Bonus Scene
Chapter twenty-eight
Jen - Three Months Later
Something's wrong.
I know it because nobody will look at me.
Dean's wiped down the kitchen table three times.
Crull's outside splitting a pile of firewood that absolutely does not need splitting.
Harek's reading one of his gardening books, although I'm fairly sure it's upside down.
Thaw's making coffee with the concentration of a man defusing a bomb.
And Daron...
Daron has been grinning since breakfast.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing."
"You've said 'nothing' four times."
"I know."
"You've terrified the dogs."
"I know."
Dean points at him with his coffee mug. "I told him to go outside."
"He said no," Thaw says.
"I wanted moral support," Daron replies.
"You wanted witnesses," Fen says.
Daron doesn't even deny it.
Fen walks over and hands me a heavy black envelope.
"Open it."
Every eye in the kitchen follows my hands. Inside is a black invitation embossed in silver.
Summer Solstice Celebration: The Monster Club – Portland
I look up. "There's a Summer Solstice party?"
"Every year," Harek says.
"For monsters?"
"For anyone who's invited."
I turn the card over.
Lower Floor Access Included.
"...What's the lower floor?"
Silence.
Dean suddenly finds the ceiling fascinating. Crull scratches the back of his neck. Thaw busies himself pouring coffee nobody asked for. Fen watches me without blinking. Only Daron still looks excited.
"It's a dungeon," he says brightly.
Five heads swivel toward him.
"What?" he says. "She asked."
Dean pinches the bridge of his nose. "You made it almost a minute."
"I was doing great."
"You really were."
I look back down at the invitation. "You guys want to take me to a dungeon?"
"No." Daron shakes his head so hard his hair flops into his face. "We want to take you on a date."
The room goes quiet.
Fen steps closer, sliding one hand into his pocket. "We've never done that. Everything we've ever planned has been because somebody was hunting us, or we were hunting somebody else."
"Or because you needed us," Crull says quietly.
"This doesn't," Thaw adds. "This is just...something we wanted."
Dean shrugs. "We thought maybe we'd try normal."
I look around the kitchen.
Six monsters.
Six men.
Every one of them trying very hard to pretend they aren't waiting for my answer.
They've never asked me for anything before. Not really. Every decision we've ever made has been about keeping me alive, getting me home, putting me back together again.
Now they're asking for one night. One date.
I can't help it. I laugh.
"You boys really have no idea what normal looks like."
Nobody smiles. I shake my head.
"But then..." I look at each one of them. "Nothing with you guys has ever been normal."
Daron's smile starts to fade.
I grin.
"And I love that about you."
The room erupts.
Dean laughs into his coffee. Crull actually smiles. Even Thaw lets out a breath. Daron punches both fists into the air hard enough that he nearly knocks over a chair.
"I knew she'd say yes!"
"You packed already, didn't you?" I ask.
He freezes.
"...Maybe."
Dean sighs.
"He packed on Monday."
"For everyone," Harek adds.
"Of course he did."
Madison walks in carrying Gabi on one hip. She takes one look at the invitation in my hand and rolls her eyes.
"They finally asked."
"I think they've been rehearsing this for three days," I say.
"Four," Daron corrects.
Madison kisses Gabi's head. "I've got her overnight. Go have your sexy monster date."
I tuck the invitation into my pocket and look back at the six of them. Three months ago we were still checking every lock before bed. Now they're taking me to a Summer Solstice party at a monster nightclub with a dungeon downstairs.
Normal.
I smile.
"I don't know what we're wearing yet," I say, "but whatever it is, make sure it's something I'd enjoy taking off later."
Behind me, the kitchen absolutely loses its mind.
***