Monsters In Her Head: A Dark Monster Romance (The Monsters You Know Book 2), page 23
Monsters In her Head
The Monsters You Know
Book Two
Erin Bedford
Monsters In Her Head © 2023 Embrace the Fantasy Publishing, LLC
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Cover Design by Atlantis Book Designs
Editing by Makenzie Frazier
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Also by Erin Bedford
Content Warning
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
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Also by Erin Bedford
The Underground Series
Chasing Rabbits
Chasing Cats
Chasing Princes
Chasing Shadows
Chasing Hearts
The Crimes of Alice
The Crimes of Alice
Hatter’s Heart
Cheshire’s Smile
The Mary Wiles Chronicles
Marked by Hell
Bound by Hell
Deceived by Hell
Tempted by Hell
Betrayed by Hell
Fairy Tale Bad Boys
Beauty and the Hunter
Wendy’s Pirate
More Precious Than Gold
Mirror
Stepbrother
Starcrossed Dragons
Riding Lightning
Grinding Frost
Swallowing Fire
Pounding Earth
Curse of the Fairy Tales
Rapunzel Untamed
Rapunzel Unveiled
Rapunzel Unchained
Her Angels
Heaven’s Embrace
Heaven’s A Beach
Heaven’s Most Wanted
House of Durand
Indebted to the Vampires
Wanted by the Vampires
Protected by the Vampires
Embrace of the Vampires
Tempted by the Butler
Loved by the Vampires
Huntress of the Vampires
Judged by the Vampires
Imprisoned by the Vampires
Academy of Witches
Witching On A Star
As You Witch
Witch You Were Here
Just Witch It
Summer Witchin’
Children of the Fallen
Death In Her Eyes
Fire In Her Blood
Wicked Crown
Little Morning Star
When Hell Freezes Over
To Hell With It
House of Van Helsing
Her Cross To Bear
Blood Betrayal
The Beast of the Fae Court
Granting Her Wish
Vampire CEO
Content Warning
This is a dark fantasy romance and has elements that may be triggering for some individuals. Read at your own discretion.
Chapter 1
Contrary to what I had believed, there were actually parts of Mount Boyon that were warmer than others.
The drakes with their half-dragon side didn’t notice the cold as much as we full humans did. I’d said as much and Tat, my faithful guard, eagerly showed me this hallway near an underground hot spring. We’d spent many days there in the hallway much to Aryn’s and the king’s displeasure.
“No... that’s not right.” I threw my head back and laughed at Tat’s attempt to sign. I waved his hands down and showed him the correct way. “Fingers like this... and then you tap them together like that.”
Tat repeated the hand gesture for “meet you” once more.
“Perfect.” I clapped my hands together and smiled at him, signing as I spoke.
I’d gotten into the habit since Tat had asked me to teach him how to talk to me like Aryn and I did. At first, I was hesitant. It had to be some kind of trick from Ryu to intercept into mine and Aryn’s little world.
I didn’t know why I cared. Back home, once I lost my hearing, everyone made the effort to learn how to sign so they could interact with me. I was horrible and reluctant to learn at first. I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently, like I was broken.
Except... I had been. Physically and spiritually. I’d overcome the sickness but lost my mother and my hearing in the process. At that time, I didn’t know which one had been worse. Now, I knew losing my hearing wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
I’d give up all my senses to have my mother back in my life again. Because having her here was far better than not being able to hear anyone’s obnoxious voice again.
“Nice to meet you,” Tat tried again, dragging me out of my thoughts. “What did I say before?”
Showing him the signs as I spoke, I explained, “You basically said it was nice to have sex with me.” Tat’s eyes widened, my smile widening. “It’s easy to get the two mixed up. I just wouldn’t say that to Aryn unless you want to get smacked.”
Tat rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. “I think I’ll hold off on signing with Aryn. She scares me.”
Giggling, I shoved Tat with a hand. Not that the massive drake moved at all. Why were all the drakes so big? I didn’t know how they could all fit under this mountain without anyone knowing.
A dark shadow covered us, and Tat scrambled to his feet. I glanced up from the large golden scaled feet to the thick calves and muscular thighs, lingering on the cloth covered waist far longer than I should have before sliding up the hard ridges of the abs I had an overwhelming need to lick and settling on the sharp chin and pillowy lips. The scar bisecting the pale yellow eye only added to the appeal of the king’s brother, Ira.
Unlike Tat, I didn’t scramble to my feet. I tipped my head to the side and blinked at him.
