Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 039

Hi all! Annabelle here with the next installment of Book Three!

New reader? Start at Chapter 1. Yes, I know, that's so far away, but there's plenty of plot, sex and weird kinks for every reader here.

Returning reader? Welcome back! Always glad to see you. As always, don't forget to rate, review, or drop me a feedback letter (I got some AWESOME ones this last week, by the way!). I do read them all, but don't always have time to respond (I have limited free time and spend most of it writing ) but want to acknowledge that I still love how active the community here is and appreciate your kind words. I also love hearing your theories and how some of you catch the tiny details I hide in the hopes that someone will spot them.

Okay, enough from me, back to the story at hand. I hope you enjoy it!

The Tower

Mike's heart pounded in his chest at the sight of the thing. The Jabberwock regarded the small group of people in its master's home, then opened its mouth to let out a cry that made him think of a pterodactyl on steroids. Jabberwock saliva misted the entire room, and everyone covered their ears to shut out the cry.

Daisy bolted, vanishing down the stairs and leaving a glittering trail behind her. Zel made a break for it, and the Jabberwock lunged for her, leaving a bloody gash in her hindquarters with a claw before she vanished down the stairs.

The beast's long arm swept away the chaise lounge and busted apart the bed frame, hissing its displeasure that the centaur had escaped. When it whipped its head around, it managed to catch Mike in the chest, knocking him across the room where he fell against a bookshelf. The shelves were old, busting apart and showering him with dust and splinters.

"Tink fuck up ugly dragon!" Flipping the lenses of her goggles into place, she stood up and charged the Jabberwock, her club held high. It took a swing at her and missed when she jumped over its hairy paw and slammed her club into its face. The Jabberwock let out a sinister hiss, steam venting from its nostrils.

"Tink, get out of here," Mike cried, moving toward the stairs along the outer wall.

Ratu summoned a ball of fire that splashed across the beast's hide, scorching the hairs all along its body. The room filled with a sulfuric odor of burnt hair, causing Mike to gag and then spit. When the Jabberwock swung its attention toward the naga, she made a fist with one hand and slammed it into the open palm of her other. A stone ripped free of the wall and smashed into the Jabberwock's snout, causing it to shift away from her.

"Stinky dragon go now," Tink yelled, then smashed her club onto the Jabberwock's hand. Two of its talons broke off, and it blew a blast of steam at her from its nose. Tink dodged away as Ratu smashed the Jabberwock with another stone, sending the steam harmlessly across the floor.

This time, the Jabberwock grabbed the first stone that had hit it and hurled it back at the naga. She yelped and summoned a blue aura around herself, but the hit knocked her off her feet. Tink saw this and shrieked in rage, smashing the Jabberwock in the jaw with her club. Its teeth crunched together with a loud pop.

Mike couldn't move. Smoke and steam had filled the room, and it hurt to breathe. He couldn't even call to Tink, his heart racing so fast he was afraid he would pass out. Swallowing his fear, he ran over to where Ratu was lying and dragged her away from the fight. Tink was much faster than the Jabberwock and seemed to be faring pretty well in keeping its attention. It made a grab for her but she squirted out of its busted hand. Whirling her club around, she smashed another talon, cracking it down the middle.

"Ratu? Ratu?" The naga was unconscious, but alive. Spotting a pair of rats hidden under a toppled bookshelf, he had them drag her into the sealed room that they had come from. The Jabberwock couldn't reach her here. Satisfied that she was safe for the time being, he peered around the corner to see what was happening.

"Tink smash stinky dragon into jam!" She sidestepped another blast of steam that scoured the stone beneath her clean of debris. The creature was clearly frustrated, extending its serpentine neck to headbutt her. Its head was larger than she was, and one of its long fangs caught her ankle when she tried to roll away.

"Tink, get out of there!" His heart raced frantically and his stomach churned; he was so scared he felt like he was going to throw up.

"Husband run first, Tink follow!" She blocked an attempt to grab her, smashing another of the Jabberwock's claws.

He ran across the room to the stairs, sliding underneath a jet of steam, nearly slipping on the wet floor. His whole body was filled with ice now, danger waiting for him in every corner of the room, his magic warning him to GET OUT!

