by Lila Dubois
“No, she is one of the humans helping Chevo make the movie about us. She is not like other human woman. She killed another human to protect Runako.”
“A human capable of murder is no great surprise.”
“She killed only to protect, and she did not do it with great violence or anger. She was cold and calm as a striking eagle.”
The voices were getting louder. One was Seling, the other a voice he recognized, but was too groggy to place, except to know that it was a friend. There was no reason for alarm, and no reason to rise. Runako blinked, prepared to return to sleep. In that split second he caught sight of Margo.
Runako’s eyes popped open and he jumped up.
Margo’s heart was beating so loud she was sure they would hear it. The voices were growing louder—they were getting closer. Margo shifted her weight, keeping her knees soft, and braced her right wrist with her left hand. The safety was off, and the gun was pointed at the entrance to the cave.
It slithered into the cave, long body coated in slimy scales. The head was wide and flat, the mouth thin and rimmed in teeth that flashed as it spoke in a hissing voice. It walked upright on four of its eight legs, a pointed tail dragging behind it.
“Stop,” Margo shouted, voice tinged with panic. Her muscles shook with the need to flee. The thing in the doorway was the stuff of nightmares—a slithering, slimy, toothy monster. Its head whipped around in a movement so quick she could barely track it.
“Baby, please don’t shoot them.”
Margo resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. “Runako?”
“Sorry I fell asleep, but please, please don’t shoot them.”
“I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to protect you.” She was starting to shake as adrenaline dissipated. It was clear from Runako’s tone they weren’t a threat, but Margo couldn’t bring herself to lower the gun.
“Margo?” Seling popped his head around the other Monster. Margo nearly passed out with relief.
“Seling,” she whispered, lowering her arms. “You scared the crap outta me.”
“Sorry,” he said. “We didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Sorry I pointed a gun at you,” she replied. Belatedly she realized this probably wasn’t a great first impression. If Runako was any indication, none of the Monsters were going to like a gun happy girl.
Seling stepped out from behind the other Monster. On the surface he was no less terrifying than the other. He was massive, with those red wings, fangs and talons—never mind the fire breathing. But he was familiar to her, and therefore not scary.
Seling turned to the other monster and said something in their language. Runako’s hands settled on her shoulders, and she leaned back into him.
“Are you okay?” she whispered out of the side of her mouth.
“I have you. I am better than okay.” He kissed the side of her neck. Margo’s heart melted. She wanted nothing more than to turn and wrap her arms around the Monster she loved, but it seemed prudent to keep her eyes on the scary reptile Monster.
“Who is that?” she asked.
“The male you just threatened with a gun? That’s my uncle.”
“Hijo de puta.” Margo moaned. Of course he was Runako’s uncle. Fantastic first impression.
Seling and the uncle turned to leave.
“Oh no. Runako, tell them not to go. Tell them I’m sorry. How do you say ‘I’m sorry’ in, er, Monsterish?”
“Monsterish?” he sputtered out on a laugh? His chest vibrated against her back. Margo elbowed him in the belly. He barely flinched. God, he had good abs.
“Stop laughing, they’re leaving.” Margo stooped to tuck the gun back into the box. She grabbed Runako’s hand and tried to tug him towards the cave entrance. She had to get them back here.
“They will return,” Runako assured her. He tugged her into his chest, kissing her forehead as he held her. There was a shout from the cave entrance, and Runako replied with a shout of his own.
“What was that? What did they say? Is your uncle mad?”
“Stay here.”
Runako disappeared into his bedroom and returned carrying clothing. He blew her a kiss on his way out. Margo tugged the hem of the T-shirt down and cleared her throat. Her hair was probably a disaster but there wasn’t much she could do about it at this point.
Runako returned leading a handsome black man and a hot Asian guy. Margo blinked. Were they all gorgeous? The Asian man scooped his silky black hair back and smiled shyly at her.
“Seling?” she asked.
“Hello, Margo.” He stuffed his fists into the pockets of the jeans he’d tugged on and they slid down half an inch, revealing more of his smooth gold chest and the faint trail of black hair leading south from his belly button.
“Holy crap, you’re gorgeous,” she blurted out.
“Really?” Seling grinned in delight. “I’m glad. I wasn’t sure if my human form was pleasing.” He twisted to grin at Runako and Margo caught a glimpse of the stylized fire tattoo that covered his back.
“Margo,” Runako barked.
“Huh? I was just looking.”
Runako led the other man over to her. Up close Margo could see signs of age. There were wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and deep brackets around his mouth. Besides simply the color of their skin, Runako looked like his uncle. They both had the same wide nose, the same straight eyebrows.
Runako’s uncle looked her up and down. His eyes were dark and cool. He and Runako had a brief exchange and then he hesitantly extended his hand. Margo shook his hand, smiling nervously. When she went to let go he held on.
“You are Runako’s mate.” He spoke slowly, in deep James Earl Jones-like tones. “I am Tayzel.”
“Tayzel, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Margo. I’m sorry about the gun. Runako was sleeping, and I didn’t know who was coming. I just wanted to protect him. It was just a precaution. I’m not violent.”