His lips moved in small, unreadable movements. Whatever he said made Tat stiffen and avoid looking at me.
That wouldn’t do.
I lifted my hand up to Tat, who immediately grabbed it and helped me to my feet. Ira’s lips moved again and Tat released me abruptly after I landed on my feet.
I shot a scowl at Tat before gesturing to him, “You left your spine on the ground.”
Tat’s brows furrowed and then they shot up as he deciphered what I said to him. His lips twitched, then flattened just as quickly. He turned on his heel without so much as a flick of his wrist.
Pursing my lips, I turned my ire onto the drake prince before me. “What did you say to him?”
Ira blinked his good eye at me. Not saying anything, he turned on his heel and walked away, his long red-orange hair brushing his back as he went.
Scowling at the prince’s back, I hesitated for a second before stalking after him. Ira didn’t bother to communicate with me as I walked beside him. His good eye slid over to me before moving back to the front.
We walked for a few moments like that, a few drakes passing by every now and again, their eyes sliding to me before jerking away when Ira glared at them. When we reached a tunnel with more light than the others, I grabbed Ira by the wrist, his spiked bracelet just inches from stabbing my hand.
“Enough with the mysterious drake act. What did you say to Tat? Where are we going?” I spoke and signed at the same time. Ira’s eyes darted from my lips to my hands every few words.
His lips ticked up on the unscarred side. This time he actually moved his lips precise enough that I could understand what he was saying. “That guard needs to learn his place. You are not friends.”
I frowned. “You don’t get to tell me who I am friends with.” I smacked my hands together hard enough to sting my hands. “You don’t own me.”
Ira crowded around me until my back hit the wall of the tunnel. My traitorous body tingled and heated at his proximity, half wanting him closer and the other telling me to push him away. The sharp points of his knee braces poked into the soft parts of my thighs. Ira’s hand wrapped a
Amusement glittered in his one good yellow eye, his face shoving into my hair. His words tickled my mind. My brother has claimed you. Thus, you belong to the drakes.
I gaped, pushing at his chest. He didn’t budge. Fucking does not count as claiming. Or I’d have been claimed a long time ago.
Ira’s hot breath brushed against my skin, the claws on his other hand taking liberties through the silky crimson material clinging to my body. I have no doubt about that. However, since you have offered yourself in exchange for our help against your fiance I think the matter is rather moot, wouldn’t you?
Anger burned into me. I threw my knee up, hitting Ira between the legs. The hand on my throat loosened, and I shoved with all my might. Ira stumbled back a few steps.
Baring my teeth at the drake, I shoved myself forward until we were nose to nose. Unlike his brother, Ryu, Ira and I were almost the same height. That does not mean you can tell me who I can or cannot spend time with. I will fuck your brother. He will help me get rid of Callahan and Luis. And you, I shoved his chest to no avail, will treat me with respect.
Lips curving up to the side, Ira’s hand shot out and wrapped my braid around his fist until I was forced to tilt my head back or break my neck. I don’t think you want me to treat you with respect, princess. He dipped his head and brushed his nose along the side of my exposed throat before lifting his head so I could see his face. In fact, I think you want someone to treat you like the broken thing you are.
I swallowed thickly against the hammering in my heart. You don’t know anything about me.
Ira tugged my hair just enough to make me wince before releasing it. “Oh, princess. Believe me, I do. I’ve been broken too.” He pointed at the milky yellow eye, the scar splitting it in two jagged lines down his face. “They won’t ever know how it feels. The helplessness. The feeling of not being quite whole. Not like us.” He played with my braid, my chest heaving up and down against my will. Let me know when you’re ready to give in.
Just as quickly as he had cornered me, Ira strode away, gone before I could retort, leaving me in the hall with my raging heart and throbbing between my thighs. What was wrong with me?
I realized a few moments later that Ira hadn’t told me where we were going and had left me in a part of the mountain I didn’t recognize. Before I could panic about getting lost, Beautine appeared around the corner with a bright smile on her pale honey colored face.
“There you are,” I worried that brute of a prince had led you astray. Now,” she peered over my form and pursed her lips. “This won’t do. You’re going to need battle leathers and I’m thinking you’d do well with daggers. But we will see how you pan out. You never know, you might be a sword or bow kind of person.”
I blinked at her. My mind barely keeping up with her words. “What? Why would I need daggers?”
Beautine patted me on the shoulder with a patient smile. “To train, of course. You didn’t think we’d just fight your battles for you, did you?”
