Bad Boy Minotaur

Monster Between the Sheets

Michele Mills

Bad Boy Minotaur

My neighbor is a huge, undeniably powerful Minotaur.

You heard me right—a Minotaur.

With curved horns on either side of his head and a heavy gold ring that pierces both nostrils. He’s often shirtless while he tinkers with his motorcycle, which exposes a sweaty six pack of abs and the intricate tats that sleeve both of his muscular arms.

Tonight, on Halloween, my insufferable neighbor is throwing yet another raging party with lots of rowdy guests, and it’s continuing way past curfew and late into the night. I’m so very tired of this behavior.

That’s it—I’m marching over there!

I arrive in a short robe and fuzzy slippers, ready to let loose with a verbal barrage.

His front door swings open and the Minotaur’s heated, possessive gaze travels from the top of my messy bun, along the length of my curves, to the tips of my painted toenails.

A wide grin spreads across his harsh features.

And he grabs my wrist and pulls me inside.

Then slams the door shut behind me.

**Check out the entire Monster Between the Sheets series!

Go to https://www.authormichelemills.com for more satanic-looking heroes, alien shifters, cyborgs, and tattooed bad boys! If a male looks out-of-the-ordinary, edgy, possibly alien and maybe a little scary—Michele has plans to eventually make that guy the hero of his own book! :)

Copyright © 2022 by Michele Mills

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover artist: Elle Christensen

Editor: Aquila Editing

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Contents

1. Lucy

2. Bruce

3. Lucy

4. Lucy

5. Bruce

6. Lucy

7. Bruce

8. Epilogue

1

Lucy

Dammit.

Blue ear plugs unfortunately don’t work as good as they used to. I know because the noise from next door continues to drive me insane.

What the heck?

The walls of my bedroom vibrate to the thump of frenetic dance music, and I can literally feel the accompanying reverberation in my chest. It’s so loud I can’t get any sleep.

And this has been going on for hours.

I want to scream with rage. Tear down buildings and destroy entire civilizations in my wrath. A catalogue of curse words suspends on the tip of my tongue, ready to explode into a diatribe for the ages. I’m so heated I imagine flames streaming out of my mouth as I demolish human armies like Godzilla on a rampage.

Um, maybe it’s a good thing I live alone so no one has to put up with me right now?

A growl rumbles in my chest and I flip onto my back, both my hands clenching the white sheets. “This. Is. Bullshit!” I shout into the darkness, trying to hear my own words over the loud music.

Who am I kidding? I’m never going to get any sleep with that party raging next door. Three hours of earbuds, decaf tea, reading, snacks, melatonin, aromatherapy, and meditation have only resulted in me wide awake and more pissed off than ever.

I lean over, click on the light, and rub my hands over my face.

I called the sheriff’s office an hour ago to complain and yet nothing changed.

This is all happening because I live next door to Bruce Macedo, the rudest monster in all of Screamer Woods. This is all his fault.

All. His. Fault.

A month ago, I moved to this area and opened a hair salon on Main Street. My friends and family thought I was crazy for coming here to live amongst the monsters, but I thought it was a smart move.

Twenty years ago many of the inhabitants in Screamer Woods were changed from humans into monsters by a rogue scientist named Dr. Boris Karloff. Karloff invited friends over for a Halloween party and put a deadly potion into the punch, not realizing it would cause a permanent change to the residents’ DNA. The people all began transforming immediately into a variety of “monsters” and there’s no way to turn them back into the humans they were before.

It sounds crazy, but it really happened. It was all over the news at the time and people are still fascinated by the incident. I was in elementary school at the time, but I still remember it too. Three different documentaries have been made about what happened. Two class action lawsuits were filed against Dr. Karloff and a few pharmaceutical companies, and even against the United States Army that originally funded his dangerous research. A fictionalized series about “the monsters of Screamer Woods” is set to start on a streaming service next week, because of the upcoming twenty-year anniversary.

It’s been a long time since the “incident,” but all those people who were changed still choose to live in the same town as before mainly because it’s a place where they are understood, treated with respect, and left alone. And, um, no one screams when they walk past.

It’s awful they were tricked into drinking that spiked punch at midnight. No one chooses to be turned into a monster, right? At least I think they don’t. The good news is that all of them are sort of frozen into the age they were when they first drank that freaky punch. They aren’t immortal, but they age slowly and live longer—at least that’s what the scientists who’ve studied them surmise. They’re still the people they were before, just different.

Most of Screamer Woods’ residents weren’t changed by the punch and when they realized many of their neighbors had been turned into a variety of monsters, they immediately moved away. Twenty years ago, those first people reacting to the monsters were scared and worried that the men and women who’d been turned into monsters would lose their minds, wreak havoc and maybe cause harm to their children. But over time none of that happened and people are now moving back to town and the population of Screamer Woods is growing. It’s turning into a place where monsters and humans can live side by side in peace.

I’m here because I want to do my part and show that living amongst the changed citizens of this town is perfectly safe and normal. I mean, it would help if maybe they’d renamed their town something other than Screamer Woods, but I get it. They’re trying to appropriate their negative image and make it their own.

And that generous signing bonus, the zero down payment, one percent interest mortgage and no federal taxes for ten years offered by the government to entice people to move into this redevelopment zone certainly helped in my decision.

So far it’s been a good decision. The salon is off to a good start and I’ve been very busy. My awesome clients (some of whom are monsters) and the other welcoming business owners (who are often monsters) I’ve met in town are wonderful. But I’m regretting my move into this particular housing development because the recent noise pollution is driving me to drink. And I don’t even like wine. I need to talk to my real estate agent and find a different place to live because this is intolerable.

That selfish Minotaur who lives next door is making my life miserable. And this isn’t the first time I’ve been up on a weeknight, trying to sleep through loud music.

I’ve learned from my clients that Bruce Macedo, the local Minotaur and resident bad seed, was once a highly decorated ex-soldier who originally entered the military to avoid a prison sentence of some sort? He returned from his second tour in Iraq, ready to marry his fiancée, but she dumped him after he drank that spiked punch and turned from a normal man into a huge minotaur with a tail, hooves and horns. Apparently, she couldn’t handle the change? Also, their children would’ve been half-minotaur. So she ran from him as fast as her feet would carry her.

I was told he’s been living alone ever since.

Well, except he does seem to have a new live-in girlfriend who I don’t really like. I’ve often seen the two of them together these last few weeks which for some reason irritates me to no end.

I covertly watch him from my car as I park in my own driveway, or sometimes from my kitchen window. I’m a little obsessed with checking him out. He’s endlessly fascinating. The frowning Minotaur opens his garage door on weekends and tinkers with his shiny Harley. Then he takes his bitchin’ motorcycle out for joy rides in the country, and he looks so damn good on his bike, I can’t handle.

He never takes his girlfriend with him, which is weird. If he were mine I’d totally be begging to be on the back of his bike. And maybe even have my own bike?

Bruce is a huge, undeniably handsome male with flared nostrils, a ring piercing his nose, thick thighs, a tail and hooves. He takes off his shirt often while he works and exposes his six-pack of abs and the tats that sleeve both of his muscular arms. And yes, his hair is thick, long, shiny and spectacular. I want to run my fingers through it and possibly give him a deep conditioning mask and maybe trim some of his split ends. I mean, not that he needs my help, his hair is amazing.

He’s notorious in town for his short temper and his take-no-shit attitude. I can see the evidence of this in the way he never smiles and the constant verbal battles in the front yard between him and his girlfriend. I sometimes wonder why they stay together since they fight so much, but hey, it’s none of my business what consenting adults do inside of their own homes.

He doesn’t appear to be a “joiner” though and rarely shows up in town for anything, nor does he invite anyone over. No one can report having been invited over to his home or knowing of anyone else who’s been there. He does what he wants and doesn’t give a fuck about those who stand in his way. Also, no one knows what he does for a living, but he does seem to work from home and lives comfortably.

He’s a mystery.

We’ve never spoken. I doubt he even knows my name. He’s never made eye contact with me or even acknowledged my existence. I waved at him once, but he didn’t even notice I was there, so I stopped trying.

And his girlfriend is a complete bitch who ate the cookies I brought over while simultaneously turning the music up.

They’ve been playing loud music most days and often late into the middle of the night. The rudeness is astounding. Why does he think everyone in the neighborhood wants to hear his music inside their own homes? And I guess he’s not as much of a loner as everyone thinks. Maybe he’s changed now that he’s got that girlfriend because it sounds like tonight he’s invited half the town to squeeze into his house next door.

I pull out my ear plugs and toss them onto the nightstand. The music, laughter, and general noise from next door rises to a crescendo. They’re throwing an early Halloween party, on a Thursday night? I cannot fucking believe.

And I’ve got so much work to do tomorrow; I need to wake up early and hit the ground running. But it’s already one o’clock in the morning. At this rate I’ll be lucky to get just two to three hours of sleep. I’m going to be dragging ass, constantly drinking coffee to keep going. Ugh. If I didn’t have to be anywhere tomorrow morning this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but I’m in charge of setting up the hay bales and pumpkin patch for the local schoolkids arriving for the Main Street October Bash sponsored by the chamber of commerce. It’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of work and I don’t want to let anyone down.

I rub at my eyes and exhale. Then I stare out the window, listening to the thump of music and my anger grows. My feet hit the floor.

Dammit, I really need a good night’s sleep. And I’m tired of his rude behavior. I’ve been over there many times these last few weeks, asking for them to turn the music down. I’m done with this shit and I’m going to march over there this time, knock on his door and put a stop to this. Not that I know how when nothing I’ve said has ever worked before, but I’ve got to try. Action is needed in this situation.

I can’t believe I’m walking over there again, but I am.

My long-sleeved short pink robe goes over my short nightgown and I tie it at my waist. My hair is already in a messy bun. Then I slip into fuzzy grey flip-flop slippers.

I can see through my upstairs window that there’s a lot people out front and I don’t even give a shit that they’ll be seeing me in my pjs. Maybe it will shame them into remembering this is a weeknight, and there are people living nearby who need to work tomorrow morning.

The last time I went over there to ask him to turn the music down his girlfriend answered the door. She sniffed at me and told me to get better taste and deal with it. And then she shut the door in my face.

Hopefully this time I’ll be able to talk to Bruce directly.

It’s a little chilly outside and I rub at my arms as I step down the walkway, pocketing my house keys. Lots of cars are parked outside, crowding our cul-de-sac. The streetlights are on and the music is still thumping. I guess I'm a bit of a grouch because the closer I get, I see my middle-aged human neighbor from across the street in the front yard with beer in hand, talking to a winged monster I’ve never met. A group of other neighbors I recognize stumble inside Bruce’s house, laughing, and they shut the door behind them.

There’s got to be at least a dozen people playing a game of drunken football on the front lawn. Okay, maybe I'm a Grinch and they’re all just wanting to have fun. But, come on people, it's past curfew on a weeknight. Also, they’re trampling the bushes I’ve seen Bruce so carefully trim. I wince as I watch a huge green monster fall right into Bruce’s flower bed, trashing all of his mums.

I can’t believe Bruce is just allowing all of this.

I shrug and keep going, making my way up his driveway and onto his front porch and stop at the door. What am I going to say? I literally don't care if they continue having the party, that’s fine. I don’t want to be the cause of people and monsters not being able to have fun. But can't they turn the music way down? It's literally just the music. It's kind of driving me crazy.

Okay, I'm ready. I'm ready. I can do this.

I take a deep breath and knock on the door. No one answers for quite some time. I keep knocking and ring the doorbell. Maybe they can't hear me over the music and the yelling? I let out a snort of disgust and reach down just to let myself in.

And then the door whips open and there stands Bruce Macedo.

