The Heart of a Monster: The Complete Series

Chapter 4

Quinn

It took me a long time to decide what to do with myself in Rollick’s suite. I knew he’d said he’d gone off to talk with the other men, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he might be watching me from the shadows, observing me for whatever purposes he hadn’t wanted to share yet.

I wandered around the living room restlessly for several minutes and then remembered he’d said I could take off my protective vest.

The seamstress who’d created the unusual piece of clothing for me had done a fantastic job considering that she’d only had a matter of hours to pull it together. The thin silver and iron beads, a mix of round and rectangular, weighed a lot less than I’d imagine full chainmail would but deflected the shadowkind’s ability to sense my heart’s sorcerous energies. It still weighed on me quite a bit more than my typical cotton tanks and tees did, though.

I pulled off the billowy dress and then the vest. A shudder of relief ran through my body as the weight lifted. I draped the thing over my messenger bag, not sure where else to put it at the moment, and rubbed my arms.

I felt… grubby. I hadn’t had a proper shower in a regular bathroom in days, and it’d been a few since I’d even had the benefit of the cramped stall on the small yacht we’d sailed around on. I glanced around the room again and raised my chin.

Fuck it. If Rollick wanted to perv out, let him. I wasn’t going to sit around stinking the place up out of probably imaginary fears for my modesty. For all I knew, those intense blue eyes could see right through my clothes even when I was wearing them.

I headed into the bathroom and found a stack of luxuriously thick towels on a shelving unit in the corner, along with a basket that contained everything from shampoo to bath oils. Why would a being who could erase all the grime from himself simply by slipping in and out of the shadows need all that?

Ah. Presumably it was for the female guests he’d hinted that he regularly hosted in his bedroom.

The thought of those guests and the proposition he’d made to me left me feeling twice as grubby as before. I hustled over to the shower stall and turned on the water.

It heated up quickly, filling the room and my lungs with a pleasant steam. I grabbed the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash and stepped under the hot deluge.

At first, I just stood there and let the liquid heat stream over me. Wouldn’t it be nice if this shower alone could sweep away everything that was wrong with my life right now? But the sense of escape only lasted a few minutes. Then all my worries started creeping back in.

I lathered myself thoroughly from head to toe, breathing in the sweet lilac scent of the bath products, and rinsed myself until I was sure every particle of dirt and grease had to have gone down the drain. I’d just turned off the water and stepped out onto the plush mat to grab the towel when Rollick’s languid voice carried through the door.

“I’m just letting you know that I’ve dropped off your backpack, sans computer. In case you wanted anything else in there.”

My pulse skittered, and I tugged the towel around my body, but he didn’t make any move that I could hear toward coming into the bathroom. It would be nice to change into a fresh set of clothes from the backpack.

“Thank you,” I called tentatively.

The demon didn’t respond. Maybe he’d already left while I’d hesitated.

Oh, well. Considering everything, showing him gratitude wasn’t at the top of my priority list.

I peeked out into the living area and found it empty at least to my human eyes. Rollick had left the backpack just outside the bathroom door. He’d probably gone through it looking for anything else he wouldn’t want me having while I was here, but I couldn’t see anything missing other than my computer.

I retreated into the bathroom to pull on a clean tank top and shorts and then brought the backpack, my messenger bag, and the vest over to the bedroom. Even if it gave me the creeps thinking about what Rollick usually got up to in this bed, the covers smelled freshly laundered. It wasn’t all that different from sleeping in any regular hotel room—actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if the demon kept his own abode to a higher standard of cleanliness.

It’d beat sleeping on the sofa, anyway. Besides, who knew what he’d gotten up to there? It wasn’t like he’d have changed the leather cushions every time.

Okay, now I was never sitting on the sofa ever.

I pulled the granola bar that was my last snack on hand out of my bag and gulped it down. What was I supposed to do for food after that? Rollick would remember that I needed to eat even if he didn’t, right?

He’d sworn not to cause me bodily harm. That should include starvation.

I flopped down on top of the comforter and stared up at the ceiling. Fatigue rolled over me. My sleep schedule had gotten awfully messed up over the past week of monster escapes, and I’d been too keyed up to nap on the plane. I’d just close my eyes for a minute or two…

The next thing I knew, I was waking up to sunlight slanting at a much lower angle through the window. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and checked my phone. It was almost evening.

My stomach grumbled louder than before, but I ignored it to walk to the sliding door that led onto the same terrace I’d seen from the living room.

As I stepped outside, a crisp ocean breeze swept over me. It was still hot, but not quite the same as I was used to in Florida. Even here by the ocean, the heat had a drier feel to it, not quite so sweltering with humidity.

I walked across the clay-tiled floor past the lounge chairs to the railing and peered over the edge. Jazz music was traveling faintly from somewhere nearby, but I couldn’t see the source. Like Rollick had said, the terrace was totally private. I couldn’t make out anything but a stretch of white wall on either side of the space, and it was high enough and close enough to the beach I had to assume was below that I couldn’t make out the sand, only the expanse of turquoise water.

