2. CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

ODETTE

Ding-ding!

The sound of the front door chime jolts me from my book, and I try to muffle my groan.

Usually, I love when a patron stops in since it's so slow in the daytime, but not now.

Not when it was just about to finally get good.

Shutting my book with a sigh, I tuck it back into the secret alcove where I'm hidden.

Well, it's not exactly a secret , but ‘Ancient Monster History' isn't an area that's often visited.

And it's in this section that I've tucked away a collection of monster smut.

They're behind some very old books that no one's checked out in over a decade where I pray they remain unnoticed.

My patrons prefer more conservative novels with wholesome, clean romance stories.

Whereas I want mine to be whoresome, filthy, and full of monsters.

I turn my chair and push myself to the front of the library while thinking about what I just read.

What would it feel like to have a monster lover that wanted to punish me—that knew what made me tick?

My cheeks heat up a bit as images whirl about in my mind, and I quickly try to compose myself.

The last thing I need is to appear flustered to whoever came into the library.

Even though I read naughty smut on the sly, I pride myself for being a good librarian.

Patrons aren't just a number for me to share at monthly board meetings.

I want to know what stories they love, what worlds they're searching for in between the pages.

Being a librarian is the best job for a certified bookworm like myself because I get to introduce people to something new every day.

And although I'm rather introverted, working one-on-one with patrons to discover new books brings me joy.

As I round the final bookshelf that leads to the front desk, I wonder who's popped in at this hour.

To my surprise, it's a huge, gorgeous green monster.

He has green spikes that run from the top of his head down his spine and all the way down his massive tail.

I drink in the sight of him, startled by his presence as we rarely get monsters here.

The library in Montreal is much larger and has a wider selection than we offer.

His massive form momentarily takes my breath away as I catalog his features.

Everything about him overwhelms me for some reason.

Not to mention…he's naked.

Quebec doesn't have any laws that monsters have to wear clothes, especially if nothing is exposed—and nothing is.

Which means it leaves things to my feverish imagination to envision.

Bad Odette.

I bite my lip, staring at this man's monstrous frame.

It fills the tiny space of the lobby as he paces back and forth.

Since it took me a bit to get to my desk, I can't help but worry that I've kept him waiting.

"Hello!" I call out in greeting.

The monster swivels around so gracefully for someone his size, his eyes widening when they land on me.

He continues to gawk, and I fidget under his intense gaze, noting the bright red hue and reptilian slit of his pupil.

"Can I help you?" I offer when the silence becomes awkward.

"Forgive me. I did not mean to stare. It's just…"

He trails off, and I wince while stroking a metal spoke on my wheelchair.

I already know I'm not going to like what he says.

"You're so beautiful."

His heavily accented words take me aback as they are the last thing I'm expecting.

And then I laugh at the sheer absurdity of his declaration, something more akin to a line from one of my favorite romance books.

"Me? Beautiful? Not likely."

The enormous man frowns. "You are arguing with my opinion?"

I push an errant curl away from my face that's escaped my bun as I try to figure out what's happening right now.

"Um, no, it's just that most people don't consider me ‘beautiful'."

"Have they told you this?"

"Well, no, but…I'm sorry, is there something you were looking for? I'm the head librarian here."

I'm actually the only librarian at The Bibliothèque Lennoxville, but I still consider the title applicable.

"The most beautiful head librarian," the monster corrects, and I swear I feel my cheeks flush a brighter pink than my hair. "What's your name?"

"Odette, Odette Bouchard."

"Hmm, Odette," the monster murmurs, his forked tongue flicking out as if he's enjoying how my name tastes on his lips.

There are twin spikes jutting from his chin, but they don't compare to the elongated fangs that resemble miniature tusks sticking out of his mouth.

"I'm Chente Tecuani," he introduces, gliding over to me with his hand extended.

We shake, and I'm momentarily mesmerized by how my pale fingers disappear in the man's large, scaled hand.

His bright green fingers are tipped with deadly-looking claws, and now it's my turn to stare.

Chente doesn't seem bothered by my inspection, letting me pull his hand closer.

There's a faint, almost holographic, shimmer to his scales.

They're as beautiful as he claims me to be.

It's only when I'm nearly pressing my glasses against him that I realize how inappropriate my actions are.

I quickly drop his hand and move back. "I'm so sorry. I swear I don't normally grope strangers."

Chente's lips curl into an adorable, crooked smile.

"This is good to know. I'm sure you don't see many Chupacabras here in Canada."

"Um, no. You're the first Chupacabra I've met."

"Chupas prefer the desert caves of Mexico. We live in clans throughout a vast network of underground caverns and rarely leave."

"You're a long way from home."

Chente's smile melts away, leaving behind a lingering sadness that makes me regret my words.

"I am, but I'm a strange Chupa. I always wanted to explore outside the caves and meet humans."

"Do, um, Chupas not like humans?"

"Mmm, well, we have a similar saying about not playing with our food…"

I gasp, and Chente laughs, the hearty boom echoing through the empty lobby.

Instantly, he clamps his mouth shut. "I apologize. I forgot one mustn't be loud in a library. I was teasing you about eating humans, of course."

"You're fine. No one's here but me."

Now, the Chupacabra frowns. "You are here all alone? Why is no one else here?"

"I'm actually the only librarian. After Covid, we never regained the same number of patrons and the library doesn't have enough funding for another employee when it's not necessary. So many readers use digital materials, and we have a delivery service that makes it so people don't have to come in."

Now it's my turn to sound sad. I miss seeing patrons in the library, even though I now have much more time to read.

"But what about your safety?"

I open my mouth and then close it, unsure how to answer.

"Sherbrooke is a very safe city, and we don't have any valuable books at this location. Everything important is in The Grande Bibliothèque or the Université du Québec over in Montreal.

Chente grunts, clearly not liking my answer, and I wonder why he's so bothered about my safety.

We just met, something I politely point out. Chente immediately sticks his hand back out for me to shake.

I do so, stifling my laughter since I'm sure he doesn't realize we don't need to shake twice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I intone as seriously as I can.

The giant man beams a bright, fanged smile at me and leans down a bit. "The pleasure is all mine."

This time, he doesn't let go of my hand, bringing it up to his lips instead to kiss. My mind blanks.

Is Chente flirting with me?