16. Elrik

16

ELRIK

" Y ou're like a spring thaw to my endless winter, both gentle and relentless," I said as I carried her along the beach and toward the bench where we'd left our shoes.

"That's so sweet, Elrik," she sighed against my skin.

"Your warmth softens the ice surrounding my heart, carving out a sanctuary where none existed before." Now that the damn had let loose, the words poured from me. "My ice-bound soul trembles at the thought of showing you how much you're coming to mean to me."

I only paused to scoop up our shoes, handing them to her one by one.

"I can walk," she said with a laugh.

"Do you want to?" The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel embarrassed. I sensed she was as worried about her reputation as her grandmother.

"I like being in your arms, Elrik." Her eyes scanned the area. "We're alone. And I find I actually don't care what anyone else thinks."

"I like holding you in my arms."

"I can't say that anyone has ever swooped me up like this before, let alone carried me more than a foot or so."

"Or threatened to dip you into the sea?"

"I wouldn't have minded that. She's warm right now. Comforting. We should come here at night and go swimming, though we'll have to watch out for sharks."

"Sharks won't come near a monster."

"It's funny. I don't see you as a monster. The term has changed since orcs and centaurs started moving close to us. Monster was a term used to scare children. Today's kids will grow up thinking monsters are nice people."

"You don't know how much it means to all of us that we're accepted." Mostly, that is. There were always a few who sneered when they saw us, and there had even been a few protests in front of our embassy, but in general, we were welcomed into human society.

"I know many were frightened at first. All those stories about the boogeyman haunting our dreams."

I carried her down the street. We passed a couple, and the male yeti nodded. The male human grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. While many married within their own species like they had before, other monsters had found mates among the humans. It was becoming more and more common to see couples of all sorts of species together.

"Boogeymen are under your bed too," I point out.

Her eyes widened and her lips quivered, though with humor. "You're kidding me, right?"

I grin. "Am I?"

"Fuck. "

"Not often."

"Fuck!"

A centaur trotting by on the street huffed. "Please. Kids might be around."

"Hey, sorry." She cringed. "Potty mouth here."

"I can't believe you didn't know the boogeyman is real," I said.

Her face scrunched in a cute way. "Really real?"

"Really."

"Hmm."

At the end of her driveway, I placed her on her feet and stroked her cheek. "Do you want to wait inside?"

"The night's gorgeous. Warm and sultry. I'll stay here."

Talk about incentive to make me hurry. I started up my truck and backed out onto the road, driving to the lot and parking.

In no time, I stood in front of Melly again.

I lifted her into my arms and aimed for the exterior staircase leading to her apartment above the garage.

"About the boogeyman," she said.

"Hmm?"

"I mean, some people might find the thought of a monster beneath their bed sexy. Does he have tentacles?"

I came to a complete stop at the bottom of the stairs. "What?"

"Tentacles. You know, those long limbs with suction cups all over them."

"I know what you mean," I growled.

She frowned, tilting her head as she looked up at me. " You sound irritated. Are you jealous of what the tentacled boogeyman might do to my body?"

I huffed. "You haven't yet discovered what an ice lord can do to your body, so no."

She crooked her neck to look up the stairs. "Why are you stopping?"

"Let's get one thing straight. No boogeyman, tentacled or not, is putting one finger—or limb—on your body."

Her laugh spurted out, though she kept her voice low. "If you don't mind, I'll try out an ice lord before I decide something like that."

I bolted, taking the stairs two at a time and only paused for her to enter the code on her door to unlock it. Inside, I kicked the door shut, secured it, and snarled. "Bedroom?"

She waved her hand. "My boogeyman abode is through the kitchen and the first door on the left. There's only one bedroom in the apartment, actually. I imagine you—and the boogeyman with luscious tentacles—can find it."

She was such a tease. I was going to make her pay for every word said to prick my heart.

I raced across her kitchen and into her bedroom, where I tossed her onto the monster-sized bed and crawled on top of her.