My Boyfriend is a Monster

by Coates, J. H.

  Rick looked up in fear and saw the same creature that almost took his life in the alley way. “You!” he gasped in horror.

  “I warned you,” Nathan said wrapping his claws around Rick’s neck. Yanking him upward he lifted him into the air like he was a weightless stuffed toy. “I told you to leave.”

  “I – love – her,” Rick sputtered out.

  “Enough to die for I see,” Nathan said tightening his grip.

  Rick’s face started to go bright red as air quickly became something of a limited quantity. “You can’t kill me,” Rick coughed.

  “I can’t?” Nathan asked letting him go. Rick was so weakened his legs could not support the fall and they buckled. Watching him collapse to the floor made him grin.

  Rolling to his stomach Rick took a deep and forced breath. “You’ll be a murderer,” he said starting to raise himself up.

  “Am already,” Nathan revealed casually. Placing his foot on Rick’s upper back he forced his body against the floor and continued to apply monstrous pressure.

  “They’ll catch you,” he cried losing his breath again.

  “Haven’t been caught yet,” Nathan said applying enough pressure to his back to start suffocating him.

  Rick wheezed trying to get out from under the crushing strength of Nathan’s foot, but could only struggled with no success. “I can’t breathe!” he exclaimed going from red to blue expeditiously.

  “That’s the fucking point Rick. Or should we make this look like an accident?” He paused for a moment and concentrated on enjoying the squirming heel under foot. Then it hit him. “Maybe a suicide,” Nathan said inspired and removed his foot.

  Before Rick could take a breath he felt himself being lifted off the floor by his shirt and carried like a suitcase across the floor. Suddenly he heard the screen door to the balcony being open and he was lifted up to Nathan’s face. Exposing his fangs dripping with saliva Nathan growled letting spittle sprinkle his face. Deciding he’d rather hold him by the neck, Nathan switched hands and hung him out over the balcony. His grip around his neck was tight enough that Rick could not scream or yell. He could not look down because of Nathan’s constricting hold, but he could feel the emptiness beneath his feet and knew he was dangling high above the sidewalk below.

  “Please,” Rick begged gasping for air.

  “Let you go? Sure,” Nathan said loosening his grip and letting him dangle a little more liberally.

  “No!” Rick screamed in a whisper.

  “Maybe I should just eat you,” Nathan said letting his eyes beam, which in the darkness seemed to highlight his fangs quite nicely.

  “What?” Rick blurted hoping he heard him wrong.

  Tightening his grip he pulled him over the railing and back into the apartment. He slammed Rick into the wall and widened his mouth to reveal the long razor like fangs protruding from top and bottom gums. Rick tried to scream as hard and as loud as he could but it barely registered as a whimper. Leaning forward to his shoulder Nathan sunk his teeth into Rick’s flesh letting his longer fangs dive deep. Stopping just above the bone he started to close his mouth scooping out a large hunk of flesh. Nathan pulled back his head bringing a bubbling lump of Rick meat with him. Gritting his teeth Rick exhaled a painful hallowing sigh, his entire body began tensing to help deal with the excruciating pain.

  Rick opened his eyes to his own flesh being spit into his face. This time he tried to scream in pain. Waiting for his silent cry to finish Nathan loosened his grip long enough for Rick to inhale a deep breath. Tightening it again he leaned into his ear. “Whether I eat you, stab you or make it look like a suicide, one way or another, you are not going to see, let alone hurt Lily ever again,” Nathan said pointing towards Lily who was now awake and staring at the Monster holding her ex-boyfriend up against the wall.

  “Lily!” Nathan gasped letting Rick drop to the floor. Rushing toward her he bent down to see how she was. Suddenly her eyes fluttered backwards and she passed out. He double checked to make sure she was still breathing. She was. “Perfect,” he sighed and sat down beside her. Wondering what to do next he watched as Rick slowly tried to make his getaway crawling towards the hall leading to the door. He put his hand on Lily’s leg and rubbed it gently for comfort. “Guess that cat is out of the bag,” Nathan said disappointed. Standing up he slowly made his way towards Rick liberating his fangs and claws. Rick turned around only to see Nathan’s eyes start to beam while his body convulsed and snapped getting bulkier.

