Monsters Below (The Creatures We Crave Book 2) Read online

  She trailed off from her rambling diatribe as Elwin came to my other side, grabbing my hand tightly.

  Sucking in a sharp breath, I held it, waiting for the bomb to drop. Estrid’s eyes flashed as she zeroed her gaze in on me, nodding her head like she knew whatever she’d deduced was undoubtedly correct.

  “I think you boys are the exact opposites of the dangerous curses from Pandora’s box. Elwin, you countered that woman, feeling the disease she seeped into the ground. You removed it before funneling it into the one good curse in this world, Alexandra. You are fueling her power of hope.”

  “So we’re what? Anti-curses?” Kylo quipped, voicing my own question of what the hell exactly made them.

  “Are we from Pandora’s box as well then?” Elwin asked, not giving Estrid a moment to answer the first question.

  Her lips thinned as her eyes swung from me to the guys before settling on me again. With furrowed brows, she answered, “I think that when the last curse—Alexandra—was let out of the box, she was somehow left in possession of Pandora’s box and has the ability to use it.”

  My jaw tightened as I ground my teeth together. “Use it how?”

  “Well, my dear, I think you created these monsters in the same manner the original curses were forged in the box. I believe you harnessed the magic of creation from within it and pulled them to reality to assist you in your time of need.”

  This was absolutely insane. I mean, seriously. She made me sound like a magician pulling a white rabbit out of my top hat. Except I’d pulled three sexy as sin monsters out of my…box. Arguably, a much better trick.

  Dropping Kylo and Elwin’s hands, I stepped forward, throwing mine in the air. I felt like I was losing my mind. “I don’t have a freaking box! I think I would know if a magical box was in my possession.”

  Right? Right?!

  “What if you somehow absorbed it when you were set free? Like a failsafe infused with the creation of the box?” Estrid countered, raising a brow in challenge.

  Chapter Two

  ALEXANDRA

  Cue my mind absolutely imploding with all of the what-if’s.

  It was starting to feel overwhelming, like the information was just a little too much for me to work through on the spot. How was I supposed to know what was actually a possibility versus what was just some extreme make-believe scenario?

  Like, what if flying unicorns were also real?

  What if Ragnarok was real and we were all going to die tomorrow?

  We just don’t know. Me being from Pandora’s box, absorbing it, and creating my men with it definitely seemed to be about as far-fetched as those two what-ifs.

  Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath while squeezing my eyes shut, feeling the beginnings of a headache throbbing in my temples.

  “So you’re saying my angel is from Pandora’s box, and that she absorbed Pandora’s box into her being before harnessing that power to not just create us, but pull us to life to help fight off the bad curses too?” Lucien drawled from behind me as he set his large hands on my shoulders and rubbed gently.

  For a brief moment, I allowed myself to lean back into his touch, taking comfort in the feeling. But his words cut through that comfort almost instantly, pulling me out of the moment.

  How the fuck was he able to say all of that so nonchalantly?

  Twisting my head to look up at him, I narrowed my eyes and gave him an are you fucking serious right now look. He simply flashed me a grin and winked before adding, “Because if that’s what you’re saying, then our girl is pretty fucking bad ass.”

  Oh. Damn, he was smooth. Too smooth for his own good.

  My incredulous look quickly morphed into one of a love sick puppy as I stared up at him, my infatuation for him beating through my heart like a kick drum. He always managed to make me feel like the most prized woman in the world, even when I was in the middle of an apparent identity crisis. Truly, they all made me feel that way, even when I thought they were just imaginary men in my stories. It shouldn’t have surprised me to feel their love and support in real life. Granted, all of it was strange to conceptualize–the fact that they were truly here and that this life with them at the academy was real.

  His hand snaked up to tap the tip of my nose lightly before leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead, and my toes curled with delight at the way his affection washed over me. The fact that I was practically preening at the attention was ridiculous. I just couldn’t get enough of them.

