by Kathryn Moon
Magdalena squawked with sudden laughter at the suggestion. "And I'm sure the other gentleman would have quite the opinion about it if I packed up all my girls and put them on a boat to another continent."
"Oh, right," I said, my cheeks warming as I released her at last. "I guess I'm lucky all of mine are so willing to cooperate."
Magdalena's lips pursed, her hand wobbling in the air. "Lucky, or guided by an extremely talented witch," she gestured to herself with a smug smirk. "One of the two, I'm sure. Now, I have a present for you."
My eyes widened, my spine straightening with bubbling excitement. For all that I didn't need to receive gifts from my men to appreciate them, I couldn't lie and say I didn't like a present here and there.
"Yes, a very old deck of mine," Magdalena said, drawing a worn black velvet pouch from her pocket, taking one of my hands and pressing it into my palm. "You don't need to be anything other than what you are, Esther, which is an absolutely delightful, kind, open-hearted young woman. But I think you might enjoy a little guidance now and again, and if you aren't interested in receiving it from one of those handsome gentlemen I found you—"
"I sort of found Ezra and Booker on my own, though, don't you think?"
“—then these cards might be of some help to you. Don't be afraid of what they say, nothing is ever set in stone, just be open to listening."
I pulled the strings loose on the bag, getting one glimpse of gold gilded edges and an intricately patterned woven back before Magdalena rose from the bed.
"It's time, darling girl. Your carriage will be here soon."
I carried the pouch to my case, tucking it into a pocket, and stacked another light dress on top of it before closing it, fastening the buckles on the outside. My hands stroked the top, pausing for a moment.
"I almost can't believe I'm leaving. It feels like it was barely a week ago I arrived. Oh, Magdalena, what will you call the new house?"
Magdalena blinked at me as I stood, my hand on the handle of the case. "Oh. I thought Amon would've told you. This is Star Manor."
I blushed, warmth spiraling down into my belly, a sudden confidence in my future running through me. The days and weeks and months ahead were full of unknowns, but Magdalena was right. I had found, or she had chosen, or we had all discovered one another, and made a kind of family out of one another. Whatever came next, I would be doing it with my gentlemen at my side.
"Ready?"
"I am," I said, nodding.
Booker met me at the top of the steps, his elbow held out for me to claim. Jonathon and Ezra were waiting at the bottom, with a surprising crowd of women and guests. I didn't know many of the girls well, but we hugged goodbye as if we were sisters, the loss of Cassie fresh in our hearts and minds. I kissed their damp cheeks and laughed through our tears. A few of the men, including Asterion, bowed to me in parting, and I turned to my men, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
"Well?"
Jonathon grinned and nodded his head to the door. "Amon and Auguste are outside waiting."
Khepri was outside too, and Magdalena followed with us, gathering together on the stairs. Auguste had a black umbrella and a pair of spectacles with jet black lenses, but he kept tipping the lip of the umbrella back, grinning as the sun hit his face again. Amon was dressed warmly, three large trunks of his own belongings stacked at the foot of the steps.
"Good luck on the hunt, brother," Khepri said, shaking Amon's hand, a dark carriage rolling slowly forward, led by a disguised brownie and five black horses.
"Keep them safe," Amon added, glancing past me, through the door to the young women and creatures inside. "A good secret is a blessing to guard."
"Indeed," Khepri said, nodding, eyeing Magdalena with what I was sure was some form of hunger.
"You're going to be all right?" I asked Magdalena, that same sense of calm about leaving with my men now twisting with the tangled funny bone feeling of saying goodbye to my friend.
"Business as usual, darling," Magdalena said, her head tipping as she amended. "Well, even more carefully than usual now. But yes, I'll be all right."
I passed my bag to Amon, who handed it over to the carriage driver, and then met Magdalena in another hug.
"Thank you for everything," I whispered, blinking through sweetly stinging tears.
"We'll meet again," she said simply, and I resisted the urge to ask if she meant that as a friend, or if she really knew it already, as she'd known I might lose Auguste and Ezra. I stepped back and she nodded, serene smile in place. "Don't forget to read the cards. They cooperate better when you give them regular attention."
Auguste and Jonathon were shepherding me into the carriage before I could ask for further explanation.
"Goodbye!" I called, hanging from the door for a moment, grabbing one last look at Magdalena Mortimer, dark hair braided over her shoulder, wrapped in a new bright robe in front of the shining Star Manor, before sinking back into my seat, the horses jolting forward with a cluck. "Can we…can we drive past Rooksgrave?"
Amon frowned, but he nodded. "We shouldn't stop though, I think. Just in case."
"We don't need to stop," I said. "I just want to say goodbye to it too."
The drive to the dark eerie house was shorter when we were all together and safe, and I was cuddled comfortably between Amon and Ezra, losing track of the familiar turns of the hills, when Auguste sat up and nodded to the window.
"Almost there," he said.
