, and I was a surly asshole. My heart ached at the thought. I didn’t want him to be on his own anymore. I could barely stand the thought of it, my chest going tight, my throat closing up, making me swallow convulsively.

Even as I said it, shame cut through the possessive jealousy riling me up. What was I doing? Trying to get Edin to commit to me or something? I was being a fucking idiot. I couldn’t stay with him. I had to leave. I had no right to get jealous. No right to make Edin promise anything. God, I was such an asshole. I was already shaking my head, flustered, about to go back on my words. “I didn’t—” Edin stopped me with a firm grip on my chin, tapping my lower lip with his thumb. “I don’t want anyone else, Hunter,” he told me, his impossibly deep voice curling through my belly.

Edin wrapped a huge arm around my neck and yanked me into his hot chest. “I don’t share, human. Hunter is mine.”

“Okay.” I swallowed. “Okay, look. Edin and I are… together. Okay?” “Together?” Charlie echoed, eyes darting between us. “As in, together? You’re… It’s not just fucking?” I swallowed, feeling unsure and self-conscious, and looked at Edin. But he was already answering, voice imperious, as if daring Charlie to challenge him. “Yes, together. Together together. He is mine,” he growled out again, fingers twitching, no doubt suppressing the urge to grab me again.

Charlie balked at that. “He’s not a goddamn possession, asshole—” “He is mine, human,” Edin snarled, taking a step forward. “I am his, he is mine. Not yours. Yes? Do you understand?”

“Edin and I are together. Okay? Whatever you wanna call it. It’s not just fucking.”

“Are you serious?” I turned to stare at Edin. “You brought us to a prepper’s place? Edin, you big, beautiful genius.” I grabbed his face and pulled him down for a hard kiss. When I let go of him, Edin’s jutting cheekbones were adorably flushed a darker purple. “This place is good, yes?”

“Hunter, stop.” Edin’s deep, rumbling voice was firm. His dominant tone made pleasure curl through my belly, and I fell silent at his command. “I chose to help you. I knew there would be risks. But I wanted to help you.” His big thumb stroked behind my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “I am glad I decided to help you that day.” His voice got lower. “I am glad I know you, Hunter. So glad.”

“You’re just… good, Edin. Kind. And generous, and selfless. And you…” I flushed, feeling exposed. “You make me calm. You soothe me.”