No one would have been able to see me except by swimming far out or sailing by in a boat, and at that distance I doubted they’d even be able to tell whether I was male or female, let alone recognize exactly who I was.

There were no boats in sight now. I gazed out over the rolling water, a sense of awe rising inside me. I typically preferred views with more architecture to admire, but I’d always had a healthy respect for oceans. So big and powerful, almost eternal.

Another pinching of my stomach sent me back inside. I looked around for an intercom or hotel phone or anything that might have let me contact my host, and just then a whirring sound emanated from the wall to the right of the fireplace.

There was a fixture there that I hadn’t paid much attention to before: a square cut into the wall at about waist height, about a foot and a half wide and tall, with a notch that I realized might be a handle. I walked over to it and tugged it open like a door, just as a large tray carrying two covered plates rose into place in the compartment on the other side.

At the same moment, Rollick emerged from the shadows next to the suite’s door. “I see you discovered the dumbwaiter.”

Oh. I’d heard about those but never stayed anywhere that actually had one before. I peered at the two plates with their steel dome covers, silverware and glasses set around them. “This is dinner?” A sweetly savory smell that had my stomach gurgling again reached my nose.

“Yes. I thought we could eat together.” His eyebrows arched slightly. “Unless you have some objection.”

“Um.” I hesitated, and then decided it was better to save any arguments for subjects that mattered more. I didn’t really want to spend more time with him than I had to, but I was going to have to find out what he wanted with me at some point. Maybe he’d enlighten me over the meal. “Well, all right.”

“Such enthusiasm. I promise I’m an excellent dinner companion.” He strode over, and I stepped back so he could lift the tray, seemingly effortlessly despite how much it held.

He carried it to the terrace and opened the door to the terrace with a motion of his foot that must have given off a pulse of supernatural energy. Goosebumps prickled up my arms at the overt show of power. He didn’t emphasize it, though, just stepped out, set the platters on the small patio table off to the side of the terrace, and brandished a bottle of sparkling water he’d had tucked under one arm.

“I’d have brought some excellent wine, but I understand alcohol doesn’t always interact well with your medications,” he said as I eased out after him.

I blinked, startled that he’d even considered that factor. “Yeah. Thank you.”

“It wouldn’t do me much good to take you into my protection and then send you into heart failure, now would it?” His grin turned a little crooked on one side, and okay, it was kind of charming. When I wasn’t reminding myself about that whole thing where he’d maybe wanted to eat my heart just a few days ago.

He motioned me toward the table, and I came, abruptly curious about what might lie beneath the domed covers.

“You do have everything you need in that department, don’t you?” Rollick asked. He poured the sparkling water into both glasses and then pulled out my chair for me. “Torrent said he picked up your full supply of medication from your house.”

I nodded, thinking of the pill bottles I’d stashed in my messenger bag. “I usually get ninety days at a time with my prescriptions, and I stocked up not long ago. So I’m good unless I’m here for more than two months or so.”

I studied the demon’s expression, wondering how likely he thought that was, but he didn’t give away any hint of concern. “I’m glad to hear it,” he said smoothly. “Of course I could easily have arranged an additional supply if you had needed it—I have sources for just about anything anyone could need.” He flashed those bright teeth at me again and lifted the lids off the platters before settling into his own chair.

The rich smell filled my nose twice as strong as before, with a hint of lemon. The plate held a glazed salmon fillet and a large assortment of roasted vegetables, and I could already tell from the scent that they were going to be delicious.

It was also the perfect meal to fit within the sort of diet my doctors preferred I kept to—the one I normally had kept to except for on special occasions until the shadowkind had barged into my life. I hadn’t been able to be as picky about my eating habits while we were on the run.

My gaze darted up to meet Rollick’s. The demon lifted his fork. “I’m very pleased with the hotel’s main chef. This seemed like an ideal option that you’ll enjoy without any guilt.” He winked.

My throat closed up for a second. I didn’t know how to handle this much thoughtfulness from a man I’d expected to hate. I forced myself to pick up my own fork and take a bite of the salmon.

It was perfectly tender, melting in my mouth with the savory, citrusy flavor, a balance so delicious I nearly swooned. “It is good,” I had to say, and then I couldn’t stop myself from shoveling several more bites into my achingly empty stomach.

To my relief, Rollick didn’t study my reaction to the meal too closely. He dug into his own dinner with a pleased expression that suggested he really did enjoy the food too. But then, the other shadowkind men had told me mortal food was one of the pleasures that brought them to the mortal realm in the first place, so I supposed that wasn’t surprising.

Curiosity bubbled up despite my initial desire to get this encounter over as quickly as possible.

“How do you know so much about… human health concerns?” I asked. “The other guys barely seemed to understand that it was possible to have a heart transplant.”

