thing,” she says. “Tomorrow.”
“Looks like the monsters moved up our timetable,” I reply with a laugh.
We both turn to look at Greer, who hasn’t responded. She is lying there with her eyes closed and a completely disgusted look on her face, but otherwise looking like her normal icy self. Maybe she’ll need some convincing after this. A manticore would horrify anyone who saw it on the street. Let alone having to fight it.
“All right,” she finally says. “I’m in.”
I release a relieved breath and sense that Grace does the same. Neither of us wants her to walk away.
“On one condition,” Greer adds.
“What’s that?” Grace asks.
“This monster fighting gig can
She hasn’t moved, hasn’t altered her expression. She’s lying there in bare feet and what are probably designer clothes. She’s just sent some hideous unknown monster back into the abyss. And she’s worried about her
I’m on the verge of telling her to stuff it when she cracks a smile.
Grace and I burst out laughing.
Thank goodness.
“I’m joking.” Greer sits up. “Mostly. But I’m also kind of serious. I have a lot of responsibilities that don’t involve”—she makes a vague gesture that kind of encompasses the whole room—“any of this. I can’t cast them aside.”
My laughter dies.
She’s right. This world might have been my whole existence for the last four years, but Greer and Grace have been living real lives. They have people who care about them and others who depend on them. They’re not alone, like me. It’s not fair to ask them to give up all that for something they didn’t choose.
“Fine,” I say reasonably. “We’ll work around all the other stuff whenever we can.”
“Excellent.” Greer pushes to her feet. “Now, do you have any mouthwash around here? That monster tasted nasty.”
I point her to the bathroom, and she disappears to wipe out the taste of beastie. I don’t blame her— monsters taste like rotten garbage, and the sweet taste of our venom is never quite enough to counteract it. You learn to deal, but you never get used to it. Not really. Monster is not an acquirable taste.
“Were you really going to call us tomorrow?” Grace asks quietly.
“I was.”
She’s silent for a few seconds before asking, “Why?”
I’m ready to shrug off the question, as if it’s nothing major. But when I look in her eyes, I can tell it’s a very big deal.
“Because we belong together,” I answer honestly. “What-ever kept us apart all these years, I think we belong together in the end. Things are changing, and although that scares me a little, it’s obviously part of something bigger than all of us. We have a destiny to fulfill, and I don’t want to fulfill it alone. I don’t think I can.”
Then, before I can react, she lurches forward and throws her arms around my neck in a tight hug.
“What?” she gasps.
“My shoulder,” I explain, my eyes clenched against the sharp pain. “It popped out of the socket when I skewered the beastie’s tail.”
“Oh, what can I do?”
I give her a quick lesson and then, before I can take a fortifying breath, she shoves everything back into place. I gasp at the shock, but can tell that she did a fine job.
“Okay?” she asks.
I nod.
“Can I hug you now?” When I nod again, she wraps her arms gingerly around my shoulders. “I’m so glad you realized we belong together.”
“I can tell.”
I shrug it off with sarcasm, but inside I feel a strange sensation of warmth. Compelled by some unknown reason, I lift my own arms and hug her back.
“I’m glad we got here in time,” Grace says, squeezing tight. “If we hadn’t . . .”
She lets her words trail off. She doesn’t need to finish the sentence. I was there, I’d accepted my fate. And then they’d— “Hey,” I say, pulling back as I remember the moment. “How did you guys get inside anyway? The loft’s security is military grade.”
“Oh.” She beams. “I guess my autoporting kicks in when I really need it.”
That solves the mystery of how the girls got inside, but not how the manticore snuck past the system. I’ll have to do a full inspection. There must be a hole somewhere, and I need to keep other monsters from showing up unexpectedly.
“Am I missing a group hug?” Greer asks.
“Come on.” Grace removes one arm and waves her close. “Gentle with Gretchen’s shoulder though.”
Greer kneels down next to us, and Grace and I each wrap an arm around her back while she does the same. I’ll worry about securing the perimeter later. Right now, I’m enjoying the moment. For once.
“Triplets,” Greer says, shaking her head.
“Who’d have thought?” I ask.
“Reunited,” Grace adds. “I can’t imagine a more perfect ending.
Strangely enough, neither can I.
Chapter 26
After I let the girls wash off their sweat and slime first, there is barely enough hot water left for me to grab a quick shower. But it’s enough. And with clean clothes on, I feel completely refreshed and revived. Even my shoulder feels practically normal.
Rubbing my hair dry with the towel, I head out into the loft to find them. They’re sitting at the dining table, hunched over one of the monster binders and giggling. With the balcony doors open wide, a fresh breeze blows in off the Bay. It feels like everything is fresh and new.
“Look at his feet,” Grace exclaims, pointing to an anatomical drawing of a nulus.
Greer makes a face. “Gross.”
“You should see the panotii,” Grace says. “They have ears the size of their bodies.”
“Have you memorized all the binders?” Greer asks.
“No.” Grace blushes. “I’ve digitized most of them, though, and the funnier images stand out.”
I’m impressed. That’s a lot of work she got done in not a lot of time. I bet she has the entire library scanned and catalogued in less than a month.
I keep back, not wanting to disturb their moment. It feels weird to have people, other than Ursula, making themselves at home in the loft. Before I brought Grace back here, no one else had ever been in the loft.
Still, as weird as it feels, it also feels completely right. Meant to be. Like the pieces of a puzzle I didn’t even know I had to solve have finally fallen into place.
Now, if only Ursula were safely back home—
Greer stands, knocking her chair back behind her.
I step into the room.
“What’s wrong?” Grace asks, a note of panic in her voice.
“I—” Greer holds her hands out as if to steady herself. “I don’t know. It’s just, all of a sudden, I got this really