  Rick bellowed hoarsely, “No – No – Nooo.”

  THREE: Was it a Dream

  Slowly opening her eyes Lily recognized those all too familiar pings in her head immediately. The pain started to flood into her body but she chuckled in spite of it. “I had worse,” she whispered to herself and slowly opened her eyes. Rick obviously didn’t kill her but she remembered they made quite a mess of the apartment. Letting her eyes adjust she noticed it was still night. She thought it must be the same night, unless he knocked her out really good this time, and it’s been days. She noticed she was still in the apartment. “Thank God,” she said grateful she didn’t wake up in the hospital, or worse, chained in a basement. Then she noticed the apartment did not look disturbed at all. “What the hell,” she said standing up from the couch to quickly and having to catch her balance. She stood wobbling for a moment letting her body catch up. Lily gently looked around the apartment. Nothing was disturbed. The coffee table was right where it was supposed to be along with her magazines. Martin’s bowl full of keys and other junk it had been collecting over time looked undisturbed. The tablet was nowhere to be seen but she did not see any evidence of it being broken. Walking around Lily looked for a piece of screen or black casing but could not find anything. Then she rushed to the end of the kitchen by the hallway where she cut him. There was no sign of blood. She walked back to the couch and moved the coffee table. She knew she bled on it but it was perfectly clean. If she did not feel the bruises and cuts on herself she would swear she dreamt the entire thing.

  “I cleaned up,” Nathan said calmly from behind her hoping he would not frighten her.

  Spinning around she saw Nathan holding a bag that looked like it had clothes in it. Glancing down at herself, Lily noticed she had different clothes on. She turned back to Nathan with a look that demanded an explanation.

  “I cleaned your cuts and got you out of these blood stained clothes,” he said holding up the bag that did indeed contain her blood stained clothes.

  Marching over to him Lily ripped the bag out of his hand. “You changed me?” she asked infuriated.

  “Just the outer clothes, I didn’t do anything perverted I swear,” Nathan said raising his right hand as if he was being sworn in by a court of law.

  “Where’s Rick?” she demanded.

  “Gone,” Nathan said quietly.

  Suddenly she started to get a little nervous. “Did you eat him?”

  Suddenly Nathan became very self-aware. “What?” But he knew what she was talking about.

  “You changed.”

  “I don’t know what you-”

  “Don’t,” she interrupted him feeling insulted.

  Nathan stood there feeling completely helpless and exposed.

  “You changed,” Lily said once again.

  Nathan paused for a moment. Thinking that if he wanted to be with her, and he did, he should start being honest right away. Letting a shade of truth fall over him he nodded. “Yes . . . I changed.”

  “Show me,” she said.

  “Show you?” Nathan asked surprised.

  Lily walked up to him and took a very deep and apprehensive breath. “Show me.”

  “I don’t want to scare you.”

  “I’m not living afraid, anymore,” she said determined.

  Nathan nodded.

  Lily heard a few pops and cracks as Nathan’s body burst in slightly in size. She watched as his arms convulsed while claws slid out from under his finger nails. His eyes beamed bright and
seemed to glare off of the lights. Fangs emerged out of his gums and over his regular teeth. Lily screamed sharply and instinctively threw a right hook across Nathan’s face making a loud smacking sound. It felt like someone just dropped a cinder block on her hand. Staggering backwards she shook her hand feverishly crying in pain. And although it didn’t help she continued to blow on it as she alternated lifting her legs very high and very slowly.

  “I’m sorry,” Nathan said, his fangs interrupting his speech. Reaching out and wanting to comfort her he forgot he still looked the part that ignited her terror.

  Turning and looking towards the apology Lily quickly screamed at the sight of him again. Obviously not thinking it through Lily threw a left hook across the other side of his face. Her hand throbbed instantly. “Fuck me,” she yelled slowly doing a 360 while skipping.