Margo wasn’t sure how true that last claim was, but a violent streak was not something you’d want to admit when first meeting the future in-laws.
Tayzel nodded slowly, “You protected your mate when he was vulnerable.”
Margo nodded.
Tayzel turned to Runako, “She is good.”
It was a simple statement, and not exactly the best of compliments, but from the look on Runako’s face she had a feeling she’d just passed a test.
Chapter Twenty
The raft was made of fragrant woven evergreen branches. No rope or glue held them together, instead the complex weaving allowed it to keep its shape.
Margo watched Runako and Tayzel weave the raft. Runako leapt into the air to break a large branch off the tree they were stripping to create the raft. When a child was born a tree was planted, and the branches of that tree were used to make the raft for the pyre their body would be placed on after death.
Kalona’s tree was not as tall as others in the grove near the lake. It was a bitter reminder that her life had been cut short.
Runako’s tree was next to his sisters. If she’d failed, if she’d let him be killed, they would be stripping that tree too.
She was watching from a ridge above the lake. They were in a deep valley. It was spring in this sunny pocket, and there were small pale blue flowers carpeting the ground. Runako had brought her down here, then left to build his sister’s funeral raft.
Margo was in hiding, but she didn’t mind. They’d discussed it—herself, Runako, Tayzel and Seling—and decided it was best to wait to introduce Margo to the rest of the Clan. Margo didn’t mind. She’d been through a lot in the past few days, and wasn’t sure she was up to meeting all the other Monsters.
The real world was out there somewhere. Her friends, the movie, the reality of the differences between humans and Monsters—they were all out there somewhere. But in this warm sunny spot, watching her beloved, Margo could forget.
She’d found something, someone, amazing. How could it be that after a lifetime of analyzing men to d
eath—his nose was too big, he made a funny sound when he swallowed, his hair was a weird color—she’d fallen for someone who was so alien to everything she knew.
If she thought about it, and right now she was thinking about it, it was nearly frightening. Out of all the souls out there, all the hearts and minds moving through the world, she’d found her match, found the being to whom her body was only a shell, and the meeting of the mind and heart was paramount.
There was a weight to that knowledge, as if she was so blessed in finding that love that it would be both a burden and a joy. It meant that at times like this, when he was hurting, she hurt to.
She would never again belong to only herself.
She would never again be alone.
Margo shivered as the sun began to set. It was early still, but the valley was so deep that dusk would come soon. She pulled the fur blanket up around her shoulders. Seling had given her a brief rundown of what was included in a Monster funeral. She was prepared for what would happen after dark.
Runako rose in the air, wings brilliant blue against the backdrop of evergreens. He stripped the upper branches from the tree. When he landed the trunk was bare, a spire of wood reaching into the sky.
He and Tayzel, working in tandem, tucked the few remaining branches into the raft. It was bowl shaped, rather like the bed.
The sun dipped behind the mountain ridge and the temperature dropped ten degrees in an instant.
Margo folded up the edge of the fur she was sitting on and tucked it around her toes. She was fully dressed in the outfit she’d worn at the center. It smelled a bit smoky, but it was better than being naked.
To her left a branch cracked. She stilled.
A hissing rattle, like that of a rattlesnake, echoed through the twilight. She tucked herself deeper into the hollow between the tree roots she was sitting in. An owl hooted, and something howled.
The scene that had seemed peaceful, if sad, only moments before, was now scary. It was not fully dark, which made it worse. Margo peered into the shadows and could just make out a large shape passing between the trees, headed for the lake.
Margo held her breath.
Runako had assured her that if anyone found her he would come rescue her, so there was nothing to fear. What if one of them just grabbed her and ate her? Fat lot of good his rescue would be then.
Twilight deepened, and the noises in the forest around her increased. Some were familiar, like the hoot of the owl, others were foreign, like the hiss hiss hiss that passed behind her.
It took more courage than she knew she had to remain motionless and silent. Margo’s fingers were shaking, and she was biting her lip to hold back a scream.
Down near the lake fire flared. One torch was lit, then another, and another. The ceremony was about to start.
Margo spotted Runako, his ebony skin and blue wings familiar and comforting. She concentrated on him, and ignored the creatures who’d crept out of the forest and filled the clearing at the lake’s shore. She didn’t want to see what they were, couldn’t face the Monsters while she sat alone and defenseless. Her reaction to meeting Tayzel had assured her that however comfortable she might be with Runako she was not immune to any instinctive fear of scary, crawly, slimy things.
Torches were lit and then the bearers of the flames left the clearing. They circled the lake, spacing themselves so they evenly lit the shoreline. Only Runako and Tayzel remained near the raft.
Runako handed his torch to Tayzel and stooped.
Runako lifted the first of the white boxes.
He had not let his uncle see the “slides” as Margo called the pieces of glass. He did not want his Uncle to see what had been done to her. All his Clan knew what Kalona had suffered. He’d been mad with grief and rage as he’d watched, through her eyes, her torture and death, and he knew he’d cried out, describing the things he saw. Knowing from his description and seeing the small remnants of her body were very different things.