“Oh,” I gasp and swallow against the lump in my throat. I’ve never been this close to him and…he’s glaring at me. He’s fully dressed today in a white t-shirt, black leather jacket and well-worn jeans. He never wears shoes because I assume it’s not necessary because he’s got hooves. His tail snaps the air behind him. I love the glint of his gold nose ring and the shine of his horns. And tonight his hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail and I think I might swoon over how handsome his harsh face looks.

Girlfriend, I try to remind myself. He’s got a girlfriend. And also he’s the one throwing this party, not giving one shit about me being next door.

Handsome but rude. And also taken. Therefore off limits.

That dark intense gaze starts at the top of my messy bun and swoops down my chest and lingers for a moment then continues down my bare legs to my painted pink toenails. I reach down to tighten the robe as his eyes sweep back up and meet mine.

He grins.

A pleasant sensation swoops across my belly.

“What do you want?” he shouts over the thumping music.

“I can't sleep,” I shout back. “Can’t you turn the music down?”

“What?” He points at his ears.

I point downwards. “Music, down.”

And right then we’re both bumped off-kilter by two winged monsters I’ve never met before who shout as they crowd past us. One of them spills his beer all over the tile floor in the entry way and doesn’t miss a beat, just keeps on going as if it never happened.

And that’s when I notice that Bruce’s “mad face” has returned, his jaw tight and his thick lips pressed tight. A heavy snort escapes his nostrils.

I brace a hand against the doorframe and shout. “It’s too loud and it’s way past curfew.”

He nods in agreement, then grabs my wrist and pulls me inside the home and shuts the door behind me.

“What?” I gasp because I never meant to come inside.

Bruce turns and stomps through the crowd in his living room, pulling me along with him, using his wide shoulders to make room for us. Oh my god, I never meant to actually become part of this party. I stumble after him, trying to avoid the crush of bodies, the couples making out, and the detritus strewn on the floor. It’s hot in here and smells like sweat and smoke.

His house is a complete disaster, but I guess he doesn't care?

My slippers crunch on snack food. No one seems to be using a trash can. Cans, bottles and red Solo cups are tossed all over the place. People are vaping so much there’s smoke in the air.

I bump into someone who turns and looks at me right in the face. She instantly recognizes me and gasps with horror when I recognize her too, “Please don’t tell my dad,” she begs.

“Maddy, what are you doing here?” I shout. “You’re only in high school. How did you get in…?”

“Goddamit. I’m calling her an Uber.” Bruce growls from next to me, his thick fingers tapping on his phone.

“Are you drunk?” I question the girl, trying to decide if she needs me to escort her home.

“No, no, I’ve only been here for a little while. I haven’t had a chance to do anything yet,” she pouts. “I came with friends, but I can’t find them now.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “We’ll get you home safe.”

“Your Uber will be here in five minutes,” Bruce growls at the mayor’s teenage daughter. “Go out front right now and get home,” he barks.

She lets out a squeak of terror and makes a beeline straight for the front door.

“That’s fucking it,” the Minotaur shouts.

And then I see we’re right next to a huge speaker on wheels—the epicenter of this entire party. Bruce goes behind and unplugs it from the wall and suddenly the music stops and the room is reasonably quiet.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Everyone pauses their motions and turns toward him.

“Get out!” he roars at the crowd with blazing red eyes and a voice that could grind rocks. “Get the hell out of my house right now. Party’s over.”

There’s a loud grumbling of discontent, but no one dares question the angry Minotaur. People and monsters alike start scrambling for the door.

And that's when Bruce’s indignant girlfriend finally shows up with her arm around some other guy. “Bruce, what are you doing?” she demands. “The party was just getting good.”

The guy she’s with chimes in, “Yeah, what are you doing here?” Then he looks at her with bleary eyes, kisses her cheek and says, “I thought you said he wasn’t going to be home tonight, and we could have this place to ourselves.”

Jeez. I look over at Bruce, waiting for him to go nuclear over the fact that his girlfriend has obviously been cheating on him while he was gone. But he doesn't seem to mind and instead growls, “I told you no more parties.”

“But it's almost Halloween,” she whines. “We had to have one last hurrah. Come on. I didn't think you were coming home tonight. You wouldn't even have known. It would have all been cleaned up by the time you got back.”

He lets out a deep snort, heavy enough to cause the ring in his nose to swing back and forth. Bruce points at some guy in the front room who is right now loudly gagging and throwing up on his fabric couch. “Yeah, like how you cleaned up last time? I met an underage teenager in the crowd. And this is going on past curfew. You know my rules and the consequence.”

She shrugs.

“That's it,” he growls, “you're out.”

“No!” his girlfriend screams, tossing her straight black hair over her shoulder. “You can’t throw me out. I'm calling Grandma on you. I don't care if you're my cousin, you can’t treat me like that. I have a right to live here because I’m family.”

I blink with surprise. Wait. What?

“You have no right to live here. I’m the one who owns this place, not you. You don’t even pay rent. Enough chances. You’ve already had three warnings. You are going to be gone by tomorrow morning or I’m throwing your shit on the lawn and giving it away to Goodwill.”

“You’re an asshole,” she rages. “You know Mom and Travis won’t let me move back in.”

“Move in with your grandma, she needs you right now.”

“Don’t try that guilt bullshit on me.”

“Well”—Bruce points at her boyfriend—“then move out with him.”

“Yeah,” the guy slurs. “I mean, I'm sleeping on my brother's couch right now, but you can sleep there with me too.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’ll go to Grandma's house. But she has so many rules.” Then she notices me for the first time. “Wait, what is she doing here? Are you the reason the cops came earlier?” she screams. “You told on me again, didn't you? Did you call Bruce too? Is that why he’s back early? This is all your fault.” Then she lunges forward, ready to shred me with her bright blue coffin nails.

Bruce sweeps me behind his massive frame and growls at her. “Everything that happened tonight is your own fault and your responsibility,” he booms, loud enough to be heard throughout the house and even in the backyard. “And do not disrespect Lucy, I will not put up with it.”

I can’t help the goofy smile that spreads across my face as I hide behind his wide back, my hands on his hips.

He knows my name?

2

Bruce

“Everyone out and clean your shit up on your way out. Party's over.”

I cannot believe this motherfucking mess. I come home and find half the town trashing my house. I never invite anyone over and suddenly I’ve got half the monsters in Screamer Woods up in my business?

A group of consoling humans and half-monsters surround my cousin, patting her on the back and tossing me looks of outrage.

Whatever. They need to get the hell out of my house too.

“Uh oh,” Lucy murmurs, pointing at a hole burned in my favorite chair.

A deep growl rumbles in my chest. I go and visit my mother who’s recovering from surgery and return to this? What the hell? I meant to stay the night with her, but I needed to make an unexpected meeting with a client on GMT time, so I left after she’d finally fallen asleep. And I’m fucking exhausted, with no sleep and I still have to stay awake and coherent for that appointment at three o’clock in the morning.

Meanwhile, my house has been trashed.

Great.

People wheel out empty kegs and take their bottles of tequila with them on their way out the door. Grocery clerks, someone I recognize from the post office… and the dog groomer are all here? A mix of hulking monsters as well as regular humans. It’s ridiculous. This can’t be explained away as an impromptu drinking party.

How is this even possible?

The only bright spot in this whole fiasco is the gorgeous young woman hiding behind me. She looks like she just rolled out of bed and I can’t stop thinking about her. “Oh,” she gasps from over my shoulder. “Look at the banner. Well, shoot. I saw fliers for this party in town, I just never looked at the address.”

A huge banner proclaiming “Screamer Woods Twentieth Anniversary Bash” is tied up on my living room wall. I reach up and rub my claws against the pressure point next to my forehead, where a tension headache is beginning to form. This isn’t simply a pre-Halloween party, it’s some sort of fucked up celebration of the night a bunch of us were tricked into drinking a punch that changed us forever.

“What the hell, Bruce?” a deep voice shouts. An Orc is charging up to me. He gets close and snarls right in my face. “Dude, why are you always such an asshole? Some of us are happy about the change, even if you aren’t. What happened to you? You used to be fun.”

“That was before I made sergeant,” I remind him. “You thought I was fun back when I used to think illegal was cool. Which was over twenty-five years ago.”

“Stop bragging about the past and turn the damn music back on,” his brother slurs, lifting two massive green fists into my face. “Turn it on right now or we’ll kick your ass.”

The past? It’s true, my time as a human is now the distant past, although I remember it like yesterday. My entire army career, once the center of my life, the source of all my friendships and the anchor of my entire existence, now seems so distant as to have belonged to someone else’s memories. I received an honorable discharge and a decent pension, so there was that, but on the other hand my former platoon and everyone on base as well as the entire army acts as if they’ve never met me, never heard of me and have no idea I exist. Once I became a Minotaur, or a “monster,” I was dead to them.

The female behind me squeaks with terror as the two Orcs crowd in, her tiny hands holding onto my belt.

I curve my tail around her waist. “Fuck off, Jason,” I snarl at the tall, green Orc with two tusks jutting up from his lower lip. I’ve known both him and his brother since high school, and the two of them were always hotheads. The fact that they were changed into Orcs didn’t help matters. “It’s almost two o’clock in the goddamn morning, get the fuck out of my house and go to bed before I beat your ass and his too.” I jab a finger at his drunk brother, who is standing in my way.

I scrape my hooves on the wood floor and snort out my challenge. My chest expands and I bare my teeth. They both know I can kick their asses any day of the week, even if there’s two of them, especially when they’re both drunk. There’s a stare-off between the three of us for a few minutes until they shake their heads and back down.

The Orcs stumble away, ready to walk home through the woods behind my house and back to their cabin.

I look again at that damn banner on the wall.

Why would anyone want to celebrate the day we were changed forever into monsters? Some of them consider their change a good thing, but not me. I’m not ashamed of my Minotaur and I’ve grown to accept my new form. I’ve lived longer as a Minotaur than I ever did as a human male.

But that night I drank the potion I gave up my career, lost my fiancée, and any plans for a future family. In return I earned an additional twenty years of life as a Minotaur, basically without aging, but this time was spent living alone in Screamer Woods and the surrounding vicinity, which will be my home for the rest of my days because none of us can live or travel safely in the larger world.

This isn’t exactly the future I’d envisioned for myself.

Was it a good trade-off? I don’t think so. Sometimes it feels like a gilded cage.

“Let’s go,” I tell my gorgeous young human neighbor. “It’s going to take a while for everyone to leave, meanwhile, I want to ask you some questions.”

She nods and moves with me, leaving behind the chaos in the front rooms.

Normally I’m disinterested in humans in general, only speaking to those in my family or through business dealings, but I’ve been watching Lucy Roberts for the last month and I’m eager to learn more.

Crazy but true.

“I tried calling the cops to stop the party,” she offers from behind me as I lead her down the hall, “But somehow your cousin talked them into leaving her alone.”

“Eh, Emma is actually very charming when she’s not screaming. I can see how it could happen.”

“Hmm. Somehow, I’ve never been gifted with that side of her personality,” she quips.

I grin because I’m enjoying her sense of humor. I fish a key from my pocket, unlock the door to the primary bedroom and guide her inside. Then I shut the door behind us and lock it again just to make sure we’re not disturbed.

Lucy crooks an eyebrow and meets my gaze. “You have to lock your bedroom door each time you leave?”

“Yup, that's how bad it’s gotten.”

She exhales and looks around. “I’m sorry if I made things worse between you two. I just wanted the music to end so I could get some sleep. I’ve got a big day ahead of me tomorrow, or really today, and I haven’t gotten any sleep yet.”

I fully understand what she’s trying to say because I’m in the same situation.