"Tink, I'm—" He looked back in time to see the Jabberwock grab Tink by the feet with its tongue. It dragged her towards its open maw, but she flipped the club over and, using her feet to aim it, fired the secret arrow from its base.

The bolt pierced the creature's eye, causing it to let out a shriek of anger. It jerked its head back, pulling Tink through the air by the rope from the club. She landed hard on the ground, clutching her weapon tightly against her chest. The rope connecting them went slack, then slowly tightened as the beast lifted its head.

Opening its mouth wide, the Jabberwock snatched Tink in its jaws and shook her back and forth, smashing her against the hard, stone walls. She let out a scream when it smacked her on the ceiling, the goggles tumbling from her head and crashing on the floor. Tink went limp, her pain-filled eyes briefly connecting with Mike.

Lifting its head, the Jabberwock opened its jaws and she fell into the back of its mouth. Its huge, crocodile maw slammed shut like a vice and she was gone.

--

It was several minutes before Yuki stepped into the pool, taking the shortcut back to the house. Fearful that the demon would find a way to abduct her, she had cast several spells over the pool in an attempt to lure him out. Figuring she officially had no other options, she had jumped in, Jenny clutched tightly against her chest.

When the closet spit her out, she quickly leapt to her feet and shut the door behind her. The water sank into the wood as if the house was thirsty. Stepping into the front room, she opened up the curtain to reveal that the front yard was as she had left it.

"What do I do now?" Yuki held up the little doll, looking deep into its painted glass eyes. The demon had taken Beth without a care in the world, and Yuki had turned her to stone just as quickly, her body sinking away into another plane of existence. She wasn't worried about the demon undoing the spell, but now she feared that Beth would get smashed by a vengeful demon who might attempt to come after her.

Beth had given up everything to keep the house safe. That was how Emily used to be, back before she had disappeared. Either the woman was very brave, stupid, or both, and Yuki was struggling with the ramifications.

"Do you think I was wrong?" she asked Jenny, not expecting an answer. The little doll was limp, and Yuki cast a quick spell to make sure she was still in there. Satisfied that Jenny hadn't vacated her cloth body, she set the doll up on the mantle.

"Beth said they forgave you for causing trouble. Do they know how many people you killed?" Yuki knew of at least a couple of occasions that the doll had escaped and the host had ended up dead. However, she now lived with at least one viable human host. Why not hop in and start the process anew?

There were too many thoughts going through her mind, and she couldn't process them all at once. Too much was at stake, and if she made the wrong decision, she would lose the house. Frustrated, she flopped down on the couch.

How many times had she been captured by humans in her long life? It was too many, and the instances ran together in her mind. A feudal lord in Japan, farmers in China, even a group of fishermen who caught her in a net and insisted she was some type of wish-granting deity. She scowled at the memories, turning her thoughts to Emily once more.

"Why did you betray me?"

The empty room had no answers, and neither did the doll on the mantle.

Yuki closed her eyes, fighting the grief that swelled in her chest. Had Beth been right? Was her judgment clouded by what Emily had done? Upon meeting Mike, she had tried to kill him, never even giving him a fair chance to explain himself. How much of that had been the desire for a revenge she could never have?

For years, she had promised to kill Emily on sight, without any hesitation. Being able to commit to murdering a loved one was nearly impossible, and those long years had been spent emotionally distancing herself from everything. When push came to shove, she used the Eye to resolve disputes rather than taking a life. Her inability to commit had further frustrated her, and she had acted without thinking, seeing the man as an immediate threat. There would be no bargaining, simply justice.

Now the house itself had turned against her — and that was unexpected. The hero's welcome she had hoped for on her return was now the solemn march of a villain.

"Why?" She stood and approached Jenny. "Why does it have to hurt so much? I thought that when I came back, everything would put itself together. But then I hear about this man, this supposedly wonderful person. I remember how everyone loved Emily, but she did bad things. I thought that was maybe because of her magic, the nymph inside of her. The Caretaker is loved because of their magic, not their actions. And now here I am, fucking everything up while they defend him!" She stomped her foot and a chill wind rushed through the room, briefly lifting the edge of the area rug.

"Tell me, Jenny! If it was up to me, I would lock you in a block of ice for all eternity in the Vault, but he gave you a second chance! Was he right? Do you deserve it? Is he truly a good man? Because even a good man can fall from grace!" Yuki slammed a fist into the mantle, knocking loose a brick and breaking the skin of her hand wide open.