He would never be glad that his sister had been reduced to this. To two small white boxes full of flecks of skin, bone and blood, but he was glad to have something of her. He could now give her a proper funeral.
He placed the box into the cradle of the pyre. It was very small and white amid the evergreen branches. He lifted the second box. His Uncle met his gaze, and Runako could see the question in his eyes. Runako shook his head. He would not show his Uncle what remained of her.
His uncle nodded, taking his word that in the boxes were pieces of Kalona.
He raised the box, pressing it to his heart.
He’d been young when his parents died, too young to have led the funeral. His Uncle had done that, and Runako remembered his Uncle lifting his father’s body and holding it close to his chest. One last touch.
He had no body to hold, but he clutched what he did have to his chest. He expected grief, but he was strangely calm. He’d released his sadness when he cried human tears in the arms of his mate.
Runako looked to the ridge where he’d left Margo. He knew she was there, the same way he knew the sun would rise tomorrow. Runako knelt and placed the second box alongside the first.
Tayzel grasped one side of the pyre. Runako took the other.
Together they cast it out onto the water of the lake. It would not sink, the pattern of weaving was old and tested. Runako took his torch from his Uncle. Around the lake hundreds of other lights flickered. His Clan, his people, were here to say goodbye to his sister.
They had all been touched by her death. Indeed it had been the catalyst that had driven Chevo to leave the Clan for Los Angeles. As his sister’s funeral pyre floated into the center of the lake Runako wondered if he would have met Margo had Kalona lived.
Was his sister’s death the price for his happiness?
Runako could not believe it. The gods of this world were not so cruel. He had to believe that he would have found Margo, even without Kalona’s death.
Someday Margo would die. She had not had the fortune to be born into his Clan, but he would plant a tree for her, so that when the time came, he could build her a pyre, and know that his mate, his beloved, was ushered into the night with all the ceremony she deserved.
Tayzel touched his shoulder. It was time.
Runako leapt into the air, the torch in his hand. He flew out over the water, so low that the surface rippled as he passed over it. He slowed as he approached the pyre.
Goodbye, sister mine.
He dropped his torch into the pyre, directly on the boxes.
He circled to return to the shore, and passed his Uncle in the air. He landed on the bank in time to see Tayzel drop in his torch.
One by one his Clansmen took to the sky. Those like Seling who could breathe fire doused the pyre in the gold-hot flames. Soon the center of the lake was ablaze with light, the pyre burning brightly.
As the fire ate its way through the branches his Clansmen dispersed, leaving the lake dark save the pyre.
“She is gone now,” Tayzel said.
“She has been gone a long time,” Runako replied.
“No,” his Uncle said, shaking his head. “Your anger kept her here, allowing her no rest. Now she is gone.”
Tayzel touched his shoulder, and then he too left the lake. Runako stayed until the fire was gone, and what was left of the pyre sunk into the lake. With a heart lighter than it had been in a long time he went to find his mate.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I want to fuck you.”
“I want that too.”
“Hard, rough,” Runako shook his head, “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”
“I trust you not to hurt me.” Margo rose to her knees beside him. She was naked, her skin bathed in firelight. Runako wrapped his hand around her waist, his claws clicking against each other as he completely encircled the narrowest point on her torso.
He wanted to fuck her in his own body, not in his human form. He shouldn’t, he knew that, but he wanted to.
Margo smiled softly and
petted his chest. She was being gentle, as she’d been for the past hour, since they’d returned from the valley. It had been peaceful to lie with her tucked into his wing, thinking of nothing and everything at the same time.
But now he wanted to be rough, wanted to fuck her.
Runako traced a path down the center of her body with one claw. Margo arched her back, thrusting her breasts forward.
“You are very beautiful,” he said.
“I know.” Margo grinned, and her beauty was heart stopping.
Runako urged her down onto her back. “Spread your legs.”
Margo parted her legs, hooking one over his arm. Her toes brushed his wing, which was unexpectedly erotic.
“Aren’t you going to change?” she whispered in a husky voice. Margo ran the tips of her fingers down his chest.
“No.”
He shifted his hips, freeing his cock to lie along her belly.
Margo scrambled back, eyes on his cock. Her look of awed horror was immensely flattering. “You’re too big.”
Runako parted the lips of her sex with the tip of his claw. “You’re beautiful.”
“Nuh uh, that’s not going to work.”
“What’s not going to work?” he asked innocently, widening his eyes and blinking.
“You’re monster cock is too big for me. You’d break my cervix or something.”
He sighed, “I do not want to hurt you.” Runako lifted himself off her, letting his wings droop. “It is just that I wanted to make love to you while in my true body.” He stepped out of the bed and turned his back to her.
“Wait.”
Runako grinned.
“Maybe, maybe we could,” Margo’s hands were on his wings, stroking the membrane, “fool around a little. Like we did before.”
Runako turned and lifted her out of the bed. She was so small, so light, that for a moment he doubted what it was he planned to do. She hooked her legs over his hips, her sex rubbing against the underside of his cock, which was sandwiched between their bodies.
Runako cupped her sweet ass with one hand, holding her up.
“You’re too tall,” she told his chest.