  Nathan did not know what to do. “You said you weren’t afraid.”

  Lily stopped blowing on her hand and looked at him. “Man, not afraid of any man. You just grew claws and sprouted Goddamn fangs,” she said and went back to blowing back and forth on her hands.

  “Can I change back?” Nathan asked wanting her to feel as if though she was in charge.

  “Did you eat him?”

  Nathan rolled his eyes. “I don’t, really, eat people. Like you think,” he said not sure if he used the right words.

  She looked at him dumbfounded. “That was not really an answer that instills comfort Nathan.” But Lily was easily pulled into distraction and became very curious. “Are you a Vampire?”

  “No,” Nathan replied now feeling like the one being insulted.

  “Werewolf?” she guessed.

  “Nope,” he said seeing where this was going.

  She stepped a little closer forgetting the pain she was in and started to study him. “Alien.”

  “I’m not any type of Hollywood monster,” Nathan said a little aggravated and took a step towards her.

  Lily screamed again and stumbled backwards falling on her ass on top of the coffee table. “Don’t eat me,” she said turning her head from him and putting up her hands and using her two first fingers to make a Cross.

  Nathan just shook his head and leaned down. “Again, I don’t eat people and I am not a Vampire,” he said flicking the fingers making the cross and separating them.

  Lily yelped and then stayed silent for a moment. She slowly turned her head back around and opened her eyes. She looked at the Monster in front of her and started to see through it to the man it was. Lily saw Nathan within the beast, easily. It was the man she was falling for and the Monster she assumed just saved her life.

  Nathan kneeled down and held his arms apart. Slowly he brought them closer until they touched Lilies. “He was a monster,” Nathan said pointing behind him at nothing but meaning Rick. “He was going to kill you.”

  “But did -”

  “I swear to God Lily, if you ask me again if I ate him.”

  Lily sat quietly for a moment. Then she smiled. “What? You’re gonna eat me?” she asked waiting for him to react. Nathan started to laugh in his Monstrous state and Lily could not believe how normal he looked. The man she fell for was kneeling right in front of her, he just had fangs and claws. The last “Monster” she dated actually attacked her on a regular basis and tried to kill her. She thought if this Monster wanted to beat on her or eat her he would have done it already. Then she realized this was the same Monster who not only saved her tonight but from the bus as well. He saved Todd from being beaten to death. Not to mention paid for every hospital bill with no expectation of being paid back, all in name of friendship. He looked horrifying and scary at first but now he looked afraid of not being accepted. The same way she felt when she first met him. Reaching out her hand she observed every monstrous inch of his face with the most unintimidating curiosity. Lily brushed her fingers along his cheek and he closed his eyes appreciating her soft touch. She looked at his hand and he raised it for her. She took her one hand and placed it on his wrist, then led her fingers to the tips of his claws. Taking the other she let her finger tips lightly touch the points of his fangs. Looking at his eyes she became almost hypnotized by how they did not glow, but beamed. “What are you?” she asked not afraid anymore.

  “Just me.”

  Closing her eyes Lily let Nathan kiss her gently. She could feel the pressure and outline of his fangs and thought of how hot it seemed. Then she started to laugh at how perverted that seemed.

  Nathan pulled back and smiled. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” she said letting the laughter subside to a grin. Lily leaned into his ear. “My boyfriend is a Monster,” she whispered.

  Nathan leaned into hers. “My girlfriend is a dork.”

  She quickly threw her arms around him and kissed him. Lily had a thousand questions, but for now she just wanted to kiss him, hold him, and just be with him . . . and he wanted the same.

  CHAPTER 18

  ONE: 265

  The dark blue compact flew down the highway. The Crow sat behind the wheel while the Raven watched the outside night race towards him, only to disappear behind them.

  “I take it the job pays well,” the Crow said turning down the ragtime jazz on the radio.

  “Yes Lovey, very well indeed,” the Raven said not taking his eyes off the night sky.

  “I am very excited about going to Chicago,” she said glancing over at him.

