The Rise of Monsters: Angelus Book One

by Brianna Jean

  With that, he barked out a laugh and dropped me straight to the ground, sending me stumbling back. I quickly regained my footing as he grabbed my hand, stalking loudly into the moon-bathed kitchen, where Seafoam and Blue Eyes stood around an island in the middle, seething in our direction.

  Blue Eyes was wearing a tan hoodie with the sleeves cut off, black joggers hanging off his hips, his blond hair hidden under a Nike baseball cap. His eyes were narrowed as they tracked Quint’s movements, but his features were light. He looked like a Fallen Angel, golden hair and tan skin. Flawless on the outside but dark and tortured on the inside.

  Seafoam on the other hand, he still looked like a villain. Not in what he wore—a black hoodie, ripped jeans, white tennis shoes—but rather the way he held himself. His black hair was sexed up and messy, his eyes hard as stone, his features locked and loaded to destroy hopes and eat dreams.

  For a moment, I felt my anxiety wake up from a long slumber. These men felt…different. They oozed power and intimidation. Much like my foster father. It took me a moment, but when Quint ignored glares from his brothers and declared, “She’s mine, fuckers, don’t even try me,” I relaxed a little. Something about him settled me, making me feel like I needed to be calm in order to handle his wild personality and manic brain.

  Guys that looked like the three standing before me were part of the reason I was so good in a fight. I trained myself to be able to disarm any man at any time. I wouldn’t be beaten by anyone again.

  Quint continued walking us forward toward the island. He stopped at one of the four stools placed underneath it, sat down, and turned toward me. He met my eyes and winked before picking me up and placing me in his lap.

  I closed my eyes for the briefest of seconds—giving myself a mental pep-talk.

  You’re strong, Annalise Gordon, you could escape these guys in less time than it takes a normal person to slice an orange in half. You wanted an explanation, you’re here to get that. And you might even get to play with one of them while you’re at it. Let’s get our information, possibly get fucked, then roll out.

  I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips, mainly because it seemed to piss the other two off since they thought my grin was for Quint.

  The little girl I kept safe inside me was my best friend, my support system, my most honest companion. I loved myself, I trusted myself. And for some reason, I trusted Quint. I felt like I knew him better than the other two, like we’d made some weird friendship agreement the other night.

  Then I saw him with that girl…

  Something was up. I reacted completely out of character when I saw him touching someone else. And now, with him touching me, I felt relaxed and oddly at peace, when normally I would have bitch slapped him for manhandling me.

  I didn’t though, not after our little exchange and my internal pep talk. Now I was aching for some fun. I knew he’d provide that for me. I was content to keep my place in his lap if it meant I could make good on my promises sometime in the near future. Preferably before the morning so I could leave all three of them behind without wondering what it would have been like.

  After all, I recently sharpened my claws.

  “Alright boys, I’ve got some questions...” I started, looking between the three of them. “First, who has the bacon? And second, what the fuck do you want from me?”

  Blue Eyes cleared his throat. “I’m Cabe, and this is Lanier.” He pointed to Seafoam.

  “Quint, Cabe, and Lanier. My knights in not-so-shiny, not-so-stealthy armor. Are you brothers?” I asked.

  “Best friends,” Cabe clarified. “Lanier and I grew up in the same foster home, and Quint came along when we were eighteen. We do consider ourselves brothers though. We’ve been friends for six years.”

  Huh. Interesting. “Well, I’d say it was nice to meet you, but I’d be lying. So tell me why the fuck I’m here so I can make good on my promise to red eyes here.” I turned to pat Quint on the cheek. He smiled and wagged his eyebrows excitedly. I turned back. “And then I can leave all you assholes behind.”

  I felt two hands come up to squeeze my hips before a head dropped onto my shoulder. Quint leaned in closer before saying, “Now now now, Pup, not so fast. You get your bacon, then you get your answers.” He bopped me on the nose. I opened my mouth to try and bite his finger off. “But after that, we’re gonna fuck, and your pretty ass is going to spend the night tucked in next to me before waking up tomorrow and doing it all over again.”

