Page 26 of The Monster I Am

It wasn’t likely. But there was a chance, and that meant that there was a chance for a potential alliance to be made.

“Agreed. I’ll wait for him to reach out first, and I suspect he will.” He cleared his throat. “Do you think Sebastian is finished with Jared? I would like to check on him.”

Would a monster care that Jared had been ripped out of subspace so brutally, that he might be struggling in the aftermath?

Was it possible that Rhys wasn’t as much of a monster as he thought he was?

Maybe.

Elizabeth seemed to think so. Was she right? Or was she a monster in her own right, too?

Elizabeth smiled. “He should be just about finished.” She rose from her chair, starting toward the door. “We can see how things went.”

Rhys followed her lead, exhaling in relief.

That had gone better than he could’ve hoped.

Now it only remained to be seen how many people would still be willing to work with him when word of what he’d done to Jared got around.

He was not optimistic.

Chapter 8

Jared

Jared fidgeted while he waited for the door to open again. The shirt and sweatpants that Rhys had given him were too big for him, and after the last couple of weeks of being naked all the time, they felt strange.

He’d decided that sitting on the floor was safer than sitting in a chair, so he was sitting in the corner of the room farthest from the door when it swung open and a tall man stepped through, shutting it behind him. He had sun-darkened skin, dark curly hair, and looked not much older than Jared.

The man’s eyes went directly to Jared, and Jared froze under the weight of the gaze that seemed like it was trying to pierce through him and lay him bare. He swallowed, barely daring to breathe in case he did something wrong.

“Sit,” the man ordered, pointing at the chair nearest to Jared and pulling out the chair opposite it.

Jared scrambled to his feet, wincing as the cuts on his chest pulled with the movement, and all but threw himself into the seat he’d been ordered into. He kept his eyes down on the table as the silence extended, and his heart was galloping in his chest when the man finally spoke.

“I am Sebastian,” the man said. “Look at me.”

Jared’s eyes jumped up to meet Sebastian’s and were caught there.

Sebastian didn’t look angry, which Jared passingly thought might at least be a good sign for him, but there was nothing soft in his expression at all. “I’m going to ask you questions, Jared, and you’re going to answer them without lying to me.”

The command had a heaviness to it that made Jared shiver, but he nodded. “Yes, sir,” he whispered even though it hadn’t been a question.

“What is your name?”

Jared blinked at him in confusion. Sebastian had just said his name, and now was asking for it? He didn’t understand, but he answered anyway. “Jared, sir.”

“Do you know why you’re here?” Sebastian asked.

He licked his lips, not wanting to answer, but Rhys had told him to be truthful, and Sebastian had told him not to lie. “You think I’m working for Dominic Bancroft,” he said. “Or the slaver.”

Sebastian nodded. “Or any other supe. Are you?”

Jared shook his head. “No, sir,” he said quickly.

Sebastian didn’t say anything for a moment before he nodded. “How old are you, Jared?”

“Twenty-three,” Jared said.