Edin chuckled, looking back at me over his shoulder. His eye glimmered in the pink glow, and the weird ambient light danced over the waves of his long, dark purple hair, making it look multichromatic, like an oil slick. “It can’t be good for your health to be so angry all the time, human.”
I took a deep, shuddering breath through my nose. In, then out. Slowly. Then again. My neck and shoulders were so tight it felt like something might pop. My leg was throbbing. I could tell that soon, I wouldn’t be able to put much weight on it.
I gritted my teeth and ignored it all. “Let’s just keep moving, yeah?” I stretched my neck from side to side, trying to ease the throbbing tension causing my shoulders to stay hunched up. “And keep quiet so we don’t miss anything.”
I could practically hear Edin rolling his eyes as he ambled down the tunnel in front of me, his horns brushing the ceiling every now and then. “Fine.”
I eyed his tail, which was flicking irritably, its dagger-like tip swiping dangerously close to me. I couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or not, and I narrowed my eyes at his broad, bare back with suspicion.
“Watch the tail.”
I was just a boy when the monsters rose on earth, forcing humans to flee to the coastlines and live in cramped, dirty, military-controlled cities. I enlisted as soon as I could to escape.
Now, I’ve been in the military for twelve years and have the scars—and missing body parts—to prove it. As a hardened soldier who’s spent his fair share of time out in the Wastes—the dangerous place where monsters roam free—I didn’t think anything could surprise me anymore.
But then circumstance forced me together with a big, annoying purple monster who’s arrogant and bossy and pushes all my buttons in the worst—and best—ways. I need his help, and I hate needing anyone’s help. But the more time I spend with him, the more I realise that maybe there’s more from him that I need. And that he might need things from me too.
But I’m still a soldier. I still have responsibilities. It doesn’t matter how I feel about Edin, because we can’t be together. It’s too dangerous.
That doesn’t stop me wanting him, though.
Edin is Book Two of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that focuses on monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order.
Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence, and mentions PTSD.
Trigger warnings: Explicit sexual content; throatf*cking; mentions of family death; captivity; mentions of torture; graphic descriptions of on-page killing, injury and violence; MC with prosthesis; insect- and spider-like monsters; mentions of PTSD.
If there are any scenes you wish to skip, you can of course get in touch with me and I am more than happy to tell you where certain triggers take place.
LILY MAYNE 