"Ow, baka kitsune," she hissed in pain. Sticking the wound in her mouth, she licked up the blood and waited. Minor wounds were an inconvenience, and she used magic to speed up the healing process. Pulling her hand free, she scowled at the itchy scab on her hand.

Idiot indeed. There was a mirror over the hearth that had been covered with a piece of fabric. Yuki pulled it down and looked at herself, taking in the image of the fox who looked back. Once, she had prided herself on her ability to approach things logically, to survive in the wild using her wits. Her years in confinement had worn away that person, leaving behind the raw nerve she had become, so eager to act or react. Being honest with herself for the first time, she saw little more than a scared, stupid fox girl so obsessed with revenge that she could no longer see the forest for the trees.

"Naia." Her best friend, her confidante. Even if the nymph had forgotten her, it wouldn't change the caring soul she had been when they met. If she could talk to anybody right now, it would be her.

Frowning, she paced the room, occasionally glaring at Jenny. The doll was no use, and without Daisy, she had nobody else to talk to. She had effectively traded one prison for another.

Taking a deep breath, she made the decision, walking toward the back door of the house. She would free Naia and hear her out, let her talk. It was time for the voice of reason to speak to her, to help her make an informed decision.

Her wards went off.

"Chikusho," she swore. What now? All of her wards were being broken, and she walked to the front window of the house to look outside. The front yard was a pristine canvas, her wand warriors standing at proud attention like a small group of trees. A gentle wind scattered ice crystals across the yard, and a small group of figures stood at the wrought iron gate she had built.

Letting out a grunt, she focused her attention on a patch of snow and swirled her magic around, raising a figure from it. Closing her eye, she let her consciousness flow into her clone, satisfied that her body was safe inside the home. Shaking snow off her shoulders, she walked down toward the gate, her crystalline tail swishing behind her.

There were three of them. An older woman with long, braided hair that reached her waist. A black woman who wore a gown that left little to the imagination, her skin painted with runes of fresh blood. The third member was an Arab man in a suit, a cocky smile on his face. He lightly fingered a ring on his left pinky.

"Ah, you must be the newest addition to the home." He smirked, his eyes traveling along Yuki's body. "And a fine looking one at that."

"What do you want?"

"Manners first. I am Amir, these are my associates Elizabeth and Kali." He waved his hands at the women by his side. "Frankly, we are here for the house."

"Over my dead body."

Amir sighed. "Sadly, I was afraid you would say that. If we must, then we must. But I was hoping you would be a bit more reasonable. You see, Mr. Radley has been quite stubborn, and I was certainly hoping to work something out. I feel I would be remiss if I didn't at least put an offer out there." He turned around and waved at the street behind him. "If you would be willing to leave, to walk away for good, I would provide you immeasurable financial compensation. In my world, money really does grow on trees. You would be free from harassment, allowed to go wherever you wish while my associates do our work here."

"I think you underestimate your chances here." Yuki held her arms out, sending her magic into the ground and forming several ice minions, beings about three-foot tall with jagged teeth. "This place is essentially a fortress. You can fight me, but you will lose."

Amir shook his head. "Okay. I tried." He rubbed the ring on his finger with his other hand and dark smoke flowed out from it, pooling near his feet to form a man that was roughly four feet tall. His skin was dark orange and he wore a white and red vest with large, golden chains fastened around his neck. His legs faded into the smoke that leaked from Amir's finger.

"Master?" The djinn's voice was surprisingly deep for his size, and his inky black eyes locked on Yuki. They were sad, and the being stuck his hands in spectral pockets, awaiting orders.

"Today's wish is for you to remove this gate. With prejudice."

"As you wish." The djinn floated forward and placed his hand on the cool metal of the bent swords. "Nothing personal," he said quietly to Yuki.

With a light shove from the djinn, the gate ripped free of the stone pillars and blasted through Yuki, shattering her clone. Her awareness popped back into her body and she snarled, watching the gate collide with the edge of the house and fall apart. The Page of Wands had already charged toward Amir, but Elizabeth had set it on fire. It now ran around, clawing at the flames on its head. The djinn had turned back into smoke and flowed into the ring.

