Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 064

"My dad last drove this in October. Snuck out between storms to get a few things for the house, then came back." Velvet turned to face Mike and held out a car key. "The last time this key was used, he was alive."

Mike simply nodded, hoping she would say more.

"This whole place was always just us, you know? When mom died, Eulalie took it the hardest. There were even times I thought she was being ridiculous about it. I even told her to move on and caused a few fights. I feel bad about that now. I can't even look at this car without feeling like I'm going to fall to pieces any second."

"And that's okay." He stepped around one of her legs so that he was facing her. From this close, he could see the individual hairs on her legs. Where Eulalie's body had been glossy and sinister, Velvet's looked soft like a child's teddy bear. "We all grieve differently. Just tell me what you need."

She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes shimmering. The other eyes along her forehead glistened like tiny jewels, and he reached out to take her hand.

His magic ignited, catching him off guard, and the two of them froze in place when he shocked her. For just a second, his senses were overwhelmed as they magnified the world around him. The air in the barn was shifting back and forth in microcurrents around his legs, and he could hear the subtle shifting of wings up above. Strands of Velvet's hair stood on end, lifting away from her face as his magic crept along her skin.

"Mike..." Velvet looked at him in awe.

"Are you two okay in here?" Abella's talons crunched the fallen wood of the door as she walked into the barn. The gargoyle looked around the structure and shook her head. "What a shame. You can tell this place has some good bones. I'm sure it can be rebuilt."

Velvet yanked her hand away from Mike and tucked the strands behind her ears. The odd sensation of the air moving around him vanished. "It'll take some time, but we'll get it fixed up. We use this place for food storage, though I guess we could use dad's old room or something." At the mention of her father's room, her voice hitched slightly.

"Well, that's one possibility," Mike said. "You're always welcome to come stay with us at the house. We have plenty of room. In fact, we have an entire forest inside a magic greenhouse in the backyard. We're even stocking it with game, I'm sure you could work something out with the centaurs."

Velvet looked at him in contemplation for several seconds, then tilted her head. "You would let me come live with you?"

"Only if that's what you want." He looked down at his feet, wondering how much to say. He could tell her about the Society, the shadow, or pretty much every attempt on his life. But that wouldn't exactly sell her on the safety of the home. When he looked up at her, he saw that she had tilted her head to one side as if studying him. "I'm not going to lie. Sometimes living with me is dangerous. It's definitely complicated at times. But it wouldn't be lonely."

Abella scowled. Her tail thudded against the ground as she crossed her arms and turned away.

"That's..." Velvet frowned. "I'm not sure how I feel. Don't take it personally."

He nodded. "Let me know if that changes."

Velvet looked at him, then over his shoulder at Abella. It looked like Velvet wanted to say something as she rested her hands on her belly. She tapped her front foot a few times before stepping past him.

"If you'll excuse me," she said, then scurried out of the barn. Abella watched her go, then turned to face Mike.

"You can't be serious," Abella hissed. "One of them is a terrible idea, but both of them?"

"Ah." So, this was her problem. He walked over to the jeep and placed his hands on the cool metal. Prior to the Nirumbi's treatment, he could tell it had been well cared for. The man who had maintained this vehicle had raised two daughters out in the wilderness, all while showering them with love. In his opinion, such a person was to be admired.

He turned to lean against the car. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"They're dangerous." Abella pointed in the direction Velvet had gone. "Fast. Strong. Ruthless. If you let them into the house, I cannot protect you there. And the others, they look to you for guidance. They would accept the Arachne as one of us, and all it would take is a little bit of planning." She drew her finger across her throat. "In your sleep, one by one."

"I see." He was surprised to hear her speak so candidly about Velvet and Eulalie in such a manner. "What would you have me do?"

"Leave them here. Send Eulalie back." It was clear she had another solution in mind, but he knew she wouldn't say it out loud.

"They are dangerous, aren't they?" He moved away from the Jeep and walked toward the gargoyle. "Could easily snap my neck and drag me out into the woods. But so could you, if you wanted. Or Sofia. Lily and Yuki both almost killed me, yet I got away even if it was by the skin of my teeth. Hell, Jenny almost smashed my face in with a table."