  Now I was ready to get off his lap because surely he didn’t think I was actually staying here. I laughed.

  “Sorry, Baby Cakes, I don’t do after-fuck sleepovers. I have a reputation to maintain.” I twisted in Quint’s lap so that I could see everyone clearly and waved my hands. “Well? Get on with it.”

  I looked to Lanier, who was glaring at Quint’s hand as he lazily drew circles on my hip over the fabric of his best friend’s shirt. Well, this was a little fucked up, even for me. I was wearing one guy’s clothes while sitting in the lap of his best friend.

  I chuckled to myself.

  “Here.” Cabe set a plate down in front of me. It was piled high with cheesy eggs and bacon. Just how I liked it.

  That’s weird. “Explain.”

  He sighed as I looked from the plate up to him. His eyes told me that he knew what I was asking. He cleared his throat again, clearly a nervous habit. “This is not going how I planned.”

  “Throw your plans in the trash; I don’t play well with rules,” I stated, grabbing a piece of bacon and ripping it in half. I started to eat one half as I handed the other to Quint over my shoulder. He hummed happily and began chewing, running his big fingers up and down my spine. I was immediately aware of how small I was compared to him. I still had to look up at him, even sitting in his lap. These guys were huge.

  I froze, feeling his fingers gently tugging apart the tangled strands that had come loose from the messy bun on top of my head. Someone must have done that last night. No one had played with my hair since...

  No.

  Don’t think of him.

  “I have the gift of Sight, but for some reason, my gift has only been trained to see one person,” Cabe began, eyes only for me. “You.”

  I stopped chewing mid bite. “Me?”

  “Yes, you. I started getting visions of you eleven years ago.” He stopped but started right up again as I resumed my chewing. It was weird as hell, but I was gathering information, so I wasn’t going to freak out just yet. “I saw you the first time when you turned ten, and the visions came once or twice a day—sometimes more—every day since then. Up until a month ago when they stopped.”

  A month ago was when my strength changed, when I started noticing a difference in my abilities.

  “You probably began to Transition a month ago, Pup. That’s why the visions stopped,” Quint supplied from behind me. He reached over my shoulder and snatched the bacon right out of my hand. I turned and smacked the back of his head, taking it back. He just laughed and grabbed a new one from my plate.

  “Okay, I want to know what exactly you saw for all those years, but I’ve got other questions on my mind, and that answers how you knew what I liked to eat…so I’ll let it go for now.” I turned to Lanier, studying his black hoodie. The back dipped down lower than the front, a look I’d always loved on guys. Paired with his ripped jeans? He looked sexy as hell. But not pretty enough to completely distract me. “What’s up, Stony? Your turn to talk.”

  I looked up into his eyes and paused for a moment, not breathing. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. He was angry as hell, poised for a battle. It made me itchy. His glare was intense and unfocused, like he wanted me to know that he didn’t like my presence in his house. I wasn’t sure if he would start anything with me, but he seemed to be getting angrier the longer I sat in Quint’s lap. “You had a spirit inside you, right?” he asked, voice hard. “Some sort of animal?”

  How did he know that?

  “Beast,”
I corrected. “She isn’t an ordinary animal. She is a beast. So I named her Bestia.”

  He watched Quint pick up my fork and pile eggs on it before lifting it to my face. I opened my mouth and ate the food he offered, inwardly chuckling as Lanier’s expression darkened. He hated that his brother was touching me, and I loved that it got him so riled up. Quint squeezed my hip in response. He was enjoying it too. Sick bastard.

  “Nice name.” Quint laughed a dark sound, deep and sexy. “Bestia turned into your wings. She probably showed up when you were around nine or ten years old, right? She’s been getting to know you, protecting you, and last night she manifested herself into the form of your wings. Now she will have your back, literally.”

  I nodded, remembering that exact scene as it happened. I saw Bestia’s spirit enter the wings, her body disappeared, and the wings pushed through my skin.