I’m having trouble keeping my eyes on her face as she speaks. I’ve never seen my neighbor half-dressed like this. She often wears fitted black clothing from head to toe and high-heeled black boots. This contrasts nicely with her long, thick blonde hair and blue eyes. I’ve often imagined her seated on the back of my bike. I need to get her a helmet. “How could you have made things worse?” I question. “None of this is your fault. This has been a long time coming.”

“Yeah, I kept going over to your house, asking if you could turn the music down and she always answered the door.”

My lips form a thin line. “I apologize for the inconvenience to you…wait, you thought the loud music was my idea?”

“Uh huh. I’ve thought this whole time that it was you, or at the very least you were condoning the parties and the noise. I thought it was strange considering you’re known as such a loner, but…”

I rake my fingers through my hair. “I should’ve been monitoring this better. But I was going back and forth between Screamer Woods and Central City, where my mother lives. She’s been recovering from surgery and refuses to move in with anyone else for help, so I’ve taken turns with my sister, going over there and caring for her.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry that happened. That’s a lot to take on.”

“Yeah, and Emma took advantage of my distraction.” I open the mini fridge, pull out a water bottle for each of us and loosen the top for her and hand it over. “I want you to stay here with me while we wait for everyone to leave then I'll take you back to your house so you can finally get some sleep.”

“Okay, that sounds fine. And thank you for the water,” she answers and delicately sits on the foot of my unmade bed.

And then I open my own bottle and take a deep drink.

She takes a sip of water and then sets hers down in her lap.

There’s something very pleasant about the way she smells and the sound of her voice. She doesn’t appear frightened of me or even in awe of my Minotaur attributes. I haven’t caught her staring at the hooves, or the horns. This is unusual amongst humans. “My name is Bruce Macedo,” I grunt.

“I know. And I'm Lucy Roberts.”

“I know.” I glance down at the grooves in the wood floor from the constant abuse of my hooves. My tail flicks as I continue to stare at the human I’ve invited into my room. I haven’t been alone like this with a female in twenty years. I haven’t had sex with anyone as a monster and suddenly I begin to think it’s a possibility.

She looks up at me with wide blue eyes and gives a rueful smile. “I thought Emma was your girlfriend. I didn’t know she was your cousin.”

A chuckle escapes my lips. “Ah, that's why you've been avoiding me?”

Her cheeks pinken. “I…I wasn’t…”

A wet snort escapes my nostrils.

She rolls her eyes. “Okay maybe, but also, you’re intimidating with that permanent frown on your face and no one in town seems to know you or talk to you. They say you’ve got a bad temper and when you were human you were a rabble-rouser.”

The bed dips as I sit next to her. “A rabble-rouser?” I chuckle. “That’s a nice way of explaining away the juvenile detention and my time in county lockup for assault. It’s best you know that up front about me…” A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. “Now that you know I’m single.”

She swallows hard and I can scent her arousal in the air.

Good.

I lick my thick lips and continue, “I spent very little time in jail because I took a deal to join the army and they straightened me out. Taught me how to use my powers for good. I was a soldier and that was my career and then, I turned into this. I’m still the man I was before the change, but twenty years older, so more mature. But there’s the added element of the Minotaur inside of me. I’m a loner by nature. I like to hide in this house. I take what I want and talk very little. The Minotaur makes me do more of what comes naturally.”

She takes a sip of water. “You’re talking to me.”

I do a slow blink, realizing she’s right. I normally only talk to my family or clients. Heh. “I usually work from home, in my office. As you know this floorplan has three bedrooms, so there’s my room, an office and a guest room. This is why I allowed Emma to live here with me on a trial basis, as a favor to my family. They thought that having her far away from the big city, in an isolated location would calm her wild ways. They were wrong.”

She grins. “Very. Wrong.”

“I live alone. I work alone. I rarely go into town,” I continue, wanting Lucy Roberts to know more about me. “I like to tinker with my motorcycle that I’ve adapted to accommodate my new size and my hooves and I go for drives in the countryside. And I like it this way.”

I’ve been gazing with curiosity at the young woman who moved in next door four weeks ago. The day I first watched her strutting to her car in her platform black boots with silver buckles, her black leather pants and black turtleneck, along with that fall of blond hair… I nearly placed a claw on my chest and fell over in shock. She is clearly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in real life.

But I never talk to or greet anyone, so I coveted her from afar. And then she shows up on my doorstep tonight, in a short robe, with her hair up. Looking so damn fuckable and clearly enraged at the noisy party she thought I was throwing. Half my anger toward Emma is that she caused Lucy to become upset. For some reason I feel very protective of her.

I glance down at her full lips, imagining my tongue in her mouth. My hips between her thighs.

“I’m a hair stylist,” she offers. “And I live alone too.”

I meet her gaze. “You’re living here because of the incentives?”

“Yes, I moved to Screamer Woods to open a business and to be able to own my own home. I don’t have much family so there were no ties.”

“No husband, boyfriend, kids?”

She twists the end of her sash in her fingers. “No, none of that. This opportunity came up at the exact right time in my life. I was looking to make a big move and start over. And this location was in need of a salon. There’s lots of humans as well as monsters here who are happy to not have to drive to the next town to get their hair done. It’s only me right now, but I’m hoping to soon get another stylist or two in the shop with me. And maybe someone to do nails. That would be perfect. I had enough startup money to purchase all the supplies I needed. There was an old hair salon that I moved into, that had been abandoned after the change. So at least I had a location that was already set up. It just needed cleaning and updating.”

“Sounds like a smart move,” I say, with all honesty.

“Thanks.” She glances at the door. “It sounds quiet out there now.” And then she tries to cover a yawn.

And suddenly I remember the fact that she needs her sleep and I’ve got an appointment to keep. Plus, all these fuckers to get out of my house. “You need to get to sleep. Let’s get you home.”

“Okay.” She yawns again.

I stand and walk over to the door that leads from my room to the private backyard patio. “No one is out here,” I tell her. “Let’s go.”

She stands up, her brow furrowing. “Don’t we need to go out the front door so I can go home?”

“No, there’s another way for you to get home.”

“There is?”

“I’ll show you.” I open the glass door which exits into its own secluded patio.

We both step outside into the dark because I don’t bother turning on the lights, not wanting to alert anyone remaining in the backyard to our movements. Keeping my time with her private is important.

“Ooh, nice,” she says. “I don’t have a patio like this off my bedroom at my house. I have a door leading outside too, but I don’t even have a backyard yet, just dirt.”

“I’ve been here a lot longer than you. Mine was the first house built in the neighborhood and yours the last.

We share a wall with a side fence. There's a hidden gate between our two fences.”

“Is this new? How have I never seen this?”

“No, this was here when I moved in. I think the builders forgot about it when they finally got around to building your home because it’s covered on both sides with vines. But as you can see, I keep it locked. My cousin doesn’t know about it because she's never in my room.”

“Why would this gate be here?”

“I don’t know, but I suspect it was because there was an empty lot next door and for a long time it was used as a parking ground for construction equipment and then forgotten about. I almost had it fixed so that it was just a regular fence, but I keep putting it off…”

“Why?”

I give her a wink. “Maybe I'd hoped there'd be a use for it someday. Like now.”

Her cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink. “Oh.”

“Again, I'm sorry about everything.” Why am I flirting with this young woman who probably thinks I’m an old man? She’s simply being nice to an old monster. I need to get over it and remember I’m not the man I used to be. The one who used to have his pick of single women while on leave at the local bar. My life is now completely different.

I guide her through the gate, enjoying the labyrinthine movements we’ve made in the last hour from the front door, the hall, my room, the porch and now through the back gate. The truth is my Minotaur likes the idea of a secret escape route, that’s why I’ve kept that damn gate all this time, even when the empty lot was filled with a house and a neighbor moved in next door. It’s wrong of me and I’m just lucky she hasn’t called me on it.

I glance up at the moon, which will be full exactly on Halloween night. She smells so very good. I inhale her luscious scent and reach out to brush a stray hair over her ear. “Sleep well.”

She gazes up at me with wide blue eyes and a flirty grin, as if she could actually date a monster like me, which I know is impossible.

“Good night,” she breathes. “And thank you for your help.”

And then I lose her touch and I feel strangely bereft.

3

Lucy

Last night I was in the Minotaur’s bedroom.

My grip on the steering wheel tightens as I drive home. And I bite the inside of my cheek because I’m basically a sleepy-eyed mess who needs to stay awake to avoid a collision. Yet another goofy smile spreads across my face because Bruce is all I can think of, even though I need to remain focused on the road.

In. His. Bedroom. And it was reasonably clean, except for the fact that his bed was unmade. And all I could imagine was him, naked with me in those soft sheets. My bare feet touching his hooves and grabbing his tail while he sinks inside of me. I have some sort of incessant need to see and touch his dick.

Am I horny or what?

Also, I just feel comfortable around him. He pulled me into his house and then into his bedroom and I went where he led without a peep of protest.

We said our goodbyes, but there was no talk of seeing each other again or anything. It's not like he asked me out on a date, but I don't know, it just seems like he was gazing at me with dark lust, or am I losing my mind? In his room I caught him staring at my chest and my ass. And then at the end, as he led me to my back door, he tenderly reached out and brushed my hair over my ear.

It was very swoon-worthy.

And why did he want to be alone with me and speak in private? He could’ve simply talked with me in the living room then let me leave out the front door like everyone else. Instead, he pulled me into his bedroom, gave me a water bottle and chatted with me.

Maybe flirted with me?

And I cannot fucking believe there’s a secret gate between our two homes with direct access into each other’s primary bedrooms.

A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. I should be mad at this invasion of privacy and security but, instead my heart does this little pitter-patter at the thought of being able to easily text him for some booty call.

Ugh. Maybe I'm making more of this connection between us than it actually is? Maybe all Minotaurs are friendly?

A snort escapes my lips. No, they're not friendly. Who am I kidding? They're not friendly. Especially not this one. Minotaur hunt down and eat people within a dangerous labyrinth. This means Bruce’s essential nature is to live alone and chase and kill people who are dropped within the boundaries of his lair.

Oops. Maybe I should be worried about being alone with him? Nah, he’s also Bruce Macedo, decorated soldier. After spending time with him, I could see that side of him shining through. And I think his Minotaur likes me too.

My clients at the salon claim that Bruce Macedo has never dated anyone in Screamer Woods. Apparently, he's been single for the last twenty years. That sounds impossible because he’s so handsome and potent. And what a waste of virile male. But maybe he’s just that hurt? I mean, he must’ve loved his former fiancée if he’d planned on marrying her. And she told the world that she couldn't handle the idea of giving birth to his half-monster kids. She publicly broke up with him when she found out there was no way he’d ever revert back to his former self and that he was going to be a Minotaur forever.

A furious debate ensued in the media and throughout the world about whether she was right or wrong in this decision. Lots of people sided with her, saying they couldn’t do it either—a partner changing into a monster was a deal breaker and a very valid reason for a breakup. While others thought she should’ve stuck by him. So you know, I could see how that would hurt him, especially since it was so public. Why put yourself through that pain again?

Maybe he thought all women would feel that way about him, that he wasn’t husband or boyfriend material because they wouldn’t want to take the chance they’d accidentally get pregnant with his monster-baby.

Heartbreaking.

I blink, trying to keep my eyes wide open. The dark road in front of me is extra creepy tonight, so I turn up the music, trying to keep awake.

What a fucking long day. Two different monsters who only come out at night needed color and cuts after sunset so now it’s after eight o’clock and I’m dead dog tired.

