Radley's Home for Horny Monsters by Annabelle Hawthorne (best novels for teenagers .TXT) 📗

the greenhouse.” Her voice carried a thick French accent. She released him, and he stepped back from her. Her giant wings wrapped gently around her stone body, and her talons retracted into her hands. The wings became a cloak, covering her naked skin. Her face was feminine, save for the wide-set nose flattened against her face, and her eyes dark like obsidian. Short, jet black hair was pulled back behind her slightly pointed ears. With her cloak back in place, Mike recognized the statue he had cleaned off.

“Not the kind I am used to,” he said, pointing at the jungle. “This place is absolutely impossible.”

“Not impossible. Improbable.” She crossed her arms. “And now, I must ask who you are and why you are here.”

“I’m Mike. I inherited this place from my great aunt, Emily.” Mike sat on a rock, the adrenaline finally wearing off. “I’ve only been here a couple of days.”

“You are the new Caretaker? I see. That explains so much.” She looked across the cliffs at where the vines were hungrily whipping around, trying to find their prey. “That is the Mandragora. It must be pretty hungry to have broken out of the greenhouse. You will need to feed it soon.”

Oh God. “What the hell does it eat?”

“Meat, mostly. It also enjoys wine and cheese.”

“How does a plant... you know what? It doesn’t matter. Thank you for saving me.”

“You are welcome.” She bowed her head. “My name is Abella. It is my job to protect the grounds of the house. When Emily died, I fell into a deep sleep, and apologize for not greeting you sooner.”

“You were all wrapped up in the Mandragora vines,” Mike said.

Abella frowned at him. “That explains why I did not awaken at your arrival. The Mandragora was draining me of my life essence. This is not good. It means I have been asleep for far longer than I thought.”

“I thought the plant ate meat?”

“What better way to absorb life essence? The Mandragora could not eat me nor move me, so it fed on my energy through my skin.”

“What are you, exactly?” Mike’s legs were suddenly numb. He rubbed them, his muscles tingling beneath his fingers.

“My kind have many names, but your kind would know me as a gargoyle.”

“Doesn’t water have to run out of your mouth or something?”

“If you sever my head and mount it to a building, yes.” Abella frowned. “Anyway, I-“ Abella’s legs suddenly collapsed beneath her, and she fell to the ground, panting.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked.

“No, I am not.” Abella crawled over by Mike and lay down on the rock beside him. “How long ago did Emily die?”

“A couple of years, actually. It took them a really long time to find me.”

“I told her that she needed to have a successor ready. The Mandragora has taken too much of my life force. I must rest for some time before I can get us out of here.”

“That’s ok. I’m just happy to be alive.” Mike moved closer to Abella, his legs still tingling. “Can I do anything for you?”

Abella remained silent, her eyes closed. Now that she was by his side, he realized she was only about five feet tall. Her feet were large, and had three giant toes with talons on them. A thick, muscular tail that was tucked beneath her wings. Mike held tightly to her, feeling the slow rhythm of her breathing beneath his arms. His savior had temporarily fallen, and he was determined to stay by her side.

MIKE HAD ONLY CLOSED his eyes for a few seconds, or so he thought. The sky was growing black, distant storm clouds building giant thunderheads in the distance. Sitting up, he was delighted to discover that his limbs were no longer tingling, that sensation that they were full of sand finally gone.

“Mike?” Abella’s voice wasn’t more than a whisper.

“Yeah, I’m awake. Didn’t think I would sleep for that long.” He stood up and stretched. “Ow, shit, I’m sore. How are you feeling?”

“Not good.” Abella rolled to a sitting position. “I don’t like the look of that storm, either.”

“It can’t be that-“ A flash of light blinded him. Several seconds later, the thunder that chased it boomed against the cliff. “...bad,” Mike finished.

“My kind is made to weather storms. Yours is not.”

“I guess I could just climb out of here.” Mike stared at the sheer walls above him. “After someone installs a ladder.”

“I do have an idea, but you will not like it.” Abella was staring at her feet.

“I’m pretty open to living. What do you have in mind?”

“I am a being of stone. It will take me some time to recover. You, however, have already recovered. Humans are fountains of life—it’s why they make such a good food source.”

“You’re not selling me on your solution so far,” Mike muttered.

“If you were to... give me some of your essence, I would have enough energy to fly us out of here.” Abella pressed down on wrinkles in her wings, then released them and watched the folds pop back up.

“That doesn’t sound so bad. Are we talking magic, a blood pact, what?” Please don’t let it be a blood pact, Mike thought to himself.

“It’s kind of like magic. Old magic.” Abella looked down at her feet. “You could give me your essence like... like a human man would give to...”

“Are you talking about sex?” Mike was surprised to see Abella shrink in on herself.

She nodded, her eyes on the distance. “My kind and your kind have a hatred for each other, but I want you to know that I am different. It is why I was saved, and brought here to protect this house. And while I am sure you would rather be with a hundred different human women before you would consider a hideous creature like me, I think... I think it would work.”

Mike gazed at the shy creature in wonder, finding himself once more in a predicament. With Tink, it had been about protecting her from the unknown,