  I shuddered at the memory, causing Quint to run a hand down my back. I shivered for a totally different reason, his fingers licking the sore muscles in my back through the shirt I wore.

  Fuck, this was intense.

  I looked toward Lanier and gestured for him to continue, but his eyes were narrowed on Quint’s hand. I rolled my eyes.

  “Can you let her sit on her own stool, Quint?” Cabe asked with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Lanier can’t even focus long enough to explain anything. We’re going to be here all night at this rate.”

  “Aww, Stony, do you want me to sit on your lap instead?” I mocked, not moving from my spot. I was comfortable, and I liked making him squirm.

  “Annalise, just...” Lanier began, frustrated. “Just shut up.”

  I giggled and put a hand to my chest. “Touchy, touchy.”

  “For fuck’s sake, just get on with it,” Quint said seriously, not willing to let me go. “She’s content here, and it’s not like I’m shoving my dick in her right here in front of you. This is strictly PG material.”

  “I don’t care,” Lanier muttered back before turning to look at me. “So last night was your beast—er, Bestia—becoming a physical part of you. She will now be able to speak freely to you, and when you’re in danger or in need of her strength, she will manifest in your wings. It’ll hurt at first, but after a few shifts, you’ll get used to it.”

  I was shocked and confused but didn’t want to show it. “So I’m a shapeshifter?”

  I was going off of what little knowledge I had of the supernatural world from books I read. None of this made any sense, but I refused to look weak. I’d take what they told me with a grain of salt, and I’d figure it all out later.

  “No, you’re an Angel,” Lanier stated.

  “Half Angel,” Quint corrected.

  “Way to ease into it, guys,” Cabe groaned.

  All thoughts of weakness and the will to act strong vanished.

  “How in the fuck?” I yelled.

  Yeah, that’s about what I expected to come out of her mouth when we told her. I was instantly annoyed with myself, with her. The fucking bond was shimmering between us, making me weak for her. It was there, but I refused to acknowledge it, though I wasn’t sure why—it was exactly what I wanted three days ago, but now that it was here…now that it was her…

  I covered it up, slamming the lid on my need to protect her, and said, “Listen, Annalise, we could have eased into it for you, but I’m assuming you’d rather me rip the Band-Aid off than coddle you. Or am I wrong? Because if I’m wrong, you’re not cut out for this life, and we’ll have to toughen you up.”

  She stared at me, her bright lilac eyes seeing right past my bluff. One second passed, then two…

  She burst out laughing.

  She actually laughed so hard she had tears running down her face after a few moments. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She took a few deep breaths before continuing, “It’s just hilarious to me that you think you could even touch me without my permission, much less toughen me up.” She said the last words in a mocking tone.

  She was laughing again. But this time Quint joined her, Cabe letting a small smile show before shaking his head like he just couldn’t help it. I was far from laughing; this girl had a lot of fucking nerve—it was hot. Too hot. “You may be Miss Bad Bitch on the streets, Annalise, but you’re in my house now, so let’s get a few things straight. We own you. You need us. So you won’t escape, trust me when I say that you don’t want to risk that. You have no idea what you are, how powerful you are, and who out there might be looking for someone with lilac eyes just like yours. So pretend to submit if you have to, otherwise we will have some serious problems.”

  I couldn’t look away as those purple beauties danced over my face. Her hair was up in the messy ponytail I’d attempted last night in order to make her more comfortable. Some black strands had rebelled in her sleep and slipped from the rubber band I used to hold it all together.

  She stared at me as her brain mulled over my words, chewing them up and swallowing them down. Her expression never betrayed her feelings on what I said though. She just sat on Quint’s lap with a smirk on her face. I couldn’t read her.

  Fuck. I could read anyone—I’d always been able to see through another person’s bullshit. But apparently not her.

