The Rycke (Monstrous, #3)

by Lily Mayne

Apparently, I had a cum fetish—that was new knowledge for me.

“They’re kind of cute. I mean, as cute as something that looks a bit like a ball sac with arms and horns can be.”

Moth’s distinctive white hair where he leaned against the far wall. Ugh.

either side of his cupid’s bow—barely moving. “Ghost.” He inclined his head a fraction, causing a lock of pure white hair to fall from behind his ear over his cheekbone. Seeing as it was just us in the room, I didn’t worry about staying polite. “Shithead.”

“He, um, he’s just with Aury,” I told Anchor. I’d thought just saying his name would be harmless, but apparently not. Moth jolted like someone had shocked him,

“I know of him. Every monster does. He’s the rycke.”

“What is a rycke?” Moth’s arms were hanging by his sides now, fingers curling into loose fists. “One of the deadliest species of monster there is.” He ground his teeth together, as though he didn’t want to admit the next part. “One feared almost universally by all others.”

I think pure shock was the only thing that stopped us from bursting out laughing. Aury? One of the deadliest and most feared monsters in existence? Aury was gentler than every human I’d ever met in my life, let alone monster.

“Aury is…” Perfect? Beautiful? The gentlest soul I’d ever met, who made me yearn for things I hadn’t known I wanted? “…Fine,” I finished lamely.

“is there a reason you were just pretending like you and Aury hadn’t spent all of last night fucking each other’s brains out?”

“What the hell do you mean, took me long enough? Aury’s been here, like, a week!” “Yeah, a week of you two gazing longingly at each other like a couple of lovesick teenagers.” Rig snorted. “I was embarrassed for you.”

“I’m happy for you. You two are so cute it makes my teeth hurt. And I would be a terrible friend if I didn’t encourage you to keep doing whatever it was you two were doing last night, because by the sounds of it, it was exquisite. Please, keep having as much freaky monster sex as you can. I’m living vicariously through you.”

“You wish you were having freaky monster sex, huh?” Rig went pink behind his mask, and he released me quickly. “No, I didn’t mean—Just sex in general. Obviously. Not that I have anything against monsters, or anything. I mean, some of them are—I just meant—”

The lady doth protest too much

Aury was the only rycke in existence, and only his death would birth another of his kind. My heart ached for him. It sounded so… lonely.

I felt a flash of pity cut through my dislike for Moth. He straddled both worlds and didn’t fit in anywhere.

I pictured Aury back in chains and felt ill at the thought. I couldn’t let that happen to him again.

I still remembered the frightened, exhausted monster we’d found in that base, desperate for help. Moth was wrong.

Aury glanced around, then stepped forward and tugged my mask down with gentle, hurried motions. He kissed me soundly, a firm press against my mouth, before replacing my mask just as fast.

“Don’t let the cage scare you. Trust me, he looks better with it. He’s a big, ugly brute under there, aren’t you, pet?” I felt Rig bristle beside me, but he stayed quiet.

“I’ll stay out here,” he answered, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the two borolesh as though it was them he was fascinated by, and not the big, topless, muscular beastie wearing tight pants made of some kind of weird leather.

“So really, what I’m saying is, you don’t need to worry. I’m not here for any business with your camp. I’ll just be taking the rycke when it leaves.”

“Zoos were commonplace for decades before the monsters came. This is absolutely no different.” “Zoos were awful, and this is too,” I blurted before I could stop myself. “They’re living, thinking beings. Not commodities. They’re not here for our amusement.”

Aury isn’t dangerous. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone.” Moth looked frustrated. “I’m sure he says that, Ghost, and he probably means it, but ryckes are dangerous. They just are.” He reached out and laid his hands on my shoulders. “They’re completely unpredictable. They’re chaos.”

Aury was the opposite of chaos. He was like a… a calm, steady island in the middle of a tumultuous sea. He was soft and soothing. A balm.

“Au—Aury—” “Yes,” he rasped against my neck, thrusts turning erratic and jerky as his own breathing sped up. “Gage—”

“If your species doesn’t need to have sex to procreate, then why… um, not that I’m not grateful—super grateful—but why do you have…” I gestured down toward Aury’s groin, my cheeks feeling hot. “The goods?”

“Do you have an instinct to tear open my chest when we’re having sex?” Aury laughed, and I jumped a little when he lunged forward and gently pushed me onto my back, my heart giving a mighty thud. He dropped his head to nudge my hand aside and kiss the centre of my chest.

“Please don’t go,” he’d said, big black eyes mournful. “I’ll worry.”

Sweet baby

“You make monsters fight each other for entertainment,” Rig said, incredulous. Mary gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Monsters aren’t people.”

Oh this made me mad mad

“You are wonderful, my sweet Gage, but you’re being a bit of a martyr about this.” He snorted. “And that’s coming from me. Ryckes are martyrs by nature.”

And then, for reasons known only to the deepest, darkest recesses of my anxiety-driven brain, I blurted out, “I love you.”

“Gage.” Aury turned me to face him, his black eyes so beautiful and warm as he smiled down at me. “I love you too.” He laughed, and my throat ached at the sight of his happiness. “You have terrible timing. I can’t even kiss you.”

“I love you, Gage,” he repeated, making me practically vibrate with the need to rip my mask off and kiss him. “I will be forever grateful that you found me that day. I owe you so much.”

He was like a parasite. Him and his men.

...Incoming Wyn appearance?

“Ghost.” Aury’s low voice was tense, and he tried to free his hand from mine, but I wouldn’t let him.

I hope we are about to see how dangerous a rycke can be

I turned to grab Aury, but he was gone. And in his place was something that my mind struggled to process for a moment.

My eyes turned up. And up. My limbs clenched up, paralysing fear locking me in place.

Because in Aury’s place was a t...

Its face was horrifying.

Don't talk about Aury like that :(

This was like a nightmare. Like some old horror movie. And Aury was the hideous, terrifying monster hellbent on murdering everyone.

Single-minded determination drove him to destroy every living being in the vicinity. Except me.

This is Aury. This is Aury. I had to keep repeating it in my head, because my instinct as he took another step closer was to turn and run. As far away as I could get.

“Gaaage,” he warbled again in that distorted, impossibly low voice. “Not… sss-scared… puh—pluh—ease…”

“Pluh—pluh—ease no… ssscared,” he begged.

At least I finally knew now why every other monster seemed instinctively terrified of him. At least I finally knew that Moth had been telling the truth.

“I’ve never—I’ve n-never hurt anyone before. Please believe me, Gage.” I stared back at him. “I—I believe you,”

He was still the same. Still my Aury.

“I meant what I said before—I still mean it,” I told him, voice thick. “I love you. Whatever happens, we’ll be together. I won’t—I’ll make sure of it.”

Maybe there was something wrong with me, that I could still love this monster after witnessing what he was capable of.

“I love you too,” I croaked, meaning it with every part of me. I didn’t care what he could become. I didn’t see that monstrous face when I looked at Aury. This was my sweet, gentle, kind monster. He was still my Aury.