Petty Little Monsters (Little Monsters Series, Book 1)

17

I grabbed my lunch tray and sat down at the table with Fred, Abel and Creek. I was still getting giddy over sitting down with my friends. And my boyfriend.

It was nice to have Creek back in school as well. They brought a more laid-back attitude to our little group, and I was definitely getting closer with them, much to my delight. I thought he was so cool.

And it was a nice lunch until one of Abel's old friends stopped by our table and raised a brow at me. He was the one with the ugly cap.

"Maybe next time you decide to maul someone, don't leave them out in the woods for us to clean up."

Blood drained from my face and my jaw just dropped. "The fuck are you talking about?" I growled rising to my feet, placing both hands on the metal table.

"I'm just saying, if you can't control yourself, leave." He kept moving his head from side to side, probably thinking it made him look really sassy, but it made him look moronic.

"Fuck off, Liam," Abel said and rose too, folding his arms over his chest. "I mean it. Fuck off."

"Sure, I'll fuck off, but you muzzle your damn dog, so it isn't murdering people in the fucking forest, exposing all of us."

I was about to jump over the table and slap the ever-loving shit out of the asshole, but Abel grabbed me and held me back, looping an arm around my midsection.

"Fucking feral mutt," Liam sneered and walked away.

I tried to suppress a growl, but I couldn't. Abel pulled me back with ease, pressing me to his chest.

"Let's go," he said with a soft voice, his lips right next to my ear. I didn't fight him and just let him lead me outside of the cafeteria. He kept saying it was alright and it wasn't. It really, really wasn't. Did people really think I was the killer? Was I the killer?

"Abel, what if it was me?"

"Hush now, we'll go home." He didn't even answer my question. He steered me towards the car park and opened the car door for me, ushering me inside.

"Abel," I said when he sat down in the driver's seat. "What if it was me?"

"Gael, come on. You know it isn't. That'd be absolutely ridiculous. Your wolf is not violent towards anyone but rabbits."

"And the occasional deer. He's a hunter, Abel. What if he realised, he could hunt humans too?" I was staring down at my hands as Abel's slid into them.

"I very much doubt it. Besides, that part of the woods is so far away from your home. Have you ever been there before that day?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

"Then how would the wolf even travel that far of a distance in one night? It makes zero sense. A wolf can run 50-60 km per hour, and we were at least 80 km away from your house. That's a longass way to run for him. Even if he did run for two hours straight, he'd have to run all the way back again the same night. I don't doubt he could do it, but why would he?"

"He likes running."

"Yeah, after rabbits, right? Why run to the other side of the forest just for rabbits?"

"Maybe because he wanted human flesh."

"Then why leave the corpse not even half eaten?"

I swallowed hard. "I... I didn't know that."

"Whoever killed that man, it wasn't for food. It was for sports. Does that sound at all like your wolf?"

I slowly shook my head. "He's not cruel."

"And there you have it. He wouldn't do this because you wouldn't do this. Werewolves do not change when they become wolves, because it's still them. Just with a few more... You know... Animal mixed into it."

I snorted a little and then nodded again. "Why would Liam say it's me?"

"Because he's a xenophobic asshole." Abel shrugged a shoulder. "He doesn't think we should mingle with other kinds. Always hated me for having friends who aren't vampires. It's a thing." He rolled his eyes and stuck the key in the ignition.

We drove home to my house after having picked up Gary. Abel was gonna stay with me and I appreciated it. If I was alone, I'd be overthinking about it all and make myself feel like shit. Seemed like Abel was aware of this and didn't want to leave me alone to do just that. I got texts from both Fred and Creek asking if I was okay in our group chat. I was alright but... I felt weird. I wasn't sure I trusted Abel's belief in me. He was so sure I wasn't that monster.

But I wasn't sure.

I wasn't at all.

There had been no murders like these before I had showed up and I wasn't sure I remembered everything when I shifted. It all seemed fractured. As if I were trying to rebuild a mirror after it was broken, but some pieces were missing, and I couldn't get the full picture.

"Here, drink something." Abel handed me some tea. I didn't even know I had any tea.

I wrapped my fingers around the mug and brought it close. It smelt nice. He had also made a cup for himself. He dumped down on the sofa next to me and turned on the telly. He put his arm around me, and I leaned against him.

"Abel, what if it's me?"

"It's not, Gael." He sighed a bit and looked down at me.

"How do you know?"

"I'm an excellent judge of character and I'm telling you; you didn't do it."

"I..."

"You trust me, right? Would I lie? And why would I lie to you? If you actually did it, would I sit here with this awesome tea and watch trash tv with you?" He arched a brow at me and the black dots in his eyes were smaller than I had ever seen them.

"No, I guess you wouldn't."

"Hell no. Like, I love you and you're absolutely fantastic. But if you were a serial killer, that'd be a deal breaker for me."

I couldn't help but snort. "That's a deal breaker?"

"I know, I've got impossibly high standards."

"How will I ever live up to them." I pressed myself a little closer and he clenched his arm.

"So, what's a deal breaker for you?"

I mulled that over a little before replying. "Stomping on my boundaries. Like, the shirt thing. If I don't wanna be shirtless, I don't want questions about why or someone begging me. But to be honest, I didn't even know that was a deal breaker for me before I started dating you."

Abel smiled and leaned in, kissing my forehead. "Yeah, I don't really give a shit if you want your shirt off or on. Whatever you're the most comfy with."

I stretched and kissed the corner of his jaw. "I appreciate it. More than you know."

"So, serial killing and boundary stumping. We're very picky people."

"I don't mind," I whispered.