Monsterland Mayhem (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

10. Ailsa

10

AILSA

Thus far, the Tea Village is the most normal place I’ve seen in Monsterland. I mean, apart from the fact that we are sitting inside a teacup that’s bigger than Baroness Clarice’s mansion.

I gaze up at the colorful ceiling, noting the way it gathers together at a point… just like the cap of a teacup.

And naturally, we’re all drinking out of teacups, too.

The theme is clear.

Only it’s not at all what it seems.

I pick up the muffin sitting on my plate, my lips twisting to the side. Because it’s not a muffin at all. It just looks like one. But it tastes like spaghetti.

And my tea? Yeah, it’s not tea. It’s something bubbly and a little too sweet for my taste buds.

Beast— Krolic —gave me some water, probably the only “normal” item on the table. They all have varying degrees of strangeness on their own plates.

Well, Master Pillar has nothing. He’s just leaning back in the shadows lurking along the wall behind him, smoking a pipe.

Craze is nursing a cup of something that makes him hiccup every few seconds.

And Krolic… has a plate of dirt. Or what looks like dirt, anyway. He said it’s actually a kind of meat and offered a spoonful for me to try. I declined.

“Hey, handsome,” a female with long red hair murmurs as she approaches Craze. At some point, he changed his skull makeup to reflect a white mask with black around his eyes.

He arches a single brow at her, causing the paint to stretch along his forehead. “Do I look like I’m shopping, darlin’?” he drawls, the Southern twang different from his usual accent. It’s the second time he’s used it, making me wonder what it means.

Craze referred to himself as mercurial earlier. It definitely seems like an accurate adjective.

The slender woman shrugs. “Maybe I’m the one shopping.”

“Hmm,” he hums, setting his cup on the table and leaning toward her. “And what are you looking for?”

My gaze narrows. Craze has said I’m his intended mate all day, and he has the audacity to flirt with this female in front of me?

Rude , I decide.

“A good time,” she purrs at him.

“Define ‘a good time’ for me,” he says, his card deck appearing in his hands. The sight of it sends a chill down my spine. I’ve learned what those cards do. And it’s nothing good.

Master Pillar puffs out a cloud of smoke as he says, “Silence is my idea of a good time.”

“I wasn’t asking you,” Craze murmurs. “I was talking to the lady shopping for some fun.”

Krolic snorts, leaning back to drape his arm along the top of my chair. He’s next to me, leaving me sandwiched between him and Master Pillar.

Which places Craze directly across from me, giving me a perfect view of his flirtatious fun .

The redhead leans into him, her long nails meeting his sternum as her fingers begin walking a path upward while her pouty lips move over words I’m no longer hearing.

Because she’s touching Craze.

Touching him.

Some part of me, one I’ve never met before, springs to life. A part of me that suddenly wants to rip that woman’s hand off and feed it to her.

I blink. What the hell is that?

Why is she still touching him? I think in the next second. He’s not hers to touch.

He’s not mine either, I remind myself, causing some part of me to growl.

All three men look at me.

Oh. Okay. So I made that sound… out loud.

Craze cocks his head, his dark eyes glittering sinfully in the low lighting. “Would you like to know my definition of ‘a good time’?” he asks as he shuffles his card deck.

“Yes, I would,” the redhead tells him. “I really, really would.”

But he doesn’t answer her.

Instead, his gaze is on me, his eyebrow cocking upward again.

He wasn’t asking her about the good time. He was asking me if I wanted to know his definition.

Do I?

No. No, I do not.

Because he isn’t mine.

And my reaction is… ludicrous.

But it’s been a really long day. Week. I don’t even know. It’s just… this is a lot. I’m exhausted. I don’t want to play whatever game he’s dragging me into now.

I nearly say that when the female traces her nail across his jaw, heading straight for his mouth.

His jaw clenches in response, telling me he didn’t appreciate that move at all. However, the woman is oblivious because she tries to touch his lips again.

Craze moves so quickly that I barely understand what’s happened until the woman is cradling her fingerless hand against her chest and screaming.

Krolic shakes his head.

Master Pillar simply puffs on his pipe, the epitome of boredom.

And Craze looks directly at me as he says, “My idea of a good time involves anything that pleases you, gorgeous. As for the things that displease you, well, let’s just say I have no problem handling those items for you.”

He wipes his bladed card on a napkin, cleaning the blood from the edges. Once he’s finished, he discards the napkin in the direction of the furious redhead.

“You’re insane,” she seethes.

“Why are you still here?” he asks her. “I think I made my rejection pretty fucking clear.”

She snarls at him.

He merely arches a brow right back.

“Mad fucking Hatter,” she growls, then stomps off.

“I really hate that nickname,” he mutters, picking up his teacup again.

“And yet, it’s so very accurate,” Krolic drawls.

“Fuck you, K.” Craze finishes his tea and signals for another.

A wisp of enchanted air swirls around the table as his cup is magically refilled.

I don’t fully understand the process or how it works; Krolic ordered for me earlier. But I’m a bit intrigued by it. Particularly as the sensation of magic feels pleasing. Like it makes me happy. Which is strange, as I’ve never actually felt magic before.

