Home for Horny Monsters - Book 4

The New Girl

"The man from upstairs? No, why?"

"Because he's the Caretaker."

The growl was more of a squeak this time, and she shook her head, fighting her instincts. "I really don't know why I keep doing that, I swear."

"Oh, I know. You can't lie to me, not for another few hours, anyway," Ratu responded.

"I can't?"

"No, you can't. When you took your medicine, I cast a spell on you to calm you down and keep you honest. You see, your appearance caused quite a commotion, and I needed to make sure you weren't a threat before taking you back."

"That makes sense." However, now that she knew that she had been enchanted, her hackles rose a bit. Something about knowing a spell had been cast on her made her angry, or at least, she knew that it should. It was almost like her brain was busy trying to be two people at once.

"Come with me. And if you see Asterion, don't let him make you nervous. He's meant to scare you, but since the spell I cast is fading, I don't feel like chasing you through the Labyrinth all day."

She nodded and followed Ratu. The passageways were long, but they went through several shortcuts and doorways that didn't make any sense. A golden lion prowled around on Ratu's purple kimono, and occasionally swatted at her hair when it came near.

"What are you?" she asked. "I mean, you can do magic. Are you a witch?"

"I'm a naga." Ratu looked over her shoulder to reveal that her face now resembled a snake. She shook her head, and when her hair passed over her face, it was back to normal. "A snake deity, of sorts. What are you?"

"Um..." She really had no idea and told the naga so. "Do you know what I am?"

"That's open for debate," the naga admitted. "You see, all the evidence points at you being human once, so you can't simply be nekomata, or a cat spirit. They start as cats. My best guess is that you are a human who has fallen prey to a curse or enchantment that has made you into this...cat person."

She gasped and touched her throat again. "Am I going to turn into a cat?"

Ratu noticed this movement and stopped. "No. The method of enchantment has been removed, but may I?" She came closer and ran her hands through the thick fur of her neck. "Hmm. That would make a lot of sense, actually."

"What would?"

"An enchanted collar."

At the word collar, she touched her throat again, her heart pounding.

"Someone did this to me?"

"They did. But it was nobody you are about to meet. Come." She tapped on a stone and it swung open like a door, revealing an ordinary room with wooden floors on the other side.

"This is... this is a house!" When she stepped through, the door behind them swung shut and vanished into the wood paneling.

"It is. I got tired of getting wet, so the rats put it in for me."

It was an odd statement from the naga, but there was no chance to ask about it because they turned down a hallway and were now in a dining room that smelled strongly of fresh baked goods. Even now, the table was being set by a very tall woman wearing an apron. When the woman turned to see who had arrived, she saw that she only had one eye.

"I didn't expect to see you," the woman said, looking down at the newcomer. The cyclops was easily seven feet tall. "I take it our visitor is okay?"

"Better than expected, actually." Ratu pulled a chair out and indicated that they should all sit. "This is Sofia, by the way. She's a cyclops, in case you didn't know that."