Making Monster Girls: For Science!
Page 25
“But I’m the first person you suspect?” I boomed. “I may be a man, and the Duchess and I may not be ‘friends,’ but I am one of her employees. I have explicit permission to enter onto her property, especially when it’s a direct order from Edony. I explained to you, the best that I could without giving you away the Duchess’s secrets, and you still suspected me.”
“I apologize,” Milton spat.
“I don’t think you’re sincere,” I stood, crossed the room, lifted an arm, and leaned against the elaborate fireplace. “Why don’t we send for Edony, and you can say all of these things in front of her? I don’t think the Duchess of Edenhart would like it very much knowing that her warden tramps around, going door to door and accusing her employees.”
“I-I’m not accusing you!” Milton snapped the pad closed and stared with wide, horrified eyes. “I-I’m simply asking questions! I n-need to find out who killed my men.”
“Think about it logically, Milton, use your brain for five seconds,” I instructed and spread out my hands in the air with a loud scoff. “I was there with my handler, the Duchess knew I was there. I couldn’t have killed two fully grown men in front of the said handler since she would’ve obviously stopped me and executed me on the spot. What is the logical answer? Who could’ve done this? I feel as if you already knew the answer to this question and simply came here to interrogate and intimidate me.”
“N-No!” Milton sniveled. “I’m only going by my protocol!”
“Let’s send for the Duchess,” I snarled, pushed away from the fireplace, and stomped across the room. “I’m tired of this nonsense. Once she hears about this, I’m not so sure you’ll be the deputy warden for much longer.”
“It was the poachers!” the Warden squealed. “Don’t send for the Duchess! It was most likely the poachers! T-They were in the woods that night, we were sure of it, b-but I had to follow all of my hunches.”
I stood with my back toward Milton, breathed heavily for a moment, let my hands relax at my sides, and allowed a wicked grin to spread over my face. What an imbecile, Milton was nothing more than a sniveling, little toad at the feet of the aristocrats. He had no spine, no power except for the teeniest bit he received from his position as Warden, but even that was miniscule.
“We won’t tell the Duchess about this, understand?” I chuckled. “You and I know how upset she would be hearing it. I would like it very much if you left now. I have to get back to my laboratory.”
“Yes, fine,” Milton grumbled, stood from the couch and slipped his pad of paper back into his pocket. “But if I hear anything else, even a smidgen of gossip about you or your handler, I’ll be back here with a warrant.”
“A warrant?” I echoed, raised my eyebrows, leaned against the doorframe, and crossed my arms. “Signed by the Duchess? Will you take this issue to her then? Or will you simply sign it yourself?”
“Are you patronizing me, Alchemist?” Milton growled, stepped closer, and leaned back his head to stare into my face. “It seems you’ve forgotten who I am. I’m the warden and I still have some sort of power in this town.”
“I apologize, it seems my tongue has a mind of its own tonight.” I nodded, pushed myself off the doorframe, and then gestured down the hall. “Let me show you out.”
“Get it under control, Rayburn,” the Warden barked, brushed past me, and stomped down the hall. “I won’t tell you again.”
What could he do? Tell Edony I’d talked back to him? Even if he did, the Duchess would find out the reason why he was here and then punish him for it. He’d come to my manor, accused, and accosted me on nothing more than a hunch… an entirely true notion, but that was beside the matter.
I followed after him and let the smile linger over my features. He believed it was the poachers who killed his men, there was no other logical explanation. It couldn’t have been me, I had a female handler with me, and she wouldn’t have allowed me to kill two of the Warden’s men. There was no way.
I stifled a chuckle, stepped in front of him, reached for the door handle, gripped it, and was about to turn it right as a low thump exploded up from the hall behind us. My head whipped in the direction, my lips pressed into a hard line, I suppressed the urge to swear but instead, glanced down at the Warden.
Milton’s head turned slowly, as if he expected some type of creature to be lumbering after him and stared down the darkened hall where the sounds emanated from.