  “I know you are,” he said a little distant. He was trying to assess the right moment.

  “What is wrong my love?” she asked.

  “This job,” the Raven said turning his head towards her.

  “What about it?”

  The Raven sighed. Thinking there would be no better time than now since the closer to Chicago they got, the more excited she would get. “I read the files before we left my dear,” he said and paused. “The instructions for this job and echoed by our new friend Mr. Merrick, call for a lay low approach to this job,” he said hoping this would sit well.

  “How low?” she asked getting a little upset.

  “Completely,” he said deciding to just drop it all at once.

  “I see.”

  “That means no night life, no chases, no fighting and absolutely no killing,” he said.

  “What if we’re attacked, or provoked?” the Crow asked trying to find a silver lining.

  “Then we will flee into the night and lick our wounds like stray dogs,” the Raven said poetically.

  “Like dogs,” she said going cold.

  “The money is enormous my love and their will most certainly be killing at the end,” he said trying to bring her back. Sliding over he put his arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Besides lover, even if there is none, we always have the future.

  “Montreal,” She said perking a bit.

  “Forget Montreal Lovey, we will travel by boat to England, then when we are bored of London we will cross to France, to Paris. We will spend mountains of money for the silliest and most frivolous of luxuries,” he said pulling her closer.

  She was quite for a moment then smiled. “How much is, very well?”

  “A plethora of wealth,” he whispered.

  “I suppose lying low for a while won’t be so bad,” she said remembering how much fun flaunting money in Paris was.

  “Of course my eternal, and we can always go on a spree on our way to port. Get all that pent up tension out,” the Raven said kissing her on the cheek.

  “Very well,” she said giving him a smile. “I guess I have millions of reasons not to,” the Crow said with a disappointing grin. It turned into a laugh once she thought of how clichéd she sounded. “I sound like a bad action movie from the 80’s.”

  The Raven seemed to agree. “Horrible decade,” he said while she continued to laugh. They continued up interstate 55 passing an all familiar green highway sign.

  This one read, Chicago 265.

  TWO: 30 000 Feet above Glasgow

  A private jet s
oars through the sky above the city of Glasgow. Inside Tyre, Percy and Quinn sit at a small table drinking liquor instead of tea. Seven more men are accompanying them on this flight. Some of them are talking and drinking while three others pass the time playing cards.

  “Marcus is going to be angry boy,” Percy said taking a large gulp and finishing his rum. He immediately reaches for the bottle and pours another.

  “Fuck Marcus,” Tyre said finishing his and holding the empty glass out.

  Percy filled it and smiled. “Yeah, fuck him,” he laughed holding up his rum as they both raced to finish.

  Hitting an air pocket the jet dropped a bit. Morphing into his monster form Quinn gripped the arms of his chair so tight he was indenting them with is claws.

  Percy was enjoying it immensely. “Look at this Elemental Puss,” he said pointing at Quinn.

  “Fuck off Percy, I don’t like to fly,” Quinn said morphing back and forth from human to monster at every little bump.

  “I don’t get it, most of you Elementals fucking fly,” Percy slurred.

  “Actually it’s more like riding the air. And I don’t.”

  Tyre leaned over him. “Christ Quinn,” Tyre said watching him change back and forth. He started to feel discombobulated. “You’re going to make that permanent if you keep it up.”

  “Fuck off Boss,” Quinn said quickly wincing. “Sorry Boss,” he yelled gripping the arms of the chair tighter as the plane hit another pocket. It looked like he was trying to get a look at his own face as his eyes feverishly wondered from side to side and up and down. “Can that actually happen?” He turned to Percy. “Can it?”

  Percy shrugged his shoulders. “On the bright side, I know you can’t get any fucking stupider,” he said then burst out laughing.

  This time Tyre poured the rum for Percy as he laughed and turned to Quinn. “I’m just fucking with you my son,” he said handing Percy his drink and pouring another for himself.

  “About which one,” Quinn said still changing back and forth. “Messing with me about the changing permanently or the getting more stupid?” he asked recoiling as they hit another pocket.