"Mike." Her voice was pleading. "I don't know how to convince you."

"I know." He was in front of her now. She was shorter than he was, and he put his hand on her cheek. "You're just trying to protect me. Because that's what you do."

She nodded. Her dark eyes were like pools of ink.

"Do you remember when we first met? How you saved me from the Mandragora?"

"How could I forget?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

"In those first moments, you were so amazing." She had broken through glass windows and grabbed him before he could become Sweet Pea's next meal. "Yet you were frightening. This stone woman with wings and talons. A magnificent tail that swished behind you as you tore me free and saved my life. I was so grateful to be alive that it never occurred to me that you were there to hurt me."

"You looked so pathetic," she muttered, then laughed. "How could I not rescue you?"

"I'm surrounded by amazing women," he said. "Every day, I feel like I see something new that astounds me. But what I've realized is that every woman in that house is different in her own way. Even from their own kind."

Abella looked up at him, her eyes narrowing. "You still want to trust them, don't you?"

"It's not like everyone gets a chance to save my life to prove their worth." He moved his hand around her waist and pulled her close. Her lips parted as he pulled her in. "Please. Give them a chance. For me."

He didn't know what to expect, but Abella pushed him away. She stomped out of the barn and took to the sky in such a manner that he could tell she was angry.

"Well...damn." He sighed, then headed back for the cabin. This was going to take more effort than expected. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and frowned. There was still no signal. Frustrated, he stuck it back. Tomorrow he would try to find somewhere to receive a signal. He could text home to check in, and maybe get some advice from Beth or Naia.

Headed back to the cabin, he felt a cold spot in his stomach. It was subtle enough that he almost didn't notice, but when he stopped to scan the trees, he felt it intensify when he lifted his gaze toward the top of a distant pine. Hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever threatened him, he stared defiantly.

The chill flared briefly, then vanished. Whatever danger lingered had passed.

Wiping sweat off the back of his neck, he did his best not to run back into the cabin.

It didn't take Abella long to find a rocky outcropping suitable to land on. She was far enough from the cabin that nobody would casually find her, but close enough that she could get back if something happened.

"Damnit, Mike." She slammed her fist into the rock, smashing the top layer into dust. Why did he have to be so trusting? She smashed a few layers of rock under her fist before pulling her legs in and wrapping her arms around them.

The sun was on her back, and she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. The warmth was slowly working through her body. Her kind didn't need to eat—in fact, they could absorb energy from just about everywhere. Sunlight was always best, but even a good downpour of rain could make a decent snack.

She feasted on the sunlight, her body huddled in a meditative pose. There was plenty right now to think on, and those thoughts made her feel like she was tumbling out of the sky.

Mike clearly accepted the Arachne, but she could sense hesitation on his part. Something was triggering a fear response in him, and she wished he would listen to it. Instead, he was so focused on playing monster philanthropist that he was ignoring his basic instincts.

It also didn't help that the Arachne were attractive from the waist up. Her lip twitched, and she dreaded to even acknowledge the effect this would inevitably have on Mike. Thousands of years of evolution had designed them to be appealing, for it was in their nature to hunt, to kill.

And regrettably, to breed.

Abella struggled to keep up with Pierre as he followed the Arachne through the streets and buildings of the Panier. They were staying high enough to avoid detection for even she had heard of the Arachne's legendary ability to sense movement. The creature was moving stealthily, and Abella was unable to hear her footfalls. She did hear the occasional grunt from the prostitute, and was surprised that she was still alive.

When the Vieille Charité came into view, the Arachne slowed down and approached the building cautiously. She scaled the outer walls of the almshouse and then jumped down into the main courtyard.

As Abella and Pierre descended, the Arachne laid the prostitute on the ground by the chapel. With a nervous glance at the surrounding buildings, she backed away and vanished into the shadows.

Abella and Pieree circled overhead for several minutes, watching. It was too dark to see anything other than the huddled figure on the ground.

"Did she just leave her there?" Abella asked.

"I don't know. The Arachne are a strange breed."