“What was that, Rayburn?” Milton hissed. “And don’t say it was a stray cat this time, that sounded much larger than a pesky cat.”
“Uhm,” I coughed. “It’s--”
“Are you hiding something, Alchemist?” Milton snapped, eyed me suspiciously, turned on his heel, and then stomped toward the darkened hall. “What is it? Some type of monster you’ve cooked up with herbs and elixirs? Come now, tell me.”
He wasn’t exactly… wrong, but he’d gotten the method incorrect. I trailed after him, beat my brain for any excuse for the sounds, but came up with none as he reached around the doorway for the light switch.
The lights flickered on, I gulped loudly, stepped forward and peered in over his low shoulder. Nothing seemed out of place in the long hall that separated the foyer from the kitchen, dining, and formal dining rooms.
“Fantastic,” Milton breathed as he tiptoed into the room and examined the decorations lining the small room. “Where did you get these?”
“Oh,” I uttered. “They came with the house.”
The hall was lined with perfectly intact, shining suits of armor, which included swords, helmets, and chainmail. I’d never had much interest in them, in fact, I thought they were pretty creepy when I first moved into the manor and avoided that hall for that very reason.
“I must ask the Duchess who owned this manor before,” the Warden breathed, leaned back his head, and took in the six different sets of armor lining the hall. “I’d love to own a pair, but they are costly. Do you know what century these are from?”
“I have no idea, I’m sorr--eee!” My eyes widened, bulged in their sockets, and my lips twisted in a grimace as a very familiar shape wriggled from behind one of the sets of armor.
“What was that, Rayburn?” Milton asked, turned, and lifted a single eyebrow. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No, no, no,” I grunted, casually leaned against the doorframe, and glanced down the other suits of armor. “I’m fine, I just don’t have any interest in these things.”
The Warden nodded, turned away from me with a low scoff, and reached out to touch the suit of armor closest to Valerie. The feline woman phased from view, tiptoed out into the open, tapped the stout man on the shoulder, dropped low to the ground, and then rolled behind another suit.
“Wha?” Milton yelped, whipped around and stared at me with wide eyes. “Was that you?”
“What?” I asked, forced to keep my eyes straightforward and an emotionless expression.
“Did you just tap me?” Milton gestured. “On the shoulder?”
“No?” I shook my head. “I’ve been over here the entire time.”
“Are you sure?” the Warden cried.
“Absolutely,” I breathed. “Not only that, it would take me six or seven steps to reach you, so when you turned around, I wouldn’t be in the same place as I was before.”
“True…” Milton exhaled, whipped around with his arms held stiffly at his side, and glanced around suspiciously.
“Maybe it was a bug?” I offered.
“Don’t say that, Alchemist.” Milton shivered. “I can’t stand bugs!”
I kept my eyes trained on the shifting illusion where the cat-girl crouched, bit my lips as it moved again, climbed up onto the shoulder of one of the sturdy suits of armor, and then leaped off. I held my breath as the feline-woman flipped once, swiped down at the shiny, bald top of Milton’s head, gripped onto the chandelier, swung, and then dropped off behind another suit of armor.
“My gods…” I whispered.
“Again,” I replied in my calmest tone, glanced toward the corner and felt a bead of sweat trickle down my neck. “I never touched you, I’ve been in the same place.”
Milton whipped around, glared at me, swiveled his eyes toward the floor where I stood, grumbled something under his breath, and then glanced up toward the still swinging chandelier.
“Is your house…” the Warden started, stopped himself as he clamped a hand over his mouth, and then murmured through his fingers. “Is your house… haunted?”
“Hmmm, maybe.” I shrugged, held back a loud peal of laughter, and kept a straight face. “I haven’t noticed anything before. Maybe it’s you, Milton, maybe the spirits here don’t like you and want you to leave.”
The shadow in the corner of the room shifted, phased back into view as Valerie shuddered with laughter, nodded vigorously, and then disappeared. A soft clinking reached both our ears, and I stared toward the closed door of the kitchen. If Valerie was loose in the house, then that could only mean one thing… so was Daisy.
