Chapter 19

All they gave us were these paper-thin mattresses they placed on the floor, a shitty pillow, and I don’t know if anyone else got blankets, but I didn’t. The slot on my door was just enough to slide a tray through. They had provided me with a cup to drink water out of the sink, but they really didn’t want to bother with my laundry, so I guess just fuck me when it got cold.

They took the clothes I was wearing when they kidnapped me, which was a huge violation, and dressed me in this really scratchy, insanely ugly shift. There was a second one on my bed when I woke up. It was just enough clothing that I could rinse one in the sink when I wasn’t wearing it. They hadn’t given me soap the entire time I’d been here, so I was just pretending I wasn’t smelling like a bog witch right now.

I was trying to get comfortable and fall asleep when I felt that familiar buzzing that one of my mates was reaching out.

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Hey, Benji. You don’t actually know what I look like.”

“You could have attached earlobes and be covered in warts and you’d still be the most beautiful creature alive.”

Should I even ask? It was usually amusing when Benji explained himself.

“What’s wrong with attached earlobes?”

“Well, I have them and I don’t like them. It’s a recessive trait, so if you don’t have them, there’s a greater chance we don’t have kids with hangups about their earlobes.”

“I’m sure your earlobes are perfect.”

“Thanks, sweetness, but I didn’t drop into your mind for compliments about my earlobes. I got you a present.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’ve been fucking with a certain blue Monsignor. If he shits himself in front of everyone in the basement, I want all the details. If he doesn’t, he’s probably going to be much too busy trying not to poop himself to bother coming down there and bothering you again. Also, I need you to spread the word around the basement. If any of you get food with garlic, butter, and hard cheese, I’m going to need you all to repeat their nonsense and act like you were possessed by a demon, but now it’s sleeping.”

What.the.fuck. This I definitely needed to know.

“What did you do, Benji?”

“I’ll trade you for one of your secrets. What is your absolute favorite, will always stop to admire or smell, might as well be your bestie flower, little green witch?”

This guy. He could have gotten so much more information about me by lording this information over me in exchange for my name. There were a lot of us who were pretty famous. Some of us were so old that humans thought our parents just named us after that person. A lot of people didn’t know that the Medusa from legends started out a green witch, but if anyone saw me without my magic glasses, I couldn’t exactly give them a fake name.

There were two other Gorgons back in the day, but they were born that way, not cursed. They were the daughters of a god and a monster, so they didn’t look like me either. They were also impossible to kill, so everyone focused on me.

Everyone equated my name with a monster or a victim, so no one was naming their kids after me in admiration. If I gave Benji my name, he’d probably know exactly who I was and see me as either one. I could answer this question, though.

“Moonflowers. A lot of people call them evening primrose now. They smell like lemons and are pretty, but they have a ton of healing properties. It treats a range of conditions, but it’s also really good for PMS.”

“Pax grows those in the greenhouse. If your period is mean to you, I’ll get you all the chocolate, Pax will make you moonflower tea, and Cas gives the best back rubs.”

These guys. Benji reminded me a lot of Di. They were both intense and would do anything for me. The only way I wouldn’t kill all three of them was if Di managed to get here first.

“I think you promised me a secret.”

“I’ll tell you all my secrets. It’s part of our plan to get out of here. It started out with me just fucking with Hannibal to get you food, but it just fucking blossomed from there.”

“How is garlic butter, cheese, and making him shit himself going to get us all out of here?”

“Shh. Just let me work my magic. And if anyone asks, I’m only a werewolf.”

“How would anyone know we are talking?”

“The fucker turned himself blue. I don’t trust him. Get some sleep. I’m working on getting you fed.”

It was getting harder and harder to push these guys away. It wasn’t just Benji. I liked Pax and Cas, too. I’d already met one of my mates. They’d fit in great with Di and me.

If I didn’t kill them first.