"Maybe...maybe she had a change of heart."

Pierre scoffed. "I doubt it. Why would you even suggest such a thing?"

"Because...well, they are half-human, aren't they?" Abella was circling lower now. "Perhaps she decided against eating her and left her where someone would find her."

"You give humanity too much credit to—Abella!" Pierre cried out to her as she descended.

The shadows stretched away from Abella as she landed as quietly as possible next to the prostitute. The woman's eyes were open, and her pupils were dilated. She was drooling when Abella knelt down next to her.

"It is okay," she whispered. "I am here to—"

"Abella!" Pierre slammed into the ground behind her and grabbed her by the wingtips. "Look!"

Angry at her brother, she whipped around to face him. His eyes were scanning the pillars that surrounded the chapel, and she saw dark shapes moving among them. From the darkness they came, their legs silent on the walls and ground of Vieille Charité. Although the largest stood no more than four feet tall, there were dozens of them.

They were Arachne children. With a hunger in their eyes, they approached. Their pale skin and black legs made them look like ghosts floating through the darkness.

"We must flee!" Pierre's wings flared wide as Abella took to the sky. Being smaller than her brother, she was able to get airborne much faster than he could. As she climbed into the sky, she saw dark shapes leaping across the sky above them. Gossamer strands stronger than steel plucked at her wings as she passed through the trap that had been set by the adults, and she was able to make it to safety.

Down below, Pierre growled as he got caught up in their webs. He dodged from side to side, but not before an Arachne hurled herself from the roof and grabbed onto him. His wings flapped hard as a second then third Arachne scrambled on to him and he fell to the ground below.

"Abella!" Pierre screamed in rage. "Get to the clan!"

"Pierre, I—" She watched in horror as he battled the Arachne. Their fangs and poison were useless on him. He managed to kill an adult and a few of the children before they swarmed. The sheer number overwhelmed him as they tangled him up in their webs. They carried his struggling form up the wall of the chapel. Once at the top, the arachne threw him off.

The first time he fell, nothing happened. But the Arachne repeated the process over and over. Abella could only watch in horror as one of Pierre's wings snapped off at the shoulder, could only listen to his howls of pain. The Arachne were methodical, and when her brother eventually shattered on the cold hard ground of Vieille Charité, she let out a wail of desolation. His glowing red heart cooled in the night, filling the air with steam as it glowed like an ember until it slowly turned black.

The Arachne watched her from below, but she was almost a hundred feet in the air. Her brother's fragments were pushed to the side of the building like ordinary rubble, and the children carried away their human meal as the grownups cleaned the grounds. Within minutes, the courtyard was silent. Abella raced back to the clan to tell them what had happened.

The hurt of centuries past was still fresh in her mind as she remembered what happened next. The clan held her responsible for Pierre's death, and she became an outcast among her own family. The Arachne had been using the plague as cover for their hunts, and once the clan made the hard decision to yield ground and leave, Abella was not invited to follow.

The centuries had been lonely. She had a vague recollection of meeting the Architect. She had been invited to become part of a family once again. Even though the memories had been sealed away, there was an emotional warmth when she considered them.

What could she do about her current Arachne problem? For so many years, she had been the muscle, the silent guardian ready to lay down some hurt on whoever threatened the house. To be fair, Mike had gotten into far more trouble already than the other Caretakers combined—that, at least, was something she could remember. And right now, he was getting into the kind of trouble that she couldn't prevent.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad." Velvet's voice carried over the breeze, causing Abella to cock her head. When she closed her eyes, she could picture exactly where Velvet was. Somewhere about fifteen feet down and fifty feet back from where she currently sat. Careful to rotate without making a sound, Abella tracked the voice to an otherwise unremarkable spot overlooking the valley floor. Tucked in between a pair of pines stood Velvet. She was kneeling on the ground, addressing a pair of unmarked stones.

She listened as Velvet recounted the last few days at the cabin, including Mike's arrival and invitation to the house. The Arachne's voice wavered more than once, and Abella was surprised to see her wipe away tears.