I did everything I set out to do though, and on only maybe two hours sleep, which was enough for me to walk and talk. I threw on a witch hat to go along with my black clothes and I was there for the kids with a genuine smile and had a great time. I’ve met quite a few children now who are half monster and even some half-monster teenagers, because this did happen twenty years ago. Monsters have found human wives or husbands. I mean just a few. I wonder if Bruce even wants to have kids…

I finally turn my little EV into my neighborhood and exhale, grateful to be close to home. Why am I thinking like this, of dating and family in connection with Bruce? This man is just my neighbor, I did not move here to find a husband; I moved here to start a job.

Speaking of jobs: the October bash on Main Street ended up being great for my business. I opened my store after I got the pumpkin patch out of the way and got a lot of foot traffic and a few more clients. People seemed pleased to realize there’s now a fully functioning hair salon again in Screamer Woods. So that worked out well.

Once in the driveway I click on the garage opener and take a peek at his house. The lights are on, so I know he’s home. Hopefully everything is back in order and his cousin moved out with little fuss.

Bruce wasn't in town today for the bash. But I mean of course he wasn’t, I've never seen him there. It's not like because we bonded last night he would suddenly show up. Maybe he didn't even know the bash was happening? I said I'd be busy, but he didn't know with what and it's not like we exchanged phone numbers.

Do I want his phone number?

What is wrong with me? This is crazy. I need to get a life.

Bruce wasn’t in town today, but he was certainly the topic of conversation. Everyone was talking about the wild party at “the Minotaur’s house.” People and monsters alike were either resentful because they thought he'd started a crazy party that got out of hand and he was irresponsible, or they were angry he shut down the party down too soon. Basically, either way he couldn’t win.

I found myself standing up for him, so much that someone finally questioned, “Lucy, are you the Minotaur’s girlfriend?”

And then everyone stared at me, and I was blushing and embarrassed. “No, no of course not. Bruce and I are just neighbors.”

I shut up after that.

Because I'm not Bruce Macedo’s girlfriend. I'm nothing to him nor will I ever be. Maybe we could be friends? I mean, he was sending me some hot glances but maybe I was misinterpreting the normal look in a Minotaur’s eye?

And why was I blushing when that guy asked if Bruce was my boyfriend? I'm such a nerd. I should have just boldly answered, “No, but I'm his friend.” I hate how I always think of the right thing to say afterwards and not at the time when I really need the perfect comeback.

The garage door rolls down behind me after I park the car. Damn I'm hungry. And tired. I just want to shower, eat and pass out in that order.

I drag myself inside the house and start flicking on lights.

And then the doorbell rings.

Oh damn. Who is that? I toss my purse onto the kitchen table and shuffle over and look through the peep hole and my jaw drops open. Then my heartrate kicks up.

It's Bruce Macedo.

The Minotaur is back.

He knocks again with those heavy knuckles.

I open the door and stare up at him. “Hi. How are you?” I question, trying to keep my voice even and my eyes on his striking features and not on the wide shoulders or the size of that package behind the crotch of his perfectly worn jeans.

He nods his regal head, his horns glinting in the porchlight and looks away, then looks back at me again. His hooves stamp on the cement of my porch step and his tail flicks behind him.

Is he nervous? What would this huge, imposing male have to be nervous about? And now I'm worried about him. “Are you okay?”

His lips twist.

“Do you want to come inside and talk?”

“Yes.” He nods. “That would be acceptable.”

And now Bruce is inside of my house.

I try my best to stifle a nervous giggle as I shut the door behind him. I never thought that this would happen in my life. Okay, maybe I dreamed it a little bit as I covertly watched him this last month, but those were silly fantasies. I’m not a monster groupie. I didn’t move here to try and get a monster husband. I know there are women like that out there but that's not me. I’ve been around lots of other monsters this last month and none of them cause that space between my thighs to heat up like it does when Bruce is near. And I'm sure that's why I got picked for this government resettlement program. They did a psych eval on me before I was chosen and given the bonus. Maybe that's why Bruce feels comfortable around me. He knows I’ve been vetted as someone who can live normally amongst monsters.

“Is your mother okay?” I question, thinking this might be the problem. “Is she recovering nicely at home?”

He nods absently but doesn’t respond.

Okay…

The Minotaur quietly glances around the front room and then looks me up and down. My cheeks heat at his perusal and I suddenly wish I didn’t look like I’ve been down ten miles of bad road. “I just got back from work,” I try to explain. “Remember, I'm a hairstylist. I helped organize the October bash on Main Street for the schoolkids from the elementary and preschool and for the senior citizens too from the nursing home. That's why I needed to be there early. I ended up staying late because a couple of clients really needed me to fit them in late. But yeah, it's been a long-ass day.”

“You look tired,” he comments.

“It's been a long-ass day,” I repeat.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

“No,” I answer, thinking longingly of the Lean Cuisine I was about to heat up and the bag of potato chips I’d probably scarf down too, as if those two cancel each other out.

“I'll cook dinner for you,” he proposes and slides off his black leather jacket and tosses it onto the back of a chair. And now I’m gazing hungrily at a white t-shirt that perfectly highlights this man’s amazing torso and those tats that sleeve both his muscular arms.

“What?” I blink up at him and meet his hazel-eyed gaze. “You can cook?”

He lets out a heavy Minotaur snort, causing that gold ring in his nose to sway. “Of course I can cook. When I was human, I was known for my cooking and now that I'm changed I mainly cook for myself and sometimes for my family at holidays.”

My brow furrows. “You want to cook for me?”

“Yes. I haven’t eaten yet either. I can cook dinner for the both of us.”

Well, that made sense but… “You don’t have to do that. I can find something to eat.”

“I want to.”

I blow out a breath. “What do you like to eat?” I question. “I mean, what does your Minotaur like to eat?”

“I eat more meat than I used to eat before the change. Why, are you vegetarian?”

“No, no, I wish I was a vegetarian. I'd feel less guilt about my food choices.”

“What are your likes and dislikes?”

Uh oh, this is when he’s going to learn I’m a picky bitch when it comes to food. “Well, I hate seafood,” I warn. “I can't even stand the smell of seafood. I can have tuna with a lot of mayonnaise and that's about it. I don't even like salmon. And I like my food spicy. Basically, I can eat lean beef, chicken, pork and turkey, but no other meat.”

“Perfect,” he answers. “Then I can easily cook for you. We have the same tastes.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I'm going back to my house to gather ingredients and bring them here to cook in your kitchen, unless… Do you have anything in your refrigerator you want me to cook instead?”

“No,” I admit. “I was about to nuke a Lean Cuisine. That was the extent of it. You haven't eaten dinner either?”

“No, I was distracted.”

“Distracted?” I look at him, not understanding what he's talking about, but whatever. And then a huge yawn cracks my jaw open. Embarrassing.

“I’ll get dinner together. Meanwhile…” He puts his huge hands on my shoulders and turns me around and pushes me forward toward my bedroom because my house is the exact same floor plan as his. “You go and take a shower, change into comfortable pajamas and come back out here and I will feed you.”

“Oh okay, if you insist,” I chuckle. “That sounds lovely. Are you sure? Remember, you don't have to do any of this. I can feed myself.”

“And I already told you I want to do this for you.”

I turn to face him. “Because we’re friends?”

An expression I can’t decipher flickers across his face and then it’s gone. “Yes,” he answers with an impossibly deep voice. “Because we're friends.”

I can’t help the huge smile on my lips. “Okay,” I respond as brightly as I can, considering I could sleep while standing up. “This is great. We're friends now. Friends.” I place a hand on the warm skin of his forearm for a moment, right on those amazing tats, because apparently, I can’t stop myself from touching him. “I'll do this for you someday. Well, I'll have to be something else because I really can't cook. Believe me, no one wants me preparing food. But I can cut your hair for free.” I reach up and touch his thick auburn hair too, which he’s left loose around his shoulders tonight because I cannot keep my fingers away. It’s a sickness. “Maybe I can come to your house and give you a deep condition and cut the split ends. I mean, not that you need it because your hair looks fabulous, but I can do that for you.”

He steps closer, his hooves tamping across the wood floor. “Yes. That sounds like a fair trade.”

Damn, he smells so good. Like vanilla, clove and sandalwood.

I smile, turn around and float into my bedroom. And shut the door behind me.

4

Lucy

Twenty minutes later I’m getting a second wind.

A certain Minotaur is in my vicinity and we're going to have dinner together as friends, therefore a hit of adrenaline enters my bloodstream. I'm still yawning but not as bad.

The hot shower feels terrific. And the minty taste in my mouth after brushing my teeth helps matters greatly. I consider dressing in real clothes with full makeup and everything, then quickly reject the idea. Last night he saw me with the messy bun and no make-up and still wants to hang out with me. He's seen it all before and he said he wants me to dress in pajamas so I will do as ordered.

I brush my long, wet hair with a wide-tooth comb, putting in some curl cream to let it air dry down my back. Then I slip on my favorite comfy underwear, sleep bra, and similar pajamas to what I wore yesterday.

As I walk down the hall, my neighbor stomps around in the kitchen. I love the distinctive sound of his hooves tapping on the wood floor. A wonderful scent hits my lungs and my stomach growls. “Something smells really great,” I offer as I turn the corner to see what Bruce has been cooking.

And my eyes water and I place a palm over my poor heart.

On the dining table I normally never use for anything other than purse and mail sorting, are two plates of homemade hot food, drinks and dear god, is that a lit candle?

“Shepherd's pie,” the Minotaur announces with a gruff voice, pulling out a chair for me. “I had leftover pot roast with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. I put this together right now in a casserole to heat up and melted cheese on top. And there's a salad,” he points out.

I skip over and sit down, eager to use real utensils and cloth napkins. “Wow I can get used to this,” I blurt out. Because I so, so can.

Bruce sits at my elbow, nods and pours us each a glass of white wine. He murmurs something under his breath. Did he just say he could get used to this too?

No, no, I'm imagining things. That's crazy. We're just friends. Friends.

I take a bite of the food and groan with pleasure. “This is amazing. Like we’re at a restaurant. You’re a really good cook.”

He lets out a pleased grunt and then digs into his own food. I pause and watch in wonder at how he’s able to use his thick fingers to delicately pick up a fork and eat in a reasonably civilized manner. He even sips the wine glass with little difficulty.

“Am I your only human friend?” I question because now I'm drinking a glass of wine, which is surprisingly good. Maybe I’m starting to like wine. And my tongue is loosening.

“Well, I have a lot of clients who are humans.”

“Clients? You have clients? Okay, mister,” I say, leaning forward wagging a finger at him. “Spill it. No one knows what you do for a living. And I swear whatever you tell me will be in the vault.” Then I make a motion with my hand, pretending like I'm using a key to lock my lips closed and tossing it over my shoulder. “The vault,” I repeat.

A chuckle rumbles in his throat. He takes another sip of wine then finally answers, “I'm a financial advisor.”

“Really?” I say with obvious surprise.

“After the change I knew I needed to do something different. I still get a pension from the army, but I needed a new career. And finance and business always interested me, so I went back to school and got a degree from an online university. Turns out I'm good at this. I've written books on finance, which I narrate on audio. I have a Substack on finance and of course I have clients who trust me with their money. I've made wise choices with my own money. I own my house outright, no mortgage, and I have a lot of rental houses in the nearby town and even here in this neighborhood.”

“Wait, are you a millionaire? You're rich, aren't you?”

He shrugs. “I’m comfortable.”

“Comfortable,” I snort. “That’s rich people code for ‘yes, I’m rich.’ Wow. No one knows about your business?”

“No one knows,” he agrees. “I want it to stay that way. I use an assumed name and they never see my face. I do all my work online. They think I'm very private and have no idea that their financial advisor is in fact a Minotaur from Screamer Woods.”