“What the hell was that?” Milton shrieked. “More ghosts? Oh, gods… kitchen ghosts? I read somewhere that those are the worst kind! The kitchen… is where the knives are kept…”
While Milton was nearly pissing himself out of fear, I was trying desperately to keep my laughter from bubbling up my throat. How in the hell had this man been given the title of the ‘deputy warden’? The stout, bald man was nearly shaking as he lowered himself closer to the ground, cowered for a moment, brought up both fists in front of him, and scuttled closer to the closed door.
“Rayburn,” the Warden hissed over his shoulder. “Are you coming? You need to be with me, Alchemist, maybe you can do something to the ghost that I can’t.”
“I’m a scientist and a doctor, not an alchemist and certainly not an exorcist,” I snarked, stepped forward, stood directly behind him, glanced toward where Valerie hid, and then turned my attention back to the door.
The short man jabbed out for the door handle, missed, squeaked loudly in fear, and then tried again. This time, his clawed hand connected with the golden metal of the handle, and managed to open the door a small crack. The Warden stayed low to the floor, unfurled a fist, and then pushed the door open all the way.
Golden light flooded out from the overhead lights, and my eyes fell upon the tiny, round table at the far side of the room. I gulped loudly, glanced down at the shiny surface of Milton’s head, and then raised my eyes back into the kitchen.
Daisy sat on her knees on one of the chairs, leaned against the tabletop, and stuffed elderflower crumpets into her open mouth. The bear-girl paused only to pick up my heavy, cast-iron tea kettle, hold it aloft, and then poured steaming tea into her waiting mouth. The brunette smacked her lips closed, licked them with a satisfied grumbled, and then attacked the pile of crème colored crumpets in fistfuls.
Thankfully, Daisy wasn’t wearing the lab coat I’d put on her earlier but instead, a short, yellow floral print dress that barely brushed at her midthighs. The waist was cinched so tight that I assumed she’d squeezed into a corset, and the front of the dress was pure white with embroidered black thread.
Resting on her short brown hair was a bonnet I vaguely recognized from the clothes upstairs in the attic. The brim cast her face slightly in shadow, hid both of her small ears entirely from view, and the yellow ribbon tied into a bow at her throat matched the shade of her dress almost perfectly.
“What in the gods’ name, Rayburn?” Milton whispered. “Why is there a woman here?”
Daisy lifted her head with a single crumpet balanced on two fingers, furrowed her brows, clicked her tongue, and then shifted in her seat.
“He’s my consort, why else would I be here?” the brunette snapped. “Charles, I thought I said I didn’t want any visitors tonight? Or have you forgotten that is no longer your house, it’s ours.”
“Y-You?” the Warden turned, pointed toward me, and then back to Daisy. “You’re a consort?”
“Yes!” I cried excitedly, brushed past the Warden, and then dropped to the floor beside the bear-girl. “I am a consort, and this is my Mistress.”
“I-I… I just… what?” the Warden whispered, turned halfway around, stopped, rested his hands on the crown of his bald head, and then lifted them into the air. “You? Charles Rayburn, known Alchemist, total hermit, is a consort?”
“I am,” I nodded from my position. “Not for very long, and I’m my Mistress’s first consort.”
“That’s enough talking, Charles.” Daisy’s crumb covered came down, patted the top of my head, and then turned her head toward the doorway. “You, meddlesome man, leave. Your presence is no longer needed.”
“I-I--” Milton mumbled, but Daisy’s raised voice cut him off.
“Go,” the brunette growled. “Now!”
“Y-Yes!” the Warden squeaked but paused at another sound.
Loud banging came from my front door, and I could just make out the silhouette of someone through the stained glass. I couldn’t be sure who it was just yet… but they certainly weren’t pounding on the door with their hands. It was the loud, echoing sound of a cane rapping against the wooden door. The racket got louder and louder as the person outside fussed, moved away, peeked through the small side window, and then came back to hit the door even louder.
“Charles Rayburn,” the velvety voice from outside shouted. “Open the door, you vermin-trash!”