  “It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I submit to you, Stony, but I’m here for whatever it is you have to say. I’m going to listen to you explain this shit to me, and then you’re going to leave me alone, all of you.” She looked at each one of us with a bored expression. Cabe nodded, Quint gave her a pouty face—about to protest, no doubt—but like the little monster she is, she just put her hand over his lips and rolled her eyes.

  Annalise liked him. I could tell by the way her lips turned up just a little more when he joked with her. My gut clenched. I wanted her to like me but not enough to let her get closer than tentative friendship. I had to settle for her tolerating my presence until I could find a way out of this—a way to turn down this mating bond and get the fuck out of there. She wasn’t done with her mini speech though. “Then, once I have the chance to decide if what you told me is a bunch of bullshit or not, I will be the one deciding if I stay or if I go.”

  “Oh he—” I began to protest.

  She held up a finger, interrupting me. “And if you try to keep me here, you’ll find out really quick how I earned the Bad Bitch street name. Don’t fuck with me, boys, you’re too pretty to die.” She grabbed a piece of bacon, got up off Quint’s lap, and walked past us, going deeper into the kitchen. “Where are the mugs?”

  Cabe was the one to answer, walking toward her, “They’re—they’re in here. Sorry, you’re too short, I’ll get it.”

  It seemed like the new baby of the house had my brothers wrapped around her finger. She was a force, I’d give her that, but I couldn’t help the fear that creeped in when I thought about what she said.

  “If I stay or if I go.”

  She couldn’t go. That wasn’t an option, because if she left, she wouldn’t have our protection. We would be stronger together. The thought of her getting taken off the street and dragged into Hellfire was…unsettling. I needed her to stay where I could see her, where I could protect her myself.

  I needed her to believe that I hated her though. I couldn’t get attached. She couldn’t get attached.

  This bond—that I was still content to ignore—was going to be very hard to resist. Still, I didn’t have to be here; I didn’t have to argue with her or deal with her annoyingly sexy attitude. I could’ve just walked out.

  My beast roared, “Mine!” His tone laced with warning. He’d give me hell if I left.

  I struggled with his protectiveness and my own apprehension. She could ruin me. She could turn me inside out and toss all my plans into the trash.

  I studied her as she waited for Cabe to get her a mug from the cupboard, the way she stood with her hip propped against the white marble countertop. She was just casually hanging out, but even that seemed permanent. Her being in our home set off the fire alarms in my head, my brain w
arning me to flee the danger. She was dangerous to us, to me.

  Cabe didn’t seem to notice my fear though. He had a small smile on his face as he moved his body around hers to reach above her head. She shifted away from him and into her own space.

  I didn’t have to like her just because my beast did. I just had to be nice to her, get her to trust me enough to stay here so that I could ensure she remained safe. We would figure out what all this was about, and then I would start searching for a way to turn down the bond and finally release the monster I’d spent the last fourteen years holding back.

  But first, I had to admit to myself that the bond was real in the first place.

  “Here.” I handed her a black mug with a Miami Dolphins logo on it. She looked up at me and narrowed her eyes. Confused by her expression, I asked, “What?”

  “Miami Dolphins? Who the fuck likes them?” she asked as she walked over to the coffee bar in the corner of the room by the pantry and poured herself some. She dumped three spoonfuls of sugar in the cup before narrowing her eyes on the wall of floor-to-ceiling cabinets, no doubt wondering which one held the fridge.

  We all watched silently as she opened each one of the bright white doors until she found what she was looking for and began rummaging through it until she found the creamer. Once she did, she turned back to look at us with raised eyebrows. “Hello? Are you all deaf?”

  Completing her task, she jumped up on the white marble island, tucked her legs underneath her and wrapped her hands around the steaming coffee.

  My heart stopped in my chest. She was so fucking cute.

  “Make yourself at home, why don’t you,” Lanier grumbled.

  “You literally just finished telling me I’m basically your prisoner—I’m in survival mode. Fuck off, Lanier.” She then turned to face me. “Cabe, I know you’re the quiet one, but can you please answer my question, because I’m seriously considering your level of sanity if you actually like the Dolphins.”