  “What I’ve said is a presumption based on limited information and time,” Estrid countered while placing a hand on her slender hip. “You will all need to research this more in your free time between classes. It’s imperative you gain an understanding of the myth, and every possible inner working of the box, that you can find in history and mythology books. Learn from those sources and then apply that knowledge to what you already know.”

  Having to spend time at the library didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world. I owed Mrs. Felicity a visit anyway. Plus, being surrounded by books sounded like the perfect kind of therapy.

  And who knows, maybe there really would be some knowledge we could glean from the plethora of books housed there. Maybe Estrid was right…But if she was, us confirming her theory would only introduce a whole other host of issues for us to worry about.

  “That’s just the tip of what we have to do,” I murmured, acknowledging her suggestion as I turned to face her once more. “From there, we’ll have to work on learning how to harness these powers if we’re to have any…” I trailed off, realizing the word I was about to say and faltering with it on the tip of my tongue.

  How did such a simple word suddenly possess such massive implications?

  A knowing smile turned Estrid’s lips up before she offered, “If you’re to have hope of defeating these curses.”

  Well, I was going to say hope in defending ourselves against attack, but her version made it feel like a hundred pound boulder was on my shoulders, pushing me down toward the earth. Was I meant to destroy these rogue curses? In my mind, I was strictly focused on keeping myself and my monsters alive. Suddenly, that seemed very narrow-minded. If the woman and the family she mentioned were truly the terrible curses let out of Pandora’s box, there was so much at stake here. So many lives…

  Trepidation filled my voice as I asked, “What do you think would happen if I didn’t defeat them?”

  It felt like an unfortunate, albeit plausible, scenario. Thoughts of Alina and Alora, with their fearless and confident personalities, popped into my mind. They oozed power, and I was honest enough with myself to know I wasn’t like that. If something like this was placed at their feet, I had no doubt they would pick up the mantle and face it head on, crushing their foes. But I was just Alexandra, and I was still trying to figure out what that even meant…

  “Impossible,” Lucien exclaimed as his hands tightened on my shoulders in what I’m sure he meant to be a supportive gesture.

  I couldn’t help but shake my head, though. The urge to argue with him was damn near overwhelming. We needed to face all the possibilities. I was quickly cut off as I opened my mouth to argue.

  “We will,” Kylo growled out from my right.

  Elwin chastised me, “Don’t even think that, Alexandra, let alone say it.”

  While I appreciated their support and belief in me, I truly needed to understand the consequences of what would happen if I didn’t defeat them. If this was all real and what Estrid said was correct, it seemed pretty likely I would be responsible for saving humanity. Which, when you think about it, is the worst kind of irony. Me, responsible for saving the very people I’d spent my entire life despising. Fate was an interesting bitch, that’s for sure.

  I needed Estrid to say the words out loud. I needed that affirmation, good or bad. If the only acknowledgement was my own, there was a very real possibility I would find it way too easy to bury my head in the sand and act like that was future Alexandra’s problem to wo
rry about.

  I swallowed harshly, my throat thick with emotion at the thought of innocent lives lost because of my inability to do what I was supposedly created for. My eyes burned, swimming with the unshed tears that surged forward.

  While I didn’t care for many of the humans I’d had the displeasure of being in close contact with growing up, deep down I knew there was more to the world than anger and cruelty. There had to be. I felt that…hope within the very depths of my soul, despite how suffocating the darkness of the world was. I couldn’t turn my back on the lives of billions because of a handful of horrid people. If I did, I wouldn’t be any better than the worst of them.

  I looked up, meeting Estrid’s eyes as a stray tear leaked from the corner of my eye. Reaching up, I swiped at the tear running down my cheek. Her usually chipper voice was somber, and she nodded in understanding before she finally answered, “Then there would be nothing holding the curses back from turning the human realm into pure anarchy. The world as they knew it would eventually be so full of death, wrath, and greed, I believe there would be no way for humans to survive. Hope is the only thing that holds them at bay.”