The others made room for me and Booker to lean in at the window, watching the shadow of Rooksgrave Manor rise up on the road. The smoke had evaporated, and now there was only a mist drifting through the broken walls and windows, floating up from the loch. Black spires stretched like claws into the sky, but they looked fragile now. It wasn't the solid massive beast I'd met on my first day, but it was still an imposing sight, now full of the ghosts of what it had been before the fire.
"Will you miss it?" I whispered to Booker.
"Yes," he said, as we rolled slowly by. "But only a little."
I sighed and nodded, and then settled back into my seat, Amon knocking on the roof. The horses sped up, and Rooksgrave faded into the distance.
Epilogue
Sometime later
Strong hands smoothed down my shoulders, working out any tension they found, and I sighed, leaning back and smiling as Auguste crouched behind me, joining me in the pillows on the balcony. The sun was rising over the Nile, the sky hazy and gently pink, the world blue with dawn.
"Does it get old?" I asked Auguste as he curled around my back, staring out at sunrise.
His brows jumped. "You tell me. Does it?"
"No, I don't think it does," I murmured, and he hummed his agreement.
Egypt was nothing like I'd expected, infinitely greener on the river than the waves of sand I'd dreamt of. Cairo was a city both similar and entirely unlike London, dusty and bright, lively and loud, friendly and foreign. And Amon's home…
Was essentially an entire palace, hidden outside of the city, near the water and in the quiet of our own privacy. With all the promised secret passageways, patterned tile floors that echoed with our laughter and conversation, dinner tables laden with decadent dishes every night, and a bedchamber where we all gathered together, where I was worshipped like the queen Amon had promised I would be to him.
"What has you up so early, puisín?" Ezra surprised me with a kiss on my cheek, before settling down at my side, his arm slinging over my shoulders.
"I couldn't sleep," I admitted.
"Because of what we found in the tombs?" Ezra asked.
"No, or at least I don't think so," I said, frowning slightly, watching a small shadow float to the surface of the river before sinking below again. I hadn't really made sense of what we'd found on our last trip to Israel, and for now, I was relieved to leave the puzzle in Jonathon and Amon's hands. "But when I was awake, I realized I hadn't read the cards since we'd gotten back."
Footsteps padded over, Jonathon appe
aring in the balcony doorway, stretching wide in the sunlight for a moment before smiling down at us.
"Make room. Amon and Booker are on their way."
"We can't sleep if you can't sleep," Auguste whispered in my ear, waggling his eyebrows and then moving to let Jonathon squeeze between us, legs tangling together.
After the night we'd had together, we all deserved to sleep until the midday heat forced us awake, or at least out of our pile. I was still pleasantly sore, in spite of Amon's muscle oil magic.
"For you," Booker said in greeting, handing down a teacup of dark rich coffee, kissing the top of my head and then moving to perch himself like a gargoyle at the edge of the balcony, legs swinging over the gardens below.
"What did your cards have to say this morning?" Ezra asked, stretching a foot out when Booker wasn't looking, threatening to topple my golem off the edge of the balcony. The foot pushed and Booker twisted, blinking at it in confusion, entirely unbothered.
"I think…"
I frowned down at the cards. The Devil, The Page of Wands, The World, The Hierophant, and The Moon.
The Devil I understood—that was certainly to do with Birsha. It had come up often in my readings when I was thinking of him. We had successfully placed ourselves out of reach of Birsha, and some days, it was tempting to consider the idea of forgetting all about the matter, just go on enjoying this new life we'd found. The cards were a constant reminder that this peace was temporary. Birsha hadn't forgotten about me, and sooner or later, our peace would shatter. We needed to be ready.
The Page of Wands was new. I wondered if it might be Magdalena, but she struck me as more of a Queen of Pentacles.
"Esther?" Jonathon prompted, and I cleared my head.
"It's about him. I think we're about to…learn something? Or receive a message. But I'm not sure which and I can't tell who from," I said, frowning, tapping my finger over the cards but not ready to tuck them back into the pile yet.
"Perhaps I can answer that," Amon said, finally appearing.
He was dressed in linen pants and one of my favorite silk robes, his tail swinging freely, feline features and wings out. One of my favorite things about living in Egypt was how relaxed it made Amon. I'd expected him to take his position over us, play the part of the king, but instead his reins only loosened, and he made his own home entirely ours.
I twisted on the cushions and pillows, all of us rearranging into our nest, and Amon knelt in front of me, his tail landing over my lap as he held out a bright white envelope.
"We've received a letter. From…The Company of Fiends," he read, brow furrowed.
"The theater?!" I cried, eyes widening, the memory of our visit there still vivid and delicious.
Amon nodded slowly. "It appears they're having some trouble with Birsha. They're asking for our help, my star."
I grabbed the letter from Amon's hands, holding it out for the others to read over my shoulder.
"Magdalena mentioned us. That means she trusts them," Jonathon murmured.
"Are we ready, do you think?" Auguste asked, brow furrowing and eyes meeting mine.
I bit my lip, eyes rising to Amon's face, his frown clear.
"Not ready. But we might have something that can help," I said slowly.