Rollick waved his fork in a casual gesture. “I’ve been around a lot longer than any of them. And I make a point of educating myself as thoroughly as possible on any matter that’s of interest to me. Like you are.” The corners of his dark blue eyes crinkled with well-worn smile lines. Somehow the slight marring of his otherwise smooth face made him even more striking to look at.

His explanation prompted a whole different line of questioning. I knit my brow. “You knew there was something special about me—or about the heart transplant—or something. You sent the three of them to keep an eye on me and see whether anything happened. You knew where they’d find me—the other shadowkind looking for me were only following the energy my heart gives off.” And they hadn’t tracked me down until months after his three underlings had already been observing me.

The demon hummed in agreement. “I find that a large number of my brethren don’t make very good use of the resources available to us mortal-side. They can’t be bothered to learn new technologies or human social customs unless it’s something they can pick up quickly out of necessity. Whoever exactly it is who’s set their sights on you, it appears they didn’t really understand what it meant that the sorcerers’ daughter had given you her heart, let alone how to trace the journey that heart had taken.”

“But you did,” I filled in. “You dug into the hospital records… How did you know to look for me at all?” A chill washed over me. “Were you part of the attack on that house in?—”

He cut me off with a brisk shake of his head and a grimace. “If the idiot sorcerers don’t bother me and mine, I don’t bother them. You learn pretty quick that there’s no point in seeking out trouble. But I understand the beings that did orchestrate the attack found some evidence that pointed them in your general direction. Word went out through various back channels that important figures were looking for a girl in Florida named Quinn who was in possession of a sorcerer’s heart.”

I swallowed thickly. “So they figured I had the heart in a jar or something?”

Rollick let out a bark of delighted laughter that left his eyes sparkling. “That sounds about right. I put the pieces together and did a little digging into the family that was killed and the destination of the daughter’s heart, and that led me to you.” He cocked his head. “You’re lucky most shadowkind aren’t so medically or technologically aware.”

“I guess I am.” I looked down at my dinner plate, my appetite having vanished. But I needed the fuel. I poked my fork into a chunk of sweet potato. As I chewed, I couldn’t help wondering how much this dinner was actually kindness and how much Rollick was simply trying to butter me up for… for whatever he wanted with me.

It wasn’t as if he’d admit to manipulating me. But since he’d mentioned tracing medical records, I could ask about another worry that’d been on my mind.

“If you looked up the daughter who died—do you know if there were any other organs donated?”

“A very good question,” the demon said with an approving tone that shouldn’t have warmed me the way it did. “You’re unique. The other essential organs were too damaged in the accident to be of use.”

Well, at least I didn’t need to fear for the lives of any other human beings who otherwise might have been facing the same danger I was. I let out a breath and considered Rollick more closely, doing my best not to let his movie-star aura distract me.

“Are you going to tell me yet what it is you expect me to do here?” I asked after a moment.

He gazed back at me with a similarly contemplative air. Then he said the last thing I’d have expected.

“I want you to tap into your sorcerer powers.”

For a second, I could only stare. Then I regained control over my tongue. “You want me to try… compelling shadowkind?”

“We might as well determine what the limits of those powers are and how they can be used. I hear you compelled one of the fiends that came after Crag this morning—that both of you might have died if you hadn’t.”

So Crag had noticed what I’d done—well, how could he not have? I wet my lips, my gut knotting even more than before. “I didn’t even mean to. It just happened.”

“Survival instincts are a wonderful thing,” Rollick said conversationally. “But you’d rather know what you’re doing, wouldn’t you?”

I frowned at him. “Would you really want me to know what I’m doing? What if I started compelling you around?”

He gave another laugh, lighter than before. “I don’t think you’re going to reach that level of power in an instant, if you do at all.”

But what would he do to me if he decided I could get there? Would he kill me after all, as soon as he could without violating his oath? Any warmth I’d gotten from his presence fled with the salt-tinged breeze.

“I—I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I said.

Rollick considered me. “Why wouldn’t it be? Wouldn’t you like a little more say over your fate?”

When he put it that way—hell, yes, I would. But the situation was more complicated than that.

“The more power that stirs up inside me, the easier it’s been for the other shadowkind to track me,” I pointed out.

Rollick flicked his fingers dismissively. “I assure you I have more than enough protections here.”

And there was also… I hesitated and then allowed myself to admit my biggest fear—the one that should have been his biggest fear too. “What if I wake up more power, but I still don’t know how to control it? I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

The demon gazed back at me steadily, his forehead furrowing just for a split-second. “I think that’s very unlikely,” he said. “I’ll see that you’re properly guided.”

“How?”

“Leave that to me.”

When I didn’t answer right away, still tangled up but not sure how to express my resistance any more convincingly, Rollick stood up, his plate cleaned. “This isn’t a request. It’s a condition of our deal. You cooperate, I keep you and my three mutinists safe. I’ll have everything in place for you to start practicing soon, so you should get used to the idea.”

He vanished into the shadows without giving me a chance to protest.