“I love that,” I gush. “You should be proud of what you’ve built.”

He grunts in response. “I still don’t want to see other people that much though, despite my business.

I travel to visit my mom or sister at night and often leave early in the morning, to avoid other people as much as possible.”

I take another bite of food, swallow and ask, “How old are you?”

“I’m technically fifty years old, but I was frozen at thirty years old.”

“Wow, you’re as old as my dad.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

“You look young.”

“Thanks. I feel young too,” he says with a heated gaze. “How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-seven.”

“Heh.”

I start to scoop another mouthful of food, and then I pause look at him very intently. “Everything you’ve told me, it’s in the vault,” I repeat and do the locking my lips and throwing the key over my shoulder motion once again.

“I know. I would never have told you otherwise.”

Warmth spreads across my chest.

We both quietly finish eating and I can tell the full stomach is making me sleepy again.

Bruce picks up the plates and takes them to the sink and turns on the faucet. “Sit still and rest, I’ll clean up and take care of the dishes.”

He’s a god among men.

“Thank you. Oh my god I'm so full.” It’s all hitting me hard now. “I think I'm fading fast. I may have to go to bed,” I hint, feeling a little guilty that he was here to make us dinner but now I’m about to kick him out. I sit at the table with my arms crossed on the table and my head down, blinking to stay awake and loving the sound of him nearby. I haven’t been getting all that much sleep lately and apparently my body is hitting a wall.

He finishes and the dishwasher starts. I sit up as he walks over and stands nearby. And that's when he drops the bomb. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” he questions.

I gaze up at him with my mouth wide open.

“I meant, can I sleep in the same bed as you tonight?”

I continue to stare at him in shock, not knowing what to say. “Uh…uh.”

He rakes his hand through his luxurious hair. “After you left last night and after I finished an appointment with a client, I went to bed but I couldn’t get to sleep. I’ve been trying to nap all day, but I've been tossing and turning. I got up and tried to eat, tried to work more and sleep again, to no avail. And finally, finally I found this,” he says and pulls the sash from my robe out of his pocket, which I must’ve dropped last night before I left his bedroom. He bunches it in his fist and places it against his nose and inhales and then lets out of sigh of relief. Oh wow. And then he tags me with that charged hazel gaze. “Do you understand now?”

“No… Do you like my perfume?”

“It's not your perfume. It's your pheromones. I like your essential smell. My mind has latched onto your scent. I'm here because I want to ask if I can sleep next to you in your bed tonight because then, if your scent enters my lungs, I can finally sleep. If I go home and try to sleep without you it could take days to finally pass out and sleep. I've never encountered this before.”

“You've never latched on to someone else’s scent like this before, not once, during these last twenty years?”

“No, never.”

I can't help but wonder if he felt like this, about his ex-fiancée. But I feel I have no right to ask. Also therein lies madness. Maybe I don't want to hear the answer?

“Nothing will happen between us,” he says. “Just sleep.”

And why am I suddenly disappointed? Isn't this what I’d want to hear? That nothing will happen?

“You’d be letting me lie next to you strictly so that I can sleep, with your help.”

“Because we're friends?”

“Yes. Friends.”

“Friends where you are latched on to my scent?”

“Yes,” he sighs. “Do you find this acceptable? Can I go into your bedroom with you and sleep next to you on your bed?”

“Yes. Yes, of course you can.”

“Thank you,” he says, his voice heavy with relief.

This big Minotaur has been worried about my response the whole time he’s been at my house, which is sweet. I can imagine him trying to sleep and picking up my sash and smelling it and then realizing what the problem was and worrying I’d reject him.

“You know you didn’t have to cook me dinner to get me to say yes to you sleeping in my bed. I’m pretty much a cheap date, so you don’t have to worry about that in the future,” I say with my best cheeky grin.

“I’ll remember that,” he rumbles.

“The only reason I've been able to remain calm and wait for you to return is because I found your sash. Can I continue to keep it?”

“Yeah, sure, we're friends,” I shrug and let out another yawn. “Can we go to bed right now?”

“Of course, female, I can barely remain awake too,” he says as he goes around, turning off lights.

And that’s when I remember the poor guy didn’t even get the two hours of sleep that I got. He’s got to be more tired than me. And yet he made dinner for us. And now I feel like a whiny bitch. Darn it.

Next thing I know all the lights are off and he sweeps me off my feet and carries me to the bedroom. I’m so tired all I do is I rest my head against his white t-shirt, loving the warmth and the hard muscles. And the corded neck. Would it be rude for me to lick his skin?

He kicks my bedroom door open and enters.

“I like your room,” he comments. Then he places me down on my side of the bed and walks around to the other side and tests out the mattress. “Your bed is softer than mine. It's not as big as mine either.”

“Are we going to fit? Should we go to your home instead?”

He thinks about it. “Maybe next time we can try my bed. It’s bigger.”

I try my best to tamp down my excitement. “There's going to be a next time?”

He looks over at me. “Yes. I’m going to need your scent in my lungs every night for the foreseeable future. Can you handle that?”

“Yeah, yeah of course I can.”

Then he stands next to the bed, and I watch as he reaches back and pulls his white shirt off over his horned head and he’s suddenly bare chested and I’m short of breath.

I undo my robe, kick off my slippers and slide underneath the sheets.

He takes off the jeans and he’s in black boxer shorts that barely stay up at his hips. I try not to stare again because I figure it would be rude, but I glimpse thick hairy thighs that look human but morph at the knee into calves that appear more beast than man, ending in heavy brown hooves. He stands with his hands on his hips, obviously having caught me examining his epic nakedness. “Go ahead and look your fill,” he grouses.

“I love your tats.”

“Just the tats?”

“Well,” I gesture at his six pack abs, “and your chest isn’t so bad either. And I can fangirl all day over your long hair.”

He crooks an eyebrow. “I’m not going to change. I’m going to be like this the rest of my life. I’ll always have the hooves, the tail and the horns.” He reaches up and flicks the ring in his wide nose. “This won’t go away either.”

“I know.”

He gives a curt nod.

Then the bed dips as he folds that huge body gently onto the mattress. Those hooves go under the sheets, and he tilts towards me, then pulls me into his arms, buries his nose in my hair and goes to town sniffing at me.

I giggle because I cannot believe I'm in bed with this man I’ve been admiring for so long. He smells so good. Maybe he's got something there about the scent.

“You smell so good,” I tell him. “I think I like your scent too. Are you wearing cologne?

“No. None. I took a shower before I came over.”

“Huh.” And then I settle onto my side, my head on my pillow, with Bruce spooned behind me and his arm over my waist. It’s lovely.

“Sleep, female.”

And then next thing I know my eyes close and I'm probably having the best sleep of my life.

5

Bruce

The next morning I awake with Lucy in my arms.

Her scent fills my lungs and I rest in peace with my...

Then I glance at the clock on her nightstand and see that we’ve been asleep for over nine hours. A smile of contentment creeps across my face. After all that agitation yesterday, where I couldn’t fucking fall asleep no matter how hard I tried, this night of good sleep is a welcome gift.

I slept better with her than I can remember and it might be the best sleep of my life—including my time spent as a human. Also including my time with my former fiancée.

Lucy easily slid into this too-small bed with me with zero fear, as if I were a normal human man. She saw all of me, including exactly how my legs curve into hooves and wasn’t turned off. I could scent her arousal as I held her in my arms and yet somehow, I managed to not bury my tongue in her mouth or in the slit between her thighs. The Minotaur wants her with an urgent primal need, but I kept my hands to myself, just as promised. She allowed me to instead bury my nose in the waves of her long blonde hair. And we were soon asleep.

She’s so very beautiful. Her ass is utter perfection, and I can’t wait to have her heavy breasts in my hands. I’ve always been an ass and tits man, changing into a Minotaur didn’t alter this focus.

I lie in bed and listen to her steady breaths. The strands of her blond hair are all over my arms. We’re entangled, with her hand in my boxer shorts very, very close to my morning wood. Her pajamas have ridden up and I can see the curve of her hip and most of her luscious ass. I want nothing more than to lift her leg, move aside that fabric and slide my hard shaft into her welcoming heat.

And that’s when I envision her swollen with my child.

Oh hell.

I move my hips to gently dislodge her hand from my crotch area. Then I leap out of bed as fast as I can without waking her, grab my clothes and quietly exit the room.

Because if I stay I will breed her.

She let me sleep in her bed, but this does not mean she also wants my offspring. I promised to not touch her, and I plan on keeping that promise.

Once in the kitchen I put on my shirt and jeans, then grab my jacket which is still in the living room. I pause to leave a note for her on the kitchen table because I'm grateful she allowed me to sleep next to her last night. And I give her my cell phone number. Very few people, or monsters, have my private phone number.

The back door would be the best way to exit but I don’t want to wake her by reentering the bedroom so I go out the front. Her sash is still in my pocket, giving me that reminder of her scent. If we’re not together during the day, I will at least have this piece of her nearby. My bit of sanity.

Sunrise peeks over the treetops as I step outside, and I take a moment to enjoy the magic of a quiet morning. The dense woods behind my house and the adjoining farmer’s field catch my attention. This year, for the first time ever, farmer Macomb decided to try something new and set up a corn maze for harvest time to gain extra money. It's done very well for him. And it's been reasonably quiet back there despite the crowds. I haven't heard much.

Corn stalks rise over the fence line because the back corner of that damn maze is so close to our cul-de-sac. I could easily walk through the path between my house and my other neighbor, into the woods and plunge into the back end of the maze.

The entrance is far away, but there's something about the labyrinth of corn stalks. I’ve been watching, listening, scenting and wondering about the layout since the moment it was built.

And today, instead of going back into my own home I take the path between houses and step into the cool woods. That deep, deep feeling I’ve long kept hidden, that need to hunt, comes forth. I lick my lips and dig in my hooves, like I want nothing more than to go in there and follow every curve as if it's my home.

I look back toward the roofline and fence of my home and shake my head.

Tomorrow is Halloween. This must be what’s setting me on edge.

I force myself out of the woods and back into my home. Enough of this nonsense where I obsess over this damn maze. Lucy is still in her bed and hasn’t left her home yet. I need to know that she is okay. I must keep an eye on her.

I enter my home, doing my best to ignore the fucking mess. Then I first strip off my clothes and take a long, hot shower. I can’t stop imagining Lucy’s long legs around my waist. What if I had her here, in the shower with me? I give my thick shaft rough, mean strokes, snorting out my fantasy where I come inside of her welcoming heat and fill her with my seed. I shout out my release, watching my come spray on the shower wall. I brace a palm against the tile, taking deep breaths. It’s not as satisfying as the real thing would be, but it’s enough to calm the inner beast.

Next, I put on clean clothes and make coffee, still trying to ignore the fact that the living room is still a huge mess, with broken fixtures and soiled couches. The front yard, which is normally a point of pride for me, is completely trashed. My mums are destroyed. But I don’t have time for any of this. Instead, I open the front windows to air out the smell and stare at my phone and wait, wait, wait for her response to the message I left for her.

Finally, two hours later, she sends me a text and I smile. Got your message. Thank you again for dinner last night. I'm going to leave for work right now.

Did you eat breakfast? I question, thinking of going back to make her some eggs.

Nah. I’ll get something in town. Have a nice day!

I step out onto the porch in time to see her pull out of her driveway. She waves happily at me. Her sweet face framed with all that blond hair. She’s dressed in black. I wave and stand there like a love-sick fool on the hunt and watch that gorgeous human leave and go to work, until her small silver car turns a corner and it's gone.

Almost as if I want to chase her down and drag her back home.

It's ridiculous. My skin feels hot. My snorts are heavier and all I can think about is how I need her underneath me. I look at that corn maze again, but then manage to go inside and slam the door shut behind me.