"Damn, damn, damn." She ran to the door and pulled off her eyepatch and ran outside. Amir was only a couple feet into the yard, casually swatting away her minions with a wave of unseen force. When he looked up, Yuki let out a gasp.

"We saw what you did to our associate," Amir explained, his grin wide beneath the dark black blindfold. Elizabeth and Kali wore them too, and Kali seemed to be setting up some items in preparation for a large ritual. "We don't need our eyes for this."

"Ketsumedo yarou." Yuki slid her tarot cards from her sleeve into her hand and commanded the ice to attack. The remaining minions swarmed Elizabeth, but she spat out a black goo that expanded and caused them to stick together. Large icicles rose from beneath the snow and launched forward, but Amir let out a yawn and shattered them with his fist when they came close.

"Set up a perimeter around the sundial," he said to Elizabeth. "I'll see to Kali." The Queen of Wands charged him, but he grabbed her with his hands and yanked, ripping her in half vertically. "If we keep them from using the dial, we can have this done by nightfall."

"Like hell you will!" She slid the Knight, Queen, King and Page of Swords into her fingers and threw them like knives. They exploded in mid-air, showering the yard in sparks as four armored figures burst into being. The Knight and King charged at Elizabeth, who took several steps back and summoned a ring of green fire around her that they bounced off of. Amir's smile faltered when the Queen and Page attacked him. Rubbing a ring on a different hand, the smoke from within formed into a scimitar.

"And I haven't forgotten about you," Yuki muttered, pulling the Five of Pentacles loose. Kneeling, she pushed away the snow and shoved the card into the ground. On the other side of the yard, large cylinders of stone burst from the ground, breaking Kali's objects apart and knocking her around. Kali hissed something and sent an angry ball of light at Yuki, but she caught it in her hand and held it up to inspect.

"Huh." I have no idea what this is. She hooked her fingers in it and yanked, ripping it apart. Kali ran for the front gate just ahead of the King of Wands, then spun about and held up her hands, fingers pointed.

A blast of lightning rocked the yard, blowing the King of Wands apart. Amir had overpowered the Queen and Page of Swords, his blade cutting through their armored bodies and leaving them in ruin. Elizabeth was now outside the green ring of fire, the King and Knight trapped inside. Yuki's magic militia was falling apart.

Yuki shuffled the cards quickly, watching Amir approach. Pulling out the card she needed, she held Judgement over her head and winced in advance.

The horn blast from above was loud enough to break the windows of the house. A fierce wind built up, forcing Amir to kneel down to remain in position. Ice and snow blew away, forming large drifts along the front fence of the yard, and Kali made a break for it, sliding between the lions and vanishing into the street.

The sound intensified, lifting Elizabeth off her feet and tossing her bodily over the gate along with the King and Knight of Swords. Amir grimaced, turning his sightless face toward her.

"This isn't over," he mouthed, and then let the wind carry him away. Once airborne, a large rug lifted up from behind the fence and caught him, ferrying him to safety.

Yuki lowered her hand with a gasp, tossing the scorched card to the ground. Most of the ice and snow had been blasted free of the yard, and the gate was a mess. Summoning her magic, she began to rebuild her defenses, her heart racing.

They would be back. Their siege had begun.

--

His mouth was dry, his limbs numb. His heart slammed so hard against his ribs that he was afraid that he would break apart, and the cold feeling in his gut now spread throughout his entire body. The Jabberwock lowered its head to regard him with its remaining reptilian eye. It snorted, a blast of steam filling the air, then used the rim of the opening to pull itself forward, reaching for Mike with its damaged paw.

The magic inside of him uncoiled, ripping through his body. The air around him went cold, and he could feel it like a thousand angry spiders beneath his skin, squirming around and demanding release. As one, they rushed up through his body, spiraling in a tight circle as he took an insanely deep breath. The world moved in slow motion, hot tears springing to his eyes as he opened his mouth and screamed.

"TINK!" The magic came out all at once, moving outward in a wave of force. The room shook, causing dust to fall from the ceiling, and the Jabberwock blanched, jerking its head up and slamming it into the top of the opening. His yell went on for several seconds, his whole body vibrating with power. His own voice sounded like it was far away, and he realized he was hearing an echo from the distant mountains.