Page 127 of Monster. Me.

For a moment, we simply sit there, lost in each other's eyes, almost spellbound, our skin tingling with that special thrill, those legendary butterflies fluttering in our stomachs.

Then he speaks.

"I… don't have a family anymore. I lost touch with my brothers. But you do. Have you thought about what they'll say?"

Those words could have pulled me out of the rosy haze I've been happily floating through. They don't.

"This is my life, my happiness, Fenn. I’ll build it the way I choose. I plan on calling my dad tonight and telling him the news, but I want to keep my eyes on my own path."

I lift my gaze to the sky, where the heavens brighten into a diamond-blue glow, weightless and boundless. Raising my hand, I point upward.

"I won't let a single cloud drift across my wide-open sky."

Fenn lets out a soft laugh and glances up too.

"You know, I’m excited for every new day with you. I want to face it all together. To live like ordinary people, despite me being a monster. A small, peaceful, sweet life."

I straighten up, strong emotions welling inside me.

"Monster… that’s what they see. But being human comes from the heart, not the body. That’s how I feel about it," I say firmly, my hand traveling up toward his gland, visible over the collar of his T-shirt. The tips of my fingers softly brush over the one I marked yesterday.

Either it’s his own healing ability, or the regeneration that is happening between fated mates, but it’s just a faint scar. A perfect mating mark; Fenn is a taken alpha now.

He closes his eyes, enjoying my touch, and responds as if hearing my thoughts again.

"You know, in truth I don’t mind being a monster as long as I'm yours."

"That works for me!"

We sit for a while like this, enjoying our closeness when I decide to talk about something much cooler.

"One more thing. I looked up which mantis your form resembles the most… and it's funny. It's a cat-eye mantis! Those unusual horned eyes that almost look like a cat's ears."

"It makes sense that a cat-eye mantis would have a fated mate… who’s a cute cat." Fenn sends me a crooked smile. "I’ve never gone that far as to dig around online for similar species. But I’m very glad that… you’re interested in it." He tilts his head playfully.

There’s a moment of silence as I feel slightly bashful for some reason.

"You know, back at the airport, you looked really… epic."

A blush creeps onto Fenn’s cheeks, and he lets out a soft huff.

"You really think so? Not horrifying?"

"Absolutely not. Epic, majestic, and those beautiful wings… so colorful, luminescent, like those of dragonflies or some butterflies. I never thought mantises had them."

He grins. "They do indeed."

"Will you… um, show me your shifted form like that sometime?"

"If it pleases you. I’ll do anything for you, Marlow."

I notice his eyes slowly drift toward my stomach. A little hesitantly, he reaches out and gently rests his hand on my lower abdomen.

Our eyes meet, and we both give shy smiles. My heart is trembling in my chest.

"They… they’re growing there. Two little miracles," he whispers.

I nod with a small, timid smile.