What is wrong with me?

The entire day is filled with thoughts of Lucy Roberts.

I sit at my work desk and stare off into the middle distance and think of her curves, her full breasts, imagining the taste and feel of her nipples in my mouth and I want her near.

I haven’t behaved this way towards a woman in over twenty years. Not since before, when I was human and engaged. But this is more than that. I’ve never felt this insane amount of need for a woman. I chuckle and shake my head because I don’t remember ever making dinner for my ex or insisting on doing the dishes. And I don’t remember ever telling a woman I wanted to fuck that we were friends. And yet, I suppose it is true. I do enjoy her company. She works as hard as I do and owns her own home and business, which is admirable for someone her age.

I want Lucy next to me at all times.

Why has my need for her increased this quickly?

She’s been next to me an entire month and I’ve never felt this same urgency. I watched her from a far but never made a move, thinking a young woman in her twenties and that gorgeous was probably taken. And if she was indeed single, there was no way she’d want a monster boyfriend who was technically fifty years old.

Although I did work on my yard shirtless many times, which I normally never do, so there’s that.

But then she entered my home. And I had her in my room, in my space, and sat next to her and my Minotaur must’ve imprinted on her. Why her? I’ve sat next to other women in the last twenty years and this has never happened. Then I remember the sound of her sexy laughter, the sparkle in her blue eyes and the determined lift of her chin and I know why.

Dammit.

Talking on the phone or texting won’t be enough. The sash in my pocket will only keep me satisfied for so long. I need her voice, the warmth of her skin and the scent that is most intense right at that spot over her ears.

I moan with desire.

Normally I wall my emotions off, only allowing my family close. A few monsters are my confidants, but that’s it. I push everyone else away and allow no one close because…

Because therein lies pain.

But Lucy is different.

I text her right after lunch because I can’t stop myself. What time are you getting off work? I ask, planning what I’ll feed her tonight. It gives me comfort, knowing I’ve provided her nourishment and she’s taken care of.

I’ll be home a little after five o’clock.

What would you like to eat for dinner?

And then I start planning out how I should also pack lunches for her to take with her each day to work. Damn, I’ve got it bad.

She tries to tell me she doesn’t know what she wants and I don’t need me to feed her tonight, that she feels bad having me do that. I brush it off and let her know I’m making her chicken alfredo with spinach.

Oh well, how can I say no to that? And she adds a laughing smiley face emoji.

I grunt my agreement. Let me know when you’re leaving tonight, and I’ll have everything ready.

You’re so sweet, she responds. Thank you again. See you tonight!

Sweet? No one thinks I’m sweet, except for my mother when I was a child. I grew into a juvenile delinquent, a menacing adult and then a monstrous Minotaur. I’ve been considered a bit of an asshole my entire life. And yet this beautiful young woman thinks I’m “sweet.” Heh.

I remain at my desk and force myself to get some work done. Luckily, I don't have any meetings with clients today and my other projects can be delayed due to my lack of focus.

I check in with my mother and discover she’s doing well. Then my sister sends me an innocent text. She’s only two years older than me but she’s actually fifty-two years old, while I still look twenty years younger, which she gives me shit about all the time. I do my best to stay close to all of my family, knowing that when I’m still around and they’re all gone before me I’ll regret any time I didn’t spend with them when I could.

How’re you today monster bro?

Fuck off, I’m busy. I answer, instantly regretting my harsh words.

My sister doesn’t let me off the hook. And what's wrong with you? Why are you being an asshole?

I let out a deep sigh. I honestly don't know. The full moon tomorrow? Halloween? Sorry for the bad mood. Didn’t mean to take it out on you.

Yeah, you better not. You might be bigger, but I can still pull hair and pinch like nobody’s business. You try shit with me, and I’ll come down there and kick your Minotaur ass.

I chuckle at her response. Then I text her a promise to meet up with her and her husband at our mother’s house this next weekend.

And then finally the sun lowers on the horizon. I shut down my screens, leaving the home office and I trudge downstairs, eager to cook for Lucy. I cleaned my kitchen the morning after the party because I have to cook and eat, so it is ready to prepare food for her.

Begging this young woman to allow me into her bed, or to come into my bed so I can simply sleep was embarrassing at first, but it had to be done. And I am still grateful that she was so very accommodating. What if she’d thrown me out and insisted on keeping her sash? The thought is too terrible to even contemplate. Hopefully she will again allow me in her bed. The location where we bed down tonight doesn’t matter, I just need her warmth and the sound of her beating heart and of course her scent.

I’m on my way home, she texts at exactly six o’clock.

I package everything I’ll need for our dinner tonight and I’m ready when I see her car pull into her garage. Then I’m on her doorstep, holding two bags with one hand, knocking on her front door.

She opens the portal with a wide smile on her face.

Heat flashes throughout my body as her scent hits my nostrils.

“I am here to sleep next to you again,” I growl.

She takes a step back. “Uh…okay. Nice to see you too.”

Maybe I said that with more force than necessary? “I apologize, but I feel on edge tonight.” I reach up and run my claw through my hair and take a deep breath and try again. “My need for your nearness grows more intense.”

She lets me in and I enter her home. “But how is this possible?” she questions. “Bruce, we just talked for the first time two days ago.”

How can I tell her that the monster inside of me wants her as my mate? That I constantly envision her carrying my child? She agreed to work and live in Screamer Woods, but that doesn’t mean she wants a husband who is a damn monster.

Husband? Mate?

Well, what did I think this was? I literally can’t sleep without her scent in my lungs. It’s ridiculous but true. Her pheromones are affecting me. I want to knock her up. And I’ve felt on edge this last month, but I wasn’t sure why. Then I saw the corn maze being built and it’s calling to me in a primal way. And now there’s the trifecta of maze, full moon tomorrow night and available female who I want more than any other in my entire life.

It’s enough to drive any Minotaur to madness.

And then it all becomes clear. I’m going to turn full Minotaur tomorrow night and drag her into that damn maze and impregnate her.

Can this young woman handle mating with the monster I’ve become? And do I want a wife? Well, apparently this is what my body wants because I want to breed her. My mind is full of images of Lucy swollen with my child, carrying my baby in her arms. Does she want a half-human, half-minotaur baby? That damn potion Dr. Karloff gave me literally changed my DNA and now I’m going to pass that down to any children I have.

My fiancée left me for that exact reason.

It happened twenty years ago but I still remember that tragedy as if it were yesterday.

“Bruce?”

I blink and look down at her. “I don’t know why this is happening,” I answer, trying to protect her with a lie of omission. Later I’ll tell her how starting tomorrow afternoon she’ll need to stay away from me for at least twenty-four hours because I cannot promise that I’d never hurt her in the midst of my first Minotaur madness. And I’d never ever forgive myself if I dragged her into that damn maze and frightened her. Never. First, I must feed her. “But I do have dinner ready. Are you hungry?”

“Oh my god, that food was amazing,” Lucy says in a delightful sing-song voice as she cleans the table. “Thanks for dinner again. And for dessert. I feel spoiled.”

I grunt out a response, pleased that she’s fed and content. We ate dinner, watched a movie and shared warm apple pie. She’s already in her pajamas and I keep glancing at her bare legs.

Finally, the dishes are done. I grab her hand and we head for her room. We’re going to sleep in her bed again tonight and not mine because I’m trying to keep things simple for Lucy. If she’s going to take me on, at least she can stay in her own home. Also, her bed is smaller which increases the likelihood of her in my arms.

I guide her down the hallway, lust boiling in my blood. We enter her room, and she closes the door behind us. I glance at her ass as she moves over to her side of the bed, and I know I’m in trouble. Maintaining my commitment to not touch her beyond a hug is going to be more difficult than it was the previous night. The Minotaur is eager for rough mating and impregnation, but Bruce wants words of commitment. Bruce wants to wait until the Minotaur is no longer in control.

Meanwhile, how can I hide my raging erection?

I take off my jeans and my heavy shaft tents my boxer shorts. My tail is positioned on my ass just high enough to allow me to still wear normal clothes without alteration, but it also means my underwear and pants always hang low on my hips, sometimes barely covering my pubic hair. This is one of those times.

I meet her heated gaze. “I want you,” I admit. “As more than just friends.”

She licks her lips. “I want you too.”

I inhale the scent of her arousal but still manage to give the response that is required. “No.”

“No?”

“I want more than you’re ready to give.”

The corners of her mouth twitch. “Are you sure about that?”

This woman. She’s lucky I’m looking out for her best interests.

I shake my head. “We need to wait until after the full moon, when I have better control over my Minotaur.” Then I turn off the light and slide into bed beside her. She sighs with delight as I pull her into my arms, with my nose in her hair, doing my best to not rub my leaking shaft against her hip.

“Did you feel like this for your fiancée? Did you latch onto her scent too?”

I blink with surprise. “No, I didn’t.

My fiancée left me because of the change. She couldn’t handle this. We were going to marry and start a family but she said she couldn’t do that with a Minotaur. The only other women who seem to want me since then are women who send me shit through the mail, wanting a one-night stand with a monster, like I’m some kind of kink.”

Her features soften as she turns and meets my gaze.

“No, don’t look at me that way, I don’t want your pity. But you need to know that none of this will be ‘normal.’ If you don’t want a relationship with a man who will have Minotaur needs, you need to kick me out of your bed right now.”

“Right now? What are you talking about? I can’t do that to you. And I like having you here. I sleep better too.”

“Lucy, you don’t understand. My Minotaur wants to breed you. He wants you pregnant. And I don’t even know what he’ll do when he’s unleashed. I’ve never had sex while I’m a monster. This is unchartered territory. What if I accidentally hurt you?”

Her eyes widen but she doesn’t scramble away from me. Instead she snuggles closer. “Couldn’t we just use birth control?” she whimpers. “I mean, I’m not on anything right now, but can’t you just use a…”

“No. There will be no condoms. The Minotaur wants you pregnant. Don’t you understand what I said? I told you that the monster inside of me wants you as his mate and will grow steadily more insane for your body as the full moon progresses. You need to stay away from me tomorrow night. It might even be a good idea for you to go visit friends out of town before the sun sets.”

“What happens after Halloween? You’ll just go back to ignoring me?”

“No, but I’ll certainly have more self-control.”

“You’ll still want me pregnant?”

I grin, pleased that she doesn’t appear upset at the idea of becoming the mother of my future children. “Definitely. Bruce and the Minotaur both want you. But like I said, I’d be ready to take it slow, ask you out on dates like a normal person. But if you’re here on Halloween night, in this house, so close where your scent will be calling for me, all bets are off. Between that damn moon and your scent I’ll lose my mind and I’m concerned I might accidentally cause you harm in my frenzy to breed.”

“I’ll make sure not to come home tomorrow after work. Are you going to be okay here alone though? I want you to be safe too. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you either.”

“Yes,” I lie. “I’ll be fine. But you need to decide if this is what you want. Having sex with me isn’t the same as with a normal man. I’m imprinting on you. This wouldn’t be some light thing where we have fun and then we both move on—it’s you becoming my mate and being okay with starting a family right away.”

“You’re saying that sex with you means forever?”

I wince at how sappy that sounds, but it’s the hard truth. “Yes.”

“Okay, I understand.” She snuggles even deeper into my arms, her cheek against my bare chest.

I should tell her everything about the corn maze, but I haven’t told anyone yet about my obsession with the labyrinth. How can I admit that I can’t control myself due to a simple trail of cornstalks in the nearby fields?

“And wait, did you say you haven’t had sex in twenty years? And never as a Minotaur?”

“You will be my first,” I say with a hoarse voice.

