Twilight Terrors (To Kill A Nightmare, #2)

by Rory Miles

My speed, strength, and fire are a part of me. Without them, I’d be . . . human. Who wants to be that?

“Goodnight, slay bae.” “Slay bae?” The quiet horror in Valen’s voice is crystal clear. I smile a little, but my exhaustion pulls me under before I can explain the nickname.

For Greer, I’ll be the best husband she could ever ask for. I may not be her mate like Dane, but I won’t rest until I’ve given her the world. Because, for that smile? I’d burn it all down if it made her happy.

I don’t call him on his chickenshit behavior, but Gogo is a goat, and everyone knows goat shifters faint when they’re scared.

I really wanted a scene where drunk Dane and Valen turned it into a game to see how many times they could make Gogo faint.

“Please don’t let me die before I have the chance to be spit-roasted by my mate and my fiancé,” I whisper to any god or goddess that may be listening.

“Aw, crap. I have a date.” Dane and Valen fall deathly silent, both squinting at me and waiting for an explanation. Bastian comes closer too, face darkening with every step he takes. They’re all so serious. I’m tempted to leave them with that cliffhanger, but unlike some of my favorite authors, I’m not an asshole.

“You’re late,” Bianca snarls when I walk into the posh wedding dress shop. Frowning, I pull out my phone. I’m two minutes early, but who the fuck’s counting? Apparently, we’re running on bitch time, not Pacific Standard Time.

“If I have to go through with this wedding, I’m going to get laid once it’s over. And if I wear this to marry Valen, his dick will shrivel and suck right up into his body, never to be seen again. And trust me when I say that would be a travesty of girthy proportions.”

“Fucking Goldilocks,” I grumble, hating that I’m thinking in nursery rhyme. “I’m a little concerned with how much you despise a fictional character.” Valen stretches his arms over his head. “Really? Because I’m not. She’s a thief and a liar. What’s there to like?” Valen arches an imperious eyebrow. “For starters, do you know her backstory? No. All we get is that one day she wandered in. What if her family was starving her? Did you ever think of that?” “She’s still a thief and a liar. She could have waited and asked—” “I’m sorry, have you seen yourself in bear form? There’s no way in hell a child is going to wait for the big bad bears to show up and ask them for food.” “One, I don’t like that you’re insinuating that bears are bad. Two, she’s still unlikeable. She broke nearly everything she touched. She didn’t even wash the dishes. Maybe if her parents had done a better job of raising her, she wouldn’t have been such an asshole.” I huff and shake my head. “You know what? Never mind.”

“Five, four,” he begins counting down. “What are you doing?” “Three. Waiting to see if I still feel like stabbing you once I get to one. Two.” “If you stab me, Greer will stab you back. Seems like a no-brainer to me.” I switch the radio to my playlist and hum along as I drive, noticing that Valen never gets to one. That’s what I thought.

“Lover,” Bastian corrects. “Devoted companion. Killer of all who displease Greer.”

“Human?” Rippley groans. “Why did it have to be human?” I chuckle. “What’s wrong with humans, Rip?” That’s rhetorical. I wouldn’t want to be human either. All that B.O. “Only everything. They’re weak. Their armpits are atrocious. And, on top of all that, they get cavities.” She makes a whining noise. “I don’t want cavities.”