It seemed everyone had found out about the episode I had with their king a few days ago. Bowing down to the drake king, pleading for his assistance, to save my people as well as his own, had been the most humiliating thing I’d ever done.
One would think what had happened a few minutes before that would have taken first place. But no. When I thought about the way the drake king had chased me down and then fucked me not only with his bumpy yet massive cock, I’d let him shove his tail in my... ugh I couldn’t even think it. It made my face and body heat in two entirely different ways. Not that I would let him know that.
Beautine squeezed my shoulder to grab my attention. “Are you ready?”
Yes. Not for training, for something else entirely. To Beautine, I bobbed my head. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 2
Ryu
Ryu bore holes into the map in front of him. There was the Caffew to the east. The Gunni to the north. The Haidori to the west. And the bastard kingdom belonging to the princess’s betrothed to the south, Plumus. If not for a small tip of Kinoko touching the ocean, they would be landlocked and have no way out if all four sides attacked at once.
The Kinoko kingdom had a tenuous relationship with the others ever since their queen died. It did not surprise Ryu that one of them jumped at the chance to take over even if it was through marriage.
Ryu growled low in his throat. Georgia’s marriage to Callahan would never happen if he had anything to say about it. Just thinking about the scars on her skin made his inner flame burn hot enough to melt steel.
“Woah,” his brother, Desmond, whistled, his eyes on Ryu’s hands. “Someone is in a mood.”
Glancing down, Ryu huffed a sigh at the stone table before removing his hands. Two melted hand prints stayed behind evidence of his rage. Ryu turned his attention back to the map. “What do you want?”
“Just wanting to check on my older brother,” Desmond rounded the table, his gaze moving over the wooden figurines we’d made to represent the different kingdom’s armies. “You did, after all, put us smack dab in the middle of a war, all for some great pussy.”
Before Ryu knew what he was doing, he had his brother pinned to the table, a dagger pressed to the younger brother’s throat.
Desmond chuckled, not at all bothered by Ryu’s outburst. “Touchy subject. Guess it was better than great.”
Ryu snarled in Desmond’s face, his fangs close to Desmond’s face. “Do not speak about her in such a manner. In fact, do not speak of her at all.” Ryu released his brother with a shove, removing his dagger to stab it on the table instead.
Straightening himself, Desmond rubbed his throat and eyed the map. “So, do you have any plans for us, oh great king?”
Ignoring his brother’s mocking tone, Desmond just wanted to get under his skin. Ryu gestured at the map. “We need to figure out the numbers we are up against. The princess could only tell me what forces her father has and what soldiers she knows about that her fiance,” the word tasted like poison in his mouth, “has in the palace. However, the scum could be hiding forces all over Kinoko without any of them knowing.”
“And what of allies?” Desmond asked, all teasing gone from his face and voice. “Do you think we can face the force of Plumus alone?”
Ryu shook his head. “I will not pretend to know what we are up against. We cannot stand on the sidelines and let the Plumus bastards take over Kinoko, not while we are living here as well.”
Desmond didn’t speak for a moment before casually commenting, “You know it has been a while since we moved, we could —”
“No,” Ryu snarled at him.
“I’m just saying, it would be smarter for our people to leave Kinoko and Plumus to fight amongst themselves. It is not our battle.”
Ryu threw his dagger across the room, aiming for Desmond’s head.
Desmond ducked and arched a brow at him. “I’ll take that as a no?”
“We are not leaving them to their fate. The others only ostracized them because of their protection of us. Had they driven us out the moment we made ourselves known, the other kingdoms would not have zeroed in on them so heavily after the queen’s death.”
Shaking his head, Desmond walked over to the wall and pulled the dagger out. “You don't know that. It could have happened with or without us being here.”
“Regardless, we cannot ignore a request for aid from our hosting kingdom.” Ryu shook his head. “If things turn around in their favor and we deny them,” Ryu dragged a hand over his face, “that would only be more problems on the horizon.”
“Not to mention, the princess would cut off your access to her delectable body.”
Ryu shot a scowl at his brother but didn’t comment.
The feel of the princess’s tight pussy wrapped around his hard length was something Ryu dreamed about. She had taken him so well. Moaning and screaming out for all the world to hear her. It wasn’t something he was likely to forget soon. Unfortunately, the princess seemed to have withdrawn from him once she achieved his assurance that he would help her. Not that Ryu had tried to push the issue. It was something he would have to remedy soon enough.
Desmond blessedly pulled him from his thoughts, his cock already getting hard at just the thought of the princess.
“And what of the soldiers that showed up in the clearing?”