I awake with the young woman I want as my new mate in my arms and my Minotaur on edge, clawing to be let free.

It is not a good situation. I lift my heavy head and Lucy startles awake and squeaks with fear.

“Bruce, what's wrong?”

A low growl rumbles in my chest. I can feel the heat in my gaze and along my entire body. Her scent is driving me mad. I thought I could remain safely in her vicinity until Halloween night. I was wrong.

I roll over and cover her with my body and settle heavily between her thighs with my shaft nudging at her entrance, separated only by two layers of fabric.

She moans.

I brace my arms on either side of her torso and lean in close, my lips a breath away from hers. “Tonight is Halloween,” I growl. Then I tear open the top of her nightgown, exposing those gorgeous breasts and my mouth tugs on one nipple and then the other. I bite down, suck and growl, wanting all of her, back and forth, spending time feasting on the what I’ve wanted for so long.

I’m one second away from tearing off the rest of her clothing and impaling her with my hard cock when I lift my head and catch her troubled blue gaze. A ray of recognition finally takes hold.

I am a monster.

And then I’m out of the bed and out of her room.

“Wait,” she cries. “Bruce, don’t leave. Let me help you.”

But I have to leave. It’s the only way to keep her safe.

I burst out the front door, my chest rising and falling, adrenaline racing through my veins, one second away from turning around to go back and leap on top of her and pin her to that bed.

No, no, no. What will happen then? I will not hurt Lucy.

I jump over the hedge and land in my own yard and find there’s a crowd of people out front. “What the fuck?” I snarl.

“Good morning Bruce,” the mayor cheerfully greets. “We’re all here to fix up the flowerbed and bushes that were trampled the other night. Jim at the Nursery donated all the flowers and bushes and even the sod. We’ve got the local Boy Scout troop on hand as well as lots of monsters and people who feel bad that they trashed your house. We’re sorry about what happened and we’d like to make it up to you.”

Oh hell. They have the worst timing in the entire universe.

“Can we also have the keys to go inside?” he asks. “We want to deep clean the fabric on your couches.”

“Bruce,” the Orc brothers yell out in unison. The taller one holds up a toolbox. “Hey monster, sorry for the shit we were dishing out the other night. We're here to fix everything.”

I throw my head back and bellow with rage and anguish.

“Dude, what's wrong with you?”

And then there's a cry from behind. “Bruce, wait.”

That's when I completely lose my mind.

6

Lucy

I race out the door after that damn sexy Minotaur, my heart pounding and my bare feet hitting the wood floor.

What is wrong with him?

And why can’t I leave him alone? Anyone else would stay behind, locking the door after he left and maybe calling 911 to report a raging monster on the loose.

Not me.

I awoke to a snarling, red-eyed Minotaur in my bed who heaved himself on me and tore the top of my nightgown in half so he could get to my breasts. Probably one second away from sinking inside of me. Then after I had an orgasm just from him sucking my nipples, he leapt off me and ran out of my house.

He’s wearing only his thin black boxer shorts and sporting an enormous erection that tents the crotch. And he’s so very handsome I can’t handle it.

Bruce isn’t himself right now and he needs my help. I was in his arms one second ago and last night we were exchanging words of…well, one step before love, right? Words of commitment and family. I can’t let this man who was so recently caring for me—I can’t let him deal with this alone. He needs my help.

He’s got a huge head start on me—I had no idea this man-bull was so freaking fast considering his size, but I learn he’s light on his hooves and able to maneuver like a pro running back. My front door is still wide open; he didn’t even bother trying to shut it behind him. I burst onto my lawn, and he’s already on his driveway, his tail flicking with agitation. There’s a whole crowd trying to talk to Bruce but he’s growling and brushing them off.

Oh wow.

I slow down when I reach the sidewalk, because dammit, I’m again half dressed in pajamas, holding the front ends together of the top of my nightgown with my hand. I left behind the robe that would cover my torn, semi-sheer nighty, but the good news is I’m at least wearing panties.

I look around at all the faces I recognize from town. Heh. All those times I explained the Minotaur’s side of the story must’ve paid off. It drives me crazy how this town considers Bruce the local bad boy of Screamer Woods. The man is technically fifty years old. I mean, come on. Maybe he really did fit the definition long ago, but not anymore. He’s not a boy. He's a man. It’s time for the town to let this shit go.

I lectured anyone who would listen during the October Bash—and later over the next day or two while I mingled with townspeople in the coffee shop, passed them on the sidewalk, or if someone was stuck in my chair at the salon—on how the party at the Minotaur’s house wasn't his idea and he hadn't invited anyone over. Bruce came home late one night to find everyone trashing his home past curfew, which is total bullshit. I get mad all over again just thinking about it.

I don’t begrudge anyone the right to party and party hard. No harm in that, people should be allowed to have all the fun they want. But no one was technically invited by the owner of the home for that party to take place at his residence and no one was really in charge or enforcing rules. The whole thing devolved into a frat house ruckus. Monsters and people alike wrecked his house, and then took their alcohol, food and supplies with them on the way out the door, not bothering to clean up or fix what had been destroyed.

His cousin got her stuff together and left too, leaving all the mess behind for him to deal with later.

I’m happy they’re here to fix Bruce’s house but this is the worst timing ever.

I'm really worried about him and feel closer to him than ever. We've been sleeping next to each other, holding each other and last night I freaking admitted that he could breed me all he wanted, go for it. I mean, jeez, embarrassing but true. Guess I'm falling hard for the Minotaur who lives next door to me.

He bellows at the mayor and the two Orc brothers. I step closer and he whips around and pegs me with a harsh, red glare that could slice through metal. He looks so different—his face mean and contorted, his chest larger and his teeth even look bigger. Hot snorts escape his flared nostrils.

He’s really, really imposing.

And that’s when I stupidly decide to try and tame the savage beast. He warned me this could happen, that he could potentially lose his mind and go feral Minotaur, but I guess we’d both thought it would happen on Halloween night, not while he was in bed with me, or like this, in front of the neighbors. Maybe there’s still enough Bruce in there to reason with? Maybe since he says he’s been imprinting on me; my voice will be able to calm him down?

“Bruce? What’s wrong?” I try to put my hands on his veiny forearm and he flinches.

He shrugs me off, lets out a heavy snort and steps back. “Get away from me,” he bares his teeth and growls. “I don't want you, leave me alone.”

The smile falls off my face because his words hurt like a torrent of sharp, wooden arrows, straight for my heart. “You don’t want me?” I glance down at the erection that is still half-mast in his shorts. “Since when?”

Work stops on his yard because everyone is watching the drama unfold with alternating looks of shock and pity.

“I've got everything I need from you,” Bruce continues to rage with a booming voice, so all can hear, “and I don't want anything more. Get back to your own house and leave me the hell alone.”

I suck in a sharp breath. Oh wow. “You got everything you need from me?” I choke. Doubt enters my mind. Is he talking about my scent? Was he only there for a short time and always planning that he wouldn’t need me after Halloween? “I thought your Minotaur wanted me to…” Breed. But I can’t say that out loud. Dammit, I thought last night this man had basically been asking me to be his future wife and now he’s telling me it was all a lie?

A damn lie?

“Get away from me,” he shouts again, pointing back at my house, spittle flying from his mouth. “I left you behind because I don’t want you. Can’t you understand that?”

Could this get more humiliating? I'm really not sure. Everyone watched him exit my house and me exit moments later in torn pajamas, and they think he was fucking me and I'm the needy groupie who wants more. Bruce is basically kicking me out of his bed.

And maybe I am that needy. Maybe that is exactly what’s happening. The back of my throat tightens, and hot tears threaten behind my eyes. “But last night you said—”

“I said what I had to say, to get into your bed,” he snarls. “None of it was true. I don’t want you bred, that’s why I left. The real truth is you served your purpose and now I want you gone.”

A whimper escapes my lips.

Then he turns his back. His tail flicks with at me with a dismissive air.

I glance around at the crowd.

Well, time for me to go. I misunderstood. I’m not here to help my boyfriend, I’m just some dead weight he needs to discard.

So I lift my chin, trying to mentally gather whatever dignity I might have left, keeping the front ends of my tattered nightgown together so I’m not flashing my tits in front of everyone. And I march back to my house trying to hold the tears at bay in front of the crowd watching my walk of shame. Then I reenter my own home and shut the door behind me.

And I slide down onto the floor with my back propped against the door and cry my eyes out.

The rest of the day I hide out in my home, too sad and embarrassed to call anyone or even poke my head outside. The blinds and the curtains are all closed, and I turn on the TV to make sure I also don’t hear anyone who might be lingering out front.

Mom would say “I told you so” because she never wanted me to move here in the first place. And my sister, the high-powered attorney, would try to talk me into starting a civil suit of some sort. I love her, but not all problems need a court of law.

Thankfully the salon is always closed on Sundays and Mondays, so at least I have the day off. And tomorrow too because I’m probably going to need it.

I shed more snotty tears because Bruce’s harsh words of rejection echo in my mind. I feel like a colossal fool for not understanding the whole thing was a lie. When he said he wanted me pregnant, and that I had to think hard about what I wanted because with him it would be forever—this was a lie? I wander around the house, crying. Then make some coffee and cry a bit more, until there were no more tears.

Finally, I take a shower and dress in some comfy black loungewear. Then I force myself to read a book to get my mind off my worries. The only problem is the next book in my reading app is a romance, which makes me think of…Bruce.

None of what happened this morning makes any sense.

I replay the last few days in my mind in great detail, looking again for the red flags I missed, but still don’t see any. How could I have known his words were a lie? It had all seemed so real. After lunch I begin to wonder if maybe he was losing his mind and didn’t really want me gone…Heh. Maybe his words of rejection were just part of his madness? What if he hadn’t meant to say any of that and when he’s himself again he’ll regret what he did?

No, no. Where is my self-respect? He literally shouted at me to get the hell away from him. He publicly rejected me. I need to know when I’m not wanted and move on.

And that’s the exact moment I hear a knock on my front door.

“Bruce?” I cry out like a lovesick fool. Is he back? I rush over and open the door and stare in shock at the smirking young woman standing on my doorstep. “You're the last person I expected to see,” I tell Bruce’s cousin.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she shrugs and brushes her long black hair over her shoulder. “Don’t worry bitch, I was hoping to never see you again either. Can I come inside?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Why are you here?”

Emma puts both palms up. “Hey, I’m not here for anything bad. I only want inside because I don’t want the whole town knowing my business.”

I glance out the door. “They’re all still out there?”

“Yeah, some of them, but the good news is the bushes are replanted and there’s new sod so at least Bruce will be happy about that. Are you going to let me in?”

“Yes, yes.” I wave her inside. “Would you like something to drink? I was about to get a soda if you want one.” I look down and notice she’s got a white dress draped over her arm. “What’s that for?”

“You’ll see,” she says in a cool tone. “And yes, I would love a soda.”

I roll my eyes at her antics but continue to guide her into my house. It’s probably good for me to talk to someone anyways, to try and drag me out of my funk.

The two of us settle in the kitchen, both sitting on barstools at my island, sipping our drinks.

“I know everything that's been happening lately between you and Bruce because grandma can't talk about anything else,” she announces.

“What?” I gasp. “Why?”

“Grandma calls Bruce every day and overshares because she’s his mom and they’re best friends. I also heard about you two from the neighbors and friends in town. They say you’re friends, or maybe even boyfriend and girlfriend. I mean, ew, but it’s true, he’s picked you for some reason. So between them and grandma, I know everything about your relationship with my cousin. I know he’s slept in your bed the last two nights.”

I frown, my chest tightening over the idea of everyone knowing about my private relationship.