"Dad, I don't know what to do," Velvet confessed. "This has been our home all my life. I feel like if I leave, I'm letting you down. Even worse, I would be leaving you behind. I can still smell you here. Did you know that? It's like your breath clings to every tree. All those patrols, the hikes that we took. This forest is like a book of memories, and I get to open it every time I step outside.

"But I'm also lonely. I still have Lala and Uncle Foot. And always Emery. But that's it. My whole world can be counted on one hand. Mike showed up with four other people, and that's not even all of them! Do you remember when Dana and Lily came? It was all we could talk about, even after you died. What if every day could be like that...hmmm?" Velvet looked over at a nearby bush. "No, there aren't any birds nearby. Yes, I'll keep watch while you fix your web."

Is she talking to a spider? Fascinated, Abella continued to watch.

"And Mom? I know you and I didn't always see eye-to-eye, but I could really use your advice on something. I've been having these strange urges ever since Mike came, and I'm worried that it's...well, you know."

No. Abella felt every alarm in her body going off. It didn't take much to realize exactly what kind of urges Velvet was having.

"Lala isn't even here," Velvet continued. "So I can't ask her if she feels the same. She's always been nonchalant about it, but we've never been around a man other than Dad, so...what do I do? What can I do? What if I can't control myself around him, like you did with Dad? What if I lose myself?" Her voice rose an octave. "There are too many things, too many emotions, it's like I can't breathe. I don't know what to do."

Oh, I know what I want to do. Abella briefly wondered if it would be possible for Velvet to suffer an accident. Maybe fall off the side of the cliff or get smashed by a boulder. The others would never suspect her.

But she would know. And it wouldn't surprise her if Yuki could do magic to find out what had happened. She didn't dare imagine the look of betrayal on Mike's face, the very idea of it broke her stone heart a little.

"Merde," she whispered. The only solution would be constant vigilance.

Velvet finished her conversation with the dead and left.

Abella waited a bit and then flew down to the memorial. The two stones were made of marble. One had a spider carved into it and the other a human, and they both overlooked the valley floor. The cabin was visible through the branches of the pines, making it a perfect resting spot.

She looked over toward a nearby bush and saw a spider frantically repairing its web. The impulse to crush it was strong, but that would make her no better than an Arachne. Besides, the last thing she needed was for the spiders of the forest to tattle on her. If Velvet could talk to arachnids, then she needed to assume that nothing she did was private.

Abella stretched her wings and waited for a bit longer. When the spider was finished, it scurried back into the safety of the bush, leaving the web out for its next meal. Satisfied that the spider was safe now from birds, Abella threw herself off the side of the cliff and let the air currents carry her across the valley.

"I'll be watching," she muttered under her breath.

And when the time came, she would be ready.

Beth burst out of the closet, water soaking her clothes and seeping into the floorboards. Over the winter, Tink had built a special drain beneath the floor of the closet so that it wouldn't make such a mess. A process that used to feel like rushing down a slip-and-slide was now more akin to having a bucket of water dumped over her head.

A small crowd had formed in the front room. Beth shut the door and reopened it. The magical portal was one way, so now she was greeted by coats, a stack of towels, and a hula hoop with glowing runes embedded along the outer rim.

"Strange man outside house!" Tink ran up to Beth, a hammer clutched in her diminutive hands. "Been looking in the windows!

Beth held the hoop over her head and let go. The runes flared as their magic forced the water off of her and onto the floor. It had been a gift from Ratu, but it could only be used a couple of times a day. When the hoop clattered on the ground, she picked it up and stuck it back in the closet. "Where's Lily?"

"Oh, I'm around." The succubus was standing up on the third-floor landing, leaning over the edge. She tumbled forward and into the air, then landed gracefully on the hard wood below. "Time to be the man of the house?" she asked.

"Maybe not yet, let's see what we have." When Beth looked outside, she saw a man in glasses standing just off the porch. He was clearly trying to see into the windows of the home and was pacing.

Beth opened the door and stepped outside. "Can I help you with something?"

The man was wearing a brown sweater vest and a long-sleeved button down beneath it. His glasses were perched on the edge of his nose like a squat bird, ready to fall off at any moment.