The Scarecrow's Queen (Monster's Duet #2)

by Naomi Lucas

It was then, to my dismay, I realized Sylvie Shorewood, my queen, was dead.

“Ah, so you’ve noticed Hollowstalk. He’s been out there for as long as I can remember. Him and that crooked grin of his.” I peer up at him. “He has a name?” “Sure does. Something that ostentatious has to have a name.”

She embarrasses me in front of the crows, stripping their fear of me by tossing me away.

“If it were possible, I would buy this land from you myself. Because if she chose you to take over and did not forewarn you to the hardship owning this farm can be, she failed you.”

I glance at the male. He’s still staring after her, and as I look around, I find others watching her too. They all notice my queen. My jaw clamps. I’m the one who works at her side, not them. Do they want to replace me? Do they see something I don’t?

Déjà vu hits, and for a second, I think it’s… Hollowstalk standing before me. My anxiety spikes, rooting me in place.

“I’m trying to figure out why I find you so distracting. Because right now, Delilah, I don’t understand.”

“If they are not given their due, the pact between you and the Crow King will be broken.”

want to be closer to you, my queen. More than anything, I want this.”

“You think you can replace Hollowstalk with this?” I sigh deeply. “What else would I use?” “Nothing!” He turns on me. “You don’t need another scarecrow. You’ve got me.”

He straightens as a wicked, eager look flickers across his face. “It’s settled then.” “What’s settled?” “We’re partners now, you and I. There will be no one else from now on. Tonight I will make you dinner, and afterward, my queen, you’ll take my cock.”

His gaze flicks back to me. “I don’t want to eat more. What I want is to put my cock inside you.”

Jack’s not a puppy, nor a wolf. He’s a jackal. He’s not going to be some mere summer fling. He’s going to destroy me.

“Yes, I’ve been here since the first owner, Winifred Meriweather and then I aided Lydia, her daughter-in-law. When Lydia mistakenly put her trust in the Comings, their daughter Mary set things back to right. Mary was followed by the Shorewoods. Then there was Ivar and your aunt. Now you, Delilah Mackay, are the seventh to take ownership of this land.”

“The warmth began in June. It happened after the windmill. When I decided to start watching you closer.”

Wearing nothing except my necklace, I have my queen naked on my platform. With her resting on my coat and among my things, I have never felt so possessive.

Me, a mere scarecrow with a simple purpose, has just been offered his heart’s desire.

She feels like home, far more so than the farm ever has.

“I’m going to tell you the truth. I want you to love me.”

“If you find him, I’ll return him to what he was upon his death and bind him to you. In exchange for my generosity, you’ll remain here for the rest of your life and not only feed my flock year-round, but you will no longer frighten them—you must celebrate them. You and the scarecrow will be blessed with the fertility to reproduce and ensure your lineage continues so this agreement might be honored for the next hundred years.”

And without another doubt, I sign, Delilah Rose Mackey, the Seventh and Final Queen of Crow’s Rest.

My scarecrow has found a heart.