She takes a sip of her drink. “Yeah, I know it’s TMI for me too. Look, I didn't do things right. I treated you like crap because I thought you were like the others, the pretty girls who only want Bruce as some sort of monster kink or would reject him outright. But it turns out you really like and care for him as a person?”

“Yeah, of course I do.”

“Well, I heard how he yelled at you to get away from him today.”

My face heats up. “Screaming at me to get away from him,” I clarify with a rough voice. “He doesn’t want me. He said what he had to in order to get what he wanted from me and now he’s done with me.”

She winces. “You know that deep down he doesn't think any woman really wants a monster for a husband.”

Suddenly I want to cry again. “Did you talk to him? Is that what he said?”

“No, I didn’t talk to him, but he’s my cousin and I know him really well. Everyone in my family knows that’s his private angst. That’s why he’s been single for the last twenty years.”

I stand up from my stool.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to go and talk to Bruce. I need to try again.”

She shakes her head. “He’s not home. No one has seen him since he yelled at you.”

“What? Where is he? This whole time I thought he was next door, in his house.”

“We heard the echo of his roar in the corn maze and then it was gone. We think he’s hiding out there.”

I sit back down. “In the corn maze?”

“I know, it’s weird but if you think about it, it makes sense. That corn maze has never been here before, it’s the first year. This year there also happens to be a full moon exactly on Halloween and there’s you living next door. I can see how all of that a once could drive a Minotaur to drink.”

My mouth drops open. “You’re so right,” I whisper. “He never told be about the maze, but he knew he was going feral, and he tried to warn me to stay away from him on Halloween night. It must’ve overtaken him earlier than expected.”

“Personally, I think everything Bruce said to you today was just a way for him to get you away, anyway he could, to keep you safe.” She pats my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

I meet her gaze. “Plan? You have a plan?”

“Yeah. But first, I’m here to represent his family. We want to make sure you’re good for him. You need to know that if you mate with him long-term, you will get those same age protections he has. You won’t turn old at the same rate as the rest of us and you’ll look forever young, like he does. You two will end up with about the same lifespan. I learned about this from the other mated human/monster pairs. The human stops aging and keeps pace with the monster.”

“How did I not know this?”

“It’s a big secret. I mean there’s conspiracy theories about it, but none are confirmed. But yeah, it’s true. Is that going to be okay with you? I figured if I were you, I’d want to know that up front before going in.”

I blow out a breath. “That’s okay with me.”

“Also, we want to make sure you're not gonna break his heart like his ex. Can you imagine having a half human, half Minotaur baby? Are you okay with starting a family with Bruce?”

Warmth spreads in my chest. “Yeah, I really can imagine that.”

Emma smiles at me. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

I shrug. “I guess I am.”

“Can you be bold and brave in order to save my cousin from himself tonight and bring him back to happiness?”

I grin at her. “Yes, I can do that. Bring it on.”

“Okay, then. Welcome to the family.” She hands me the white dress. “This is what you’ve got to do in order to get him back.”

And she proceeds to tell me everything.

7

Bruce

Now I'm in the corn maze.

I yelled at Lucy to get away from me

and everyone around us stared in horror, like I was the worst monster in Screamer Woods. And maybe I was. Afterwards I ran away from their accusing gazes and dove straight into the maze.

I soon realize this was stupid because now her scent is gone and it was the one thing keeping me reasonably sane.

Fuck it.

I'm trying to protect my future mate. The last thing she needs right now is me by her side. She needs to stay away because I don't know if I can keep her safe and I would rather die than cause her harm.

The walls of dense corn stalks and the narrow dirt pathways winding around and around bring out the Minotaur. The sun still glints high in the sky, keeping the worst for later. But I don't know if I can come back out tomorrow and be myself or if this means I'll be here until the farmer decides to cut down the maze. Will I be able to return to my normal life or am I just allowing the Minotaur to take over from here on out? What I told her was the truth. I want her to stay away. She needs to stay away from me because I don't know if I can keep her safe and I would never hurt her would hurt myself.

I have no idea.

Hours later, I’ve searched every nook and cranny of this labyrinth. I have it memorized, and it is now my new home. Finally, I'm exhausted and ready to sleep. I pull out Lucy’s sash, which I still have, and I put it at my nose. I find a dark corner and pass out.

The Minotaur awakes in the light of the full moon.

My teeth elongate, my horns heavy and curved. My eyes are hot and I'm larger than normal and it feels good. My mind isn't clear. I know I was once a man, but I have no idea who that was. I tear off the remnants of my human clothing and roar out my challenge to the night.

My senses are on high alert. Ready to go on the hunt.

I lick my lips feeling hungry.

What would I do if I caught someone in the labyrinth? I don't know. I feel very protective of this place. All I know is that no one should be here but me. I pace down the main row and then the next and then I come upon a group of teenage humans dressed like ghosts and zombies.

I snort out a challenge.

They scream in unison and start to run.

And I'm chasing after them, snarling, getting closer and closer.

And then to my left a startling female voice shouts, “Bruce.”

I dig in my hooves and stop in the middle of the maze, forgetting my chase. I lift my head and I turn very, very slowly to my left and see a young female more beautiful than any I've ever encountered in my life. The moonlight touches her long blonde hair that waves past her shoulders. She's tall and slender with large breasts and curvy hips and not too delicate for my breeding lust.

I take a deep breath, inhaling her scent. And suddenly I'm not hungry for anything but her. I have something new to hunt.

“Run,” I warn her.

And then she turns on her heel and runs back the way she same. She wears a simple white gown that reminds me of tales of Greek Myths. There's something about her clothing—I have to follow it.

I give her a head start because I don't want this to be easy. I want to savor this chase.

Then I'm after her, one row and then another. I focus on the path she might take and pause at the four corners. Which way did she go? I lift my head and inhale that trail of scent and let out another roar. I turn right, following her tracks in the dirt. She tried to hide in the corn maze, and backtracked. I find her tracks again and let out another deep bellow.

The Moon is at its height. The maze is empty and it’s just the two of us here. As it should be, the small humans should all fear me. Earlier, I heard her distant voice yell “get out, get out” to some unknown humans. Does she want me alone?

I turn another corner and catch a glimpse of that white gown. I hear pants of breath. My hooves dig into the dirt and my thighs bunch. I use all my strength to gain on her. She's in front of me and I reach down and sweep my arms around her waist and lift her off her feet and into the air. She screams with terror when I sweep her into my arms. She's huffing and panting, her chest rising and falling.

I carry her to my soft nest, the spot in the center of the maze where I slept today. I toss her onto her back in the husks and I'm on top of her and I extend my claws.

“Stop,” she screams. “Bruce.”

Who is she? Then I feel her hands at my hips. She's digging in my pocket and she shoves the sash right at my nose. I inhale the scent that was calming me down earlier, the one that let me sleep. And now I know it was her scent all along. My eyes focus on her blue eyes and for the first time I understand who she is. “Lucy?”

“Yes,” she smiles. “It’s me.”

I slam a fist into the dirt. “What the hell? Why are you here? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Bruce…you won’t hurt me.”

Then I remember something very, very important and lean in close. “I told you to leave me alone. I warned you.”

“You won't hurt me,” she repeats, like she knows this for certain.

“How do you know that?” I growl, my hot breath blowing strands of hair off her face.

She cups both my cheeks with her delicate hands. “Because you love me. And I love you too Bruce. I love you and your Minotaur too. I love both sides of you.”

Both sides of me? Something warm blossoms in my chest. “You want my babies?”

“Yes, I want all of you.”

Apparently, that was all I needed to hear. I proceed to tear off her dress and we’re both naked in the moonlight. I’m on my knees and I take my hard, pulsing cock in hand. “You want this?”

“Yes, please,” she begs.

I grunt my approval. Her arousal is thick in the air, and I know she’s ready for me. I lean forward, lift her legs over my shoulders then thrust inside of her with one long stroke because I want to go slow, but part of me is still feral. She cries out, her back bowing and her nails digging into my arms. I pause, Bruce returning for a brief moment, and I bend down and place my forehead against hers and lick her cheek.

A hand slaps against my sweaty ass. “More,” she orders. “Don’t stop. You’re huge, but I can handle it.”

Then I lock my lips with hers, kissing her so hard our teeth and tongues clash. She feels better than I imagined. I slide all the way in and out again, creating a motion that we both enjoy.

She moans with delight. “You’re so big,” she pants. “I love it.”

And then I hold her and flip onto my back because I want to see all of her, naked in the moonlight above me. “Ride me,” I order, giving her ass a gentle slap. She’s glorious, her breasts full and the flare of her hips utter perfection. The toss of her hair puts me even more on edge. I catch a nipple in my mouth as she rides me.

Then I reach down and gently, with my claw retracted, brush against her clit as I lift my hips and plow inside of her. “Come, now,” I order because I’m ready to explode.

She throws back her head, grabs onto my tail and screams out her release. I feel the clamp and pulse of her hot channel and that’s when I also let go. My hands dig into her hips and I ride out the most intense orgasm of my life, filling her with my seed.

Then she falls on top of me, sweaty and spent. My arms go around her, pulling her close. I kiss the top of her head. “Do you want to go home now?”

“Nope,” she pants, her hand against my cheek. “We’re staying here all night. Don’t you know this is our honeymoon?”

I chuckle and then she’s kissing me, and I know this is my future—right here in my arms.

8

Epilogue

My wife is amazing.

I watch her ass move under her black pants as she putters around the kitchen while I make us all a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs. This never gets old.

She’s basically best friends with my mother. My mom is thrilled to have another “daughter.” And even more thrilled that we’ve now got two kids and one more on the way.

My son and daughter have my horns and tail, but they’ve also got regular feet and hands and no penchant for a ring in their nose. They both go to Screamer Elementary, where they don’t stand out as “odd” due to the fact that there are many other children there who are also descendants of the other “monsters.”

There’s a knock on the front door. “I’ll get it,” I yell out. I open it and frown at my cousin, Emma, who now lives next door in the house once owned by my wife.

“Oh Emma, good morning, it’s good to see you,” my wife cheerfully shouts from behind me. “Come on in.”

“Aunt Emma,” both of my kids shout with joy.

How did any of this happen?

My cousin smacks me on the shoulder. “Stop acting like a grouch, you know you’re thrilled the way things turned out.”

I crook an eyebrow. “Not necessarily thrilled to have you as my neighbor.”

Emma gives an evil chuckle and moves past me, scooping up my four-year-old daughter into her arms and taking the hand of my six-year-old son. “Morgan, Lucas, it’s good to see you both,” she greets.

Next thing I know all of us are at the table, having Sunday breakfast again together. Afterwards we all head out for a long walk in the woods, to work off that heavy food.

“I heard the farmer is thinking of growing corn and then later he’s going to turn the corn into a maze again this year,” Emma comments from behind us, and then pauses to show both of my kids a fallen log.

“Really?” I glance over at my wife. “What do you think of that?”

She leans in and whispers in my ear. “I think we should turn this coming Halloween night into our own vow renewal ceremony, a recreation of that first night when we became mates.”

A growl rumbles in my chest. “You have another dress like the one before?”

She winks at me. “You bet I do.”

I let out a deep laugh, catch her in my arms, placing a hand over her swollen belly where our new daughter is grows and I give her a deep kiss.

“Gross,” my son yells out. “Why do they always do that?”

I ignore him and continue kissing his mother.

**I hope you enjoyed! Click here to heck out the entire Monster Between the Sheets series!

Go to https://www.authormichelemills.com for more satanic-looking heroes, alien shifters, cyborgs, and tattooed bad boys! If a male looks out-of-the-ordinary, edgy, possibly alien and maybe a little scary—Michele has plans to eventually make that guy the hero of his own book! :)