  I couldn’t help the bubble of maniacal laughter that worked itself from my chest and up my throat. “Yeah, okay. No pressure, right?” I joked, but inside I could already feel myself caving at the weight it put upon my heart.

  “Alexandra, you’re not in this alone.”

  Her reassurance fell on deaf ears, though.

  My entire life I’d thought myself a human, having no idea that I possessed dormant powers. I’d longed to be special, to find a way to escape that plane of existence. Sure, I’d gotten what I’d wanted in that regard, finding a home here at DIA, but now…Now I was hypothetically part of some, what? Greek myth? The human world could legitimately collapse if I didn’t wrap my brain around that quickly enough. I had to ensure the demise of the curses who’d had Fates knows how long to perfect their powers.

  How was it even possible for me to win against those odds?

  It felt so insurmountable in this moment that all I could do was laugh, the sound hollow and lifeless. My laughter turned to soft sobs as a feeling of helplessness seeped into every crevice of my being. I dropped into a squat, letting my head hang forward until it rested in my palms. The warmth of my tears coated my skin as they fell.

  My monsters quickly surrounded me, providing me their silent support with soothing touches and allowing me to process the information in the way I needed. The fact that they didn’t try to tell me it was wrong to feel this way or that I needed to get over it was appreciated more than I could ever put into words. I felt like I was already failing for feeling so overwhelmed and helpless. That’s not what a hero does.

  I heard the shift of a body to my right and heard Kylo call out sharply, tone brokering no argument as he spoke, “We’re taking her back to our house. This doesn’t need to be solved tonight, and we’re not leaving her. Not like this.”

  Yes. That’s exactly what I needed.

  I yearned to lay in bed with them and just sit with this new information. I found myself hoping that maybe when the sun broke through the sky in the morning, my mental fortitude would return with it. Maybe that’s why I always found sunrises so enrapturing. Each day I woke up with a part of me hoping the world that woke with the new sunrise would be different. Each sunrise was a reminder that there was a new opportunity to break the cycle. Each day was a rebirth.

  My tears began to subside with the thought, and I reached up to brush the fallen drops off my cheeks as I took a deep, steadying breath.

  Estrid’s voice was soft, understanding twining through her words as she responded. “Yes, you’re correct. Please get some rest, and we will talk soon. I’ll create a portal for you so you don’t get lost on the way back.”

  Her words were a stark reminder that we knew very little about the academy still, and I couldn’t help but let out a light huff of amusement. Our ignorance was so comically sad. Without her assistance, we couldn’t find our way back to our territory from the outskirts of DIA. Knowing that we might one day need to make a hasty escape, the thought that we were so miserably lost now didn’t sit well with me. Tomorrow, I would add stop living in our demon-sector bubble to the list of to-dos. We desperately needed to understand this new world we found ourselves in.

  If anything was clear to me from the last few days, it was that you never knew what life was going to throw at you. I could at least ensure that I was prepared next time it threw a curveball. I wasn’t going to just stand still and take the punches. No, I was going to punch back.

  I just needed a good night of sleep first.

  “Come on, Angel,” Lucien murmured as he pulled me into his arms, carrying me as if I weighed nothing more than a feather.

  Nuzzling into his warmth, I immediately felt some of the tension bleed out of my body. No matter how ill-prepared I felt for this, I knew that with my monsters’ unwavering support and determination, we could figure this out together. Sometimes it was still too easy to default to thinking I was alone in my fight against the world, but they were slowly breaking me of that habit.

  My hair swirled around me and my breath caught in my throat as we crossed through the portal. Thankfully, it was becoming a little less disorienting the more we used them.

  The steady brush of Lucien’s thumb against my back left me content to keep my eyes closed, trusting them to protect me and take me where I needed to be. They truly knew me in and out, and I was learning that it was a really beautiful thing to trust in those who wanted the best for you. Giving that blind trust is the kind of decision that’s life-changing, and I couldn’t pinpoint when it happened with them.