Amon relaxed and nodded. "We certainly have more than we started with."
I smiled at that, taking a moment to enjoy the view of the men around me, the bright room beyond the thin curtains, the Nile now lit with the fire of sunrise. I had a great deal more than I started with, at least personally.
"I'll go put together my notes for them," Jonathon said.
"I'll get the rest of us coffee, since Book only bothered with his lady love," Ezra said, smacking a kiss against my cheek and jogging back inside.
"Would you like a bath this morning before we get to work?" Amon asked me, Booker rising to join him.
"Yes, please," I said. I started to shuffle the cards together, the question of their message mostly answered now.
"I actually came out to speak to you alone, but that never lasts long," Auguste said grinning.
"Oh. What about?"
Auguste was quiet, and I realized he was waiting. I pushed the cards aside and faced him, taking a moment to appreciate the view of him, all pink and handsome with dawn, before I realized the small sheepish smile he wore was the one that meant he was nervous.
"Auguste, what is it?"
"You asked me a question once, and I told you to wait and ask again in a year," he said, blinking rapidly, words hoarse.
It took me a moment, digging through old memories of Rooksgrave, so collectively few compared to the ones we'd already made in Egypt.
"Would I make a good vampire?" I said, repeating the words.
Auguste's pupils widened again, but he didn't look as starved and shocked as the first time I'd asked.
"Yes, I think so. An incredible one," Auguste said softly.
My lips parted at the sudden offer. It was an offer, wasn't it?
"You don't have to," Auguste rushed out, scooting in and spreading his legs around my folded ones, taking my hands in his. "And there's certainly no rush. But…it would mean…"
"Forever," I whispered, eyes growing wide. Forever with Auguste, and probably Amon and Booker too, for that matter. But then what about—
Auguste leaned forward and kissed between my gathering brows. "I'm thinking of us as a family. And so it's your choice, but also, I would want the others to give their blessing. We already know what Amon could do for you if you were like me, but he might have a proposal of his own. Who knows with a sphinx? And we can make arrangements for—"
"Auguste," I said, halting his ramble, pulling my hands free, but only to hold his face and drag him in for a kiss, swallowing his hum of pleasure. "I want forever with my family. Of course I do."
"One way or another, we'll find it," Auguste said softly, kissing my nose.
"Yes. We'll find forever," I answered, my smile stretching wide, giggling as Auguste pecked at my grin over and over, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me, carrying me giggling back into our bedroom to find the others.
My gentlemen. My family. My home.
THE END
Afterword
Dear Reader,
Are you in need of more monsters and their lady loves? Curious about men like Hunter and Asterion, or a place like The Company of Fiends? Don’t worry, I’ve got plans!! I really wanted to tie up Esther’s romance with her gentlemen but I wasn’t ready to leave this world and Birsha certainly isn’t done causing trouble. If you want to stay in touch and be the first to hear when more of the Tempting Monsters world is coming out, I highly recommend joining my Facebook group Kathryn’s Moongazers!
Much love in the meantime,
Kathryn Moon
Also by Kathryn Moon
COMPLETE READS
The Librarian’s Coven Series
Written - Book 1
Warriors - Book 2
Scrivens - Book 3
Ancients - Book 4
Summerland Series
Summerland Stories, the complete collection plus bonus content
Standalones
Good Deeds
Command The Moon
Say Your Prayers - co-write with Crystal Ash
The Sweetverse
Baby + the Late Night Howlers
Lola & the Millionaires - Part One
Lola & the Millionaires - Part Two
Sol & Lune
Book 1
Book 2
Inheritance of Hunger Trilogy
The Queen’s Line
The Princess’s Chosen
The Kingdom’s Crown
SERIES IN PROGRESS
Sweet Pea Mysteries
The Baker’s Guide To Risky Rituals
Tempting Monsters
A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor
Acknowledgments
Thank you to:
Jodie-Leigh, my incredible cover designer and deligh
tful enabler.
Meghan Leigh Daigle, my precise proofreader.
The BetaQueens: Desiree, Helen, Jami, Jess, Kathrynn, and Ash.
My amazing Moongazers who cheer on each and every kinky and playful step!
My writing pack, made up of the most amazing women a girl could be lucky enough to know and get to talk to regularly! Can’t wait to be able to squeeze you all in person one day.
And finally, my amazing parents who are so supportive and excited for everything I do, even when I won’t share the actual details because they are my parents and they shouldn’t know about me writing sexy tentacle monsters.
About the Author
Kathryn Moon is a country mouse who started dictating stories to her mother at an early age. The fascination with building new worlds and discovering the lives of the characters who grew in her head never faltered, and she graduated college with a fiction writing degree. She loves writing women were are strong in their vulnerability, romances that are as affectionate as they are challenging, and worlds that a reader sinks into and never wants to leave. When her hands aren't busy typing they're probably knitting sweaters or crimping pie crust in Ohio. She definitely believes in magic.
You can reach her on Facebook and at [email protected] or you can sign up for her newsletter!