However, I’m learning not to be surprised by what happens in Monsterland.

Nothing is what it seems here.

Including these men , I think, sizing the three of them up.

They want me to trust them, and thus far, they’ve given me a few reasons to. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to put all my faith in these three Alphas .

Gods, just thinking of the term stirs a tremble from deep within.

Between everything Craze has said and the few things Krolic mentioned when we first arrived in the village, I’ve gathered that they’re an Alpha-circle. I don’t quite understand what that means, but it seems they fully intend to share me as their Omega mate.

The notion of it makes me shiver. Or maybe that’s the lingering magic.

I… I don’t know.

So I just… eat my spaghetti-muffin.

Krolic whispers something with a wave of his hand, causing a tray of round doughlike items to appear. They all have holes right through the center.

I frown at them, but Craze perks up. “Pizza donuts. Oh, brilliant choice.”

“I thought A might like them,” he says.

A is my nickname here.

Just like K seems to stand for Krolic.

They haven’t explained the reason behind these code names, but I suspect it has to do with the Silver King. Or Crimson King, as Craze and Master Pillar have called him.

“Try one,” Craze says, drawing my attention back to the platter.

I pinch my lips, considering saying no. But I’m still hungry, and the spaghetti muffin isn’t satisfying my rumbling stomach.

Craze nudges the plate toward me with an indulgent look. “Come on, gorgeous. Trust me. You’ll love it.”

“How do you know?” I ask him. “The only foods I’ve mentioned that I like are cherries and pears.”

“Hmm, true,” he concedes. “So tell me how you feel about pizza, then.”

“I…” I’ve tried it a few times, typically cold slices left over from Baroness Clarice’s daughters. “It’s okay.” I prefer spaghetti, as it’s easier to reheat and not nearly as chewy.

However, I pick up a donut to pacify him.

And also, maybe, to satisfy my own curiosity.

Flavor explodes across my tongue as I take a bite, causing me to moan in delight. Because wow, that’s good. I quickly stuff more into my mouth and close my eyes, reveling in the taste of this delicious treat.

All too soon, it’s gone, and I instantly grab another.

Which is when I realize all three men are staring at me again.

Warmth creeps up my neck as I set the donut down in front of me. “Um.” I clear my throat. “These are good.”

They say nothing for a long moment, the tension around the table seeming to grow.

“I can’t decide if I prefer the growl or the moan,” Craze murmurs. “Both certainly have their appeals.”

My cheeks heat even more. “I… I did not mean to growl.” The moan, I can’t really take back. That donut thing is worthy of the moans.

“That’s all right, gorgeous. I didn’t mind your possessive growling. In fact, I rather enjoyed it.”

I narrow my gaze. “It was not a possessive growl. It… it just sort of came out.” And I really don’t want to explain why, so I grasp at the first thing I can think of to slightly alter the subject. “Did you really need to slice her fingers off? You could have just told her to stop touching you.”

Okay, that came out a little possessive again.

Which isn’t what I meant at all.

He’s not mine. None of these men are. Hell, I just met them.

Clearing my throat once more, I attempt to clarify by saying, “I mean?—”

“It was a possessive growl,” he interjects. “And yes, Ailsa, I did need to cut her fingers off. She touched something that belongs to my queen, which is highly fucking disrespectful and won’t be tolerated.”

I blink at him. “I… I have no idea how to respond to that.”

“There’s nothing to say to that,” he tells me. “I’m yours, Ailsa. Anyone who attempts to consider otherwise will meet a similar, if not worse, fate.”

I gape at him. He can’t be serious.

But if I say that aloud, he’ll tell me what he’s said the two or three times I’ve asked that before— not normally . Or something to that effect.

Because this male is insane.

Certifiably mad.

No wonder that redhead called him a mad fucking hatter .

“And besides,” he goes on while waving a flippant hand through the air, “she’s a black-widow shifter. Those fingers will grow back in a matter of hours, faster if she shifts. Honestly, I should have done worse. But I didn’t want to frighten you.”

“He’s right,” Krolic murmurs from beside me. “He should have done worse.”

Master Pillar puffs out a ring of smoke from the shadows, adding, “Yes.”

I have no idea how to respond to any of that.

So instead, I watch the smoke ring float away, then frown as it starts to circle our little table in the Tavern’s corner. Mist glitters around it, falling down to the floor to create a strange translucent barrier, one I reach out to poke with my finger.

Energy hums back in response, sending a jolt down my arm. I yank my hand back and look up to see the mist gathering over our heads as well.

“What…?” I trail off, a shiver traversing my spine. This magic feels hot. Intentional. Protective .

How do I even know that? I wonder, suddenly feeling lightheaded again.

This was all too much for one day.

Too exhausting.

Too overwhelming.

Too chaotic .

“We’re shielded,” Master Pillar says with a sigh. “We can speak freely now. Just be mindful that we can still be seen.”

Craze nods, leaning forward. “What happened with the caves?”