  When I thought back on it, I would’ve thought that when they came to my reality, it would have taken longer to reconcile the change and my trust in them, but if I was being honest…being with them was like stars hanging in the night sky. It just was. How could you explain something that was just meant to be?

  The emotional toll of the day was quickly catching up to me. From the insanity that was the first day of classes, detention…

  Fuck, I never found Alina. I hoped she hadn’t shown up to the party. Because if she did, she was going to think I was the absolute worst for inviting her and never meeting up with her. I’d have to find a way to meet up with her, or at least get a message to her at the bare minimum. I didn’t want to be the reason that even more pain blossomed in her eyes–it was clear the weight she carried was already heavier than one person should be able to bear alone. There was a kindred spirit in the two of us, and my gut churned at the idea of letting her down so soon after having met her.

  Before I knew it, Lucien’s arms loosened from around my body, and he gently placed me on my feet, steadying me. The sudden change of altitude forced me to open my eyes to see what was going on and where I was. My heart warmed as I took in the bedroom I’d called mine in my short time here. Wordlessly, the three of them worked around me. Elwin lit a few candles in the room that I’d stayed in for the one night I shared the home with them. Kylo headed into the ensuite bathroom, pulling memories of our time together there to the surface as I heard the shower turn on. Lucien left the room briefly before returning with a big shirt of his and ushering me into the bathroom.

  They left me alone in the steam-filled room–surely to give me some space to process–but I found myself quickly stripping out of my clothes and rushing through my shower. All I wanted was to be wrapped up in their warmth.

  By the time I was showered and draped in the long shirt, I was worried they would have returned to their own rooms. I cracked the door open, stomach tightening at the impossible thought of choosing who to sleep with. But there they were, all three of them in a cuddle puddle in my bed with the lights turned off and the soothing scent of the vanilla candles floating through the air.

  This was perfection.

  Elwin smiled lazily at me as he lifted the comforter for me to join them. “Come on.”

&nb
sp; Heat flushed my cheeks at the thought of not having any bottoms on and being in the bed with all of them, but quickly dismissed it before climbing over him quickly and settling between him and Kylo. Lucien was left on the far side. It was very unlike him to opt for a spot that wasn’t touching me and not complain about it.

  “Are you okay Lucien?” I asked hesitantly.

  He hummed in response, his tone cheerful as he said, “I’m fantastic, angel. Kylo and I agreed to switch spots through the night, so you’ll wake up in my arms. I wanted to be the first thing you saw in the morning.”

  Elwin quickly muttered, “Unless she’s facing me when she sleeps.”

  Lucien growled, and the sound tugged a reticent smile onto my lips. Suddenly, everything felt right again. My growly little psycho was still there.

  “Sleep, Alexandra,” Kylo soothed as I snuggled into his side and pressed a kiss to his bare chest.

  Ever the commanding man, making sure I slept and ate.

  I wasn’t sure what I did to deserve these three incredible men, but I vowed then that I would never take them for granted a day in my life.

  Chapter Three

  LUCIEN

  The first soft, golden rays of the morning light began to stream through the window of the bedroom, illuminating the beauty that slept soundly in my arms. As my eyes traced over her delicate, small nose and the deep cupid’s bow of her upper lip, I couldn’t help but want to kiss every damn inch of her. If I was being honest with myself, I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss her, even with Kylo at my back and Elwin curved around the other side of her.

  A sense of smug satisfaction came over me at the thought of her waking up and seeing me before the others. While I wanted to hold her at all times, Elwin deserved his time with her after what he’d gone through with the trespassing woman and her blight. I might be a selfish fuck when it came to our girl, but there were times I could shove it down for my brothers. Kylo and I hadn’t even needed to speak about it, deciding without argument that we would switch spots to each have time with Alexandra.