Chapter Seventeen
“Are you going to answer that?” the Warden whispered, pressed himself against the far wall closest to Valerie’s hidden form, and peeked out toward the door.
“Charles!” the voice from outside boomed. “Answer the goddamn door!”
“I guess I have to.” I rose to my feet, adjusted my shirt, and then took a decisive step forward.
I walked through the hall filled with suits of armor, and it seemed to stretch on ahead of me. It felt as if I’d walked for miles before I reached the foyer, grabbed for the handle, breathed heavily, and then opened it softly.
“It’s about goddamn time, Charles,” Edony complained, brushed past me, and then stood in the golden light of the foyer. “What took you so long?”
“I’m sorry,” I sputtered, glanced at the Duchess, toward the Warden, the kitchen, and then back to the blonde. “I wasn’t exactly expecting you.”
“You’ve been over this,” the violet-eyed woman spat, shouldered off her massive, black cloak and then threw it at me. “I don’t need to tell you when I’m coming, I merely expect you to be ready for me at any time, day or night. We need to talk… now. I don’t care where, in your conservatory, or the drawing-room, all I know is we need to do it now.”
“I’m sorry, Edony, but--” I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice died out as the Duchess talked over me.
“I’m done with the apologies, Charles.” The blonde snapped her heated eyes to me, and the lights flickered and then grew so bright I had to squint my eyes. “I want my super-soldi--Milton, why are you here?”
The blonde stopped mid sentence, crooked an eyebrow, snapped her mouth closed, and then grimaced at the stout man.
“Ah! Edony!” the Warden cried, pressed his hands to his chest, and scuttled closer. “You look lovely today, and what a lovely dress? Every time I see you, you get lovelier.”
“I asked you a question, male.” The words rolled off of Edony’s tongue with venom.
“Oh! Uhhhh, I merely came to visit Dr. Rayburn,” Milton grinned nervously, and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. “I’d seen what a lovely manor he had from a distance and came to take a look for myself. Have you seen the stunning suits of armor? I’d die to have one.”
“A visit?” Edony clicked her tongue, jerked her arm out, pulled up her sleeve, and checked the small watch on her wrist. “At this time of night?”
/> “Well… I-I…” Milton stammered.
“You do know what time it is, correct?” Edony’s voice was harsh, like a schoolmarm chastising a child.
“The last I checked--” The Warden’s voice died in his throat as the blonde held up a single finger into the air.
“It’s one-thirty in the morning.” The Duchess squinted. “Aren’t you supposed to be on patrol by now? You’re my employee, I pay you for a reason, Milton, and you’re slacking off from your duties as the deputy warden? It’s almost shameful, you could lose your position because of this.”
“Well, you see, two of my men were killed last night,” Milton hurriedly explained. “I believe, by poachers and…”
The Warden’s voice died in his throat. If he went on, then he’d have to explain that I was there, with a handler and that’d he threatened the two of us, attempted to pry into her private information and he couldn’t have that. I certainly couldn’t have that, I may have been allowed onto the Duchess’s property, but I wasn’t last night, especially with what I was doing.
“And?” Edony prodded, lifted her eyebrows even higher, and pursed her lips. “Annnnd? Come on, Milton, speak up.”
“T-That was it, Duchess.” The Warden hung his head. “My men were killed, and I suspected poachers. I didn’t come to Charles to look at his house… I lied, I’m very sorry, please forgive me.”
Goddamnit, here it came.
Edony’s cane swung through the air, caught the stout man by the shoulder, changed angle, and then ripped him down to his knees. The Duchess held him there, stalked closer, tilted her head as her violet eyes studied his face.
“You lied to me, Milton?” the blonde repeated in a harsh tone. “What did you lie about, pray tell?”
I physically felt the hangman’s noose draped around my shoulders, rest there for a moment, and then tighten around my throat.
“I-I didn’t come here to see Charles’ house,” Milton hissed out, squinted his eyes against the pain, and used one hand against the floor to steady himself. “That’s what I lied about.”