Radley's Labyrinth for Horny Monsters, Annabelle Hawthorne [smart ebook reader TXT] 📗

held on to it, just in case it could ever be fixed. That was the beginning of the end for Emily. We all think of her fondly, but she did some terrible things in her last days. She was convinced that if she could unlock the secrets of the house, she would achieve the ability to alter the very fabric of reality.”

“Could she have? If she was successful?”

Naia shrugged. “All I know is that the secret of the house was put here by the one who built it. I want you to imagine having the power to create a multidimensional haven for monsters from scratch but feeling the need to hide something there so that nobody could ever find it.”

“If he didn’t want anyone to find it, then why leave clues?”

“An interesting question.” Naia smiled. “Maybe it’s like King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail. Only the worthy shall find it.”

“You seem to know an awful lot about these things. How do you know so much?”

“This house was built around my spring. I was here when this place was created, and I will remain until it falls apart. Or my spring gets choked off.”

“Let’s see if I have this straight.” Dana watched Naia pet the large rubber duck on the head. “Something is hidden here that only Mike can find. So I won’t be able to retrieve it. My only option is to find a way to make Mike let someone into the house, but he isn’t even here right now.”

“Sums it up.”

“Then what the fuck am I supposed to do?” Dana hollered. “He killed me! I can’t die, and I can’t move on to be with Alex.”

“Do you really think that’s even an option?” Lily asked. She had remained silent throughout Dana’s tale, her arms crossed and one foot kicking water in the fountain. “Daryl may claim to be a man of his word, but I know him. There’s a trick up his sleeve. He knows that the task he gave you was likely impossible, and I can’t see him putting in so much effort on a limited return.”

“It’s probably kindness.” Zel was examining a vial of Dana’s blood. “The black witch is trying brute force, targeting our strength. The sandman tried trickery, targeting the mind. This guy sent in a girl Mike knew as a human. She’s one of us now. My best guess is that he thinks Mike will try to help and will compromise the safety of the house to do it.”

“And you think Mike would actually do that for me?” Dana asked. “He barely knows me.”

The women, except for Lily, all looked at each other and nodded.

“He would,” Cecilia said. “Think of his bond with each of us. If he knew that Dana was denied an eternity with her true love in the afterlife, he would try to help any way he could. Especially since this is because of him. This is an attempt to lure Mike out of the home.”

“Mike would go outside to confront him.” Naia frowned. “He wouldn’t let Daryl come in, but I know he would at least talk to him. What is Daryl capable of?”

“Hmm.” Lily tapped her nails on the side of the fountain. “His specialty is magic involving the flesh. He tends to favor necromancy, but that’s a by-product of his gifts.”

“So a trap has been laid,” Cecilia said.

“Maybe we should spring it,” Naia suggested. “Without Mike.”

“But what about me?” Dana cried. “If I don’t deliver Mike, I’m stuck like this!”

“The alternative is worse.” Lily shook her head. “Think about the process. He spent time researching you, hunting you down for this specific purpose. Why go through the effort? Let me tell you something else about Daryl. He’s a grade A asshole. When he snaps his fingers and your soul leaves your body, you won’t be headed for the happily ever after you think you are because you’ve been damned. And once you’ve been damned, you don’t get preferential treatment in the afterlife.”

“But it isn’t my fault!”

“No, it isn’t. But luring Mike to his death can be. By becoming damned, every action you make is carefully scrutinized. He isn’t controlling you through magic. This is akin to being handed a bomb and told to detonate it in a shopping mall. You know what the repercussions are now, and no amount of do-goodism will spare you the cost on your tarnished soul.”

“Speaking of the afterlife.” Cecilia hovered before Dana, taking Dana’s fingers in her own. “Tell me more about what you experienced there. Something doesn’t sound right to me.”

Dana told her the story again, glossing over her lovemaking with Alex to when the world fell apart.

“Does that sound right?” Naia asked Cecilia.

“Hard to say. I feel like I’m missing something.” Cecilia shook her head, her hair floating eerily. “Each person’s journey is different. It could be correct, but I can’t say for sure.”

“She isn’t talking about the fucking,” Lily announced, splashing the water with her foot. “Maybe the detail is hidden there.”

“But…I guess I’m not comfortable sharing that.” Dana hung her head. “I’m not sure what good it would do to tell you.”

A moment of silence passed. Naia looked at the others, a knowing look on her face.

“I’d better go check out front,” Cecilia said, then vanished.

“I have some tests I would like to run. In the garage.” Zel bowed out, her hooves clipping harshly against the stones as she left.

Dana looked at Lily. The succubus had crossed her legs, leaning forward expectantly.

“Tell me,” Naia said, the water swirling up behind her. Tiny water globes spun free of the surface of the fountain, drifting lazily around Dana. The air suddenly smelled of lavender and sunscreen, taking Dana back to her reunion with Alex. “Share the moment. I would love to hear how her lips felt against yours.”

“I…I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Dana went into great detail, pausing for several seconds between the most intimate moments. Something about Naia was both motherly and sisterly, and she felt like she could