Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere by Bella Forrest Page 0,38

the creature ensconced in his undergarments. “Are… are those my boxers?”

Oh, boy, this was going to be a toughie to explain.

Eight

Persie

“It’s not what it looks like!” I squeaked, nearly dropping the monster parcel. I wasn’t even sure what it did look like, but my mind had gone completely blank.

Nathan took a step forward, his palms raised as if he were approaching a wild animal. “Okay, then, why don’t you put my… um… boxers back where you found them, and we can talk about this outside.”

“I’d love to, I really would, but—ow!” The tiny monster whipped her head around and sank her sharp teeth into my thumb. Nathan had made the mistake of edging closer, his presence well and truly freaking out the parcel in my hands. Either that, or she’d been biding her time. Startled, I dropped the creature. Boxers and critter plunged to the floor, and my heart might as well have left my body. “Crap, no! Don’t let her get away!”

Quick as a flash, Nathan swooped the jacket off his shoulders and hurled it with impressive accuracy toward the spot where his boxers had fallen, right when the critter attempted an upward escape. The heavy tweed swamped her, knocking the monster back down, and my heart re-entered my chest. With the door wide open, that thing would’ve beelined for freedom faster than I could have said “Don’t you freaking dare!” Her tiny form writhed underneath the stuffy fabric, unable to find an exit. I heard her shrieking and chattering savagely, and it was clear she wasn’t singing my praises.

I dove onto the jacket and gathered the sides into a sort of old-timey sack—the kind put on the end of sticks in cartoons. “Thank Chaos for that.” I heaved a sigh of relief as I lifted the pouch. Meanwhile, the little monster dropkicked the heck out of her tweed enclosure. The whole thing swung like a pendulum, tiny dents appearing with each defiant punch and roundhouse.

She might not have been inside a Mason jar, but I was halfway there. Part of me wanted to unleash an almighty scream of relief, but that would only alarm Nathan more. So, for now, I’d keep it to a quiet half-victory. Maybe not even half, considering I still had dozens more to capture.

“Okay, I’m really going to need an explanation.” Nathan came nearer, eyeing his jacket with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. “What’s in there?”

I gripped the top of the sack tighter, feeling the tiny monster trying to force her way out. “Honestly? I don’t know. A monster of some kind. She looks a bit like Archimedes, but not quite the same.”

His eyes widened. “She?”

“I mean, I’m no expert, but I think she’s a she,” I replied.

“May I?”

I hesitated. “Close the door first. If she gets out, you’re going to have to help me catch her again. I’ve been chasing her for ages.” I paused, my cheeks heating up. “And there’s some yogurt on your kitchen floor. Sorry about that.”

Nathan closed the bedroom door. “No problem. I can catch monsters when I have to, you know…” He arched an eyebrow. “But I don’t much care for it. I suppose that’s why I ended up a researcher instead of a bona fide hunter. You see, there comes a moment, for some people, during training where—I’m digressing, apologies. Please, let me see the creature, and I’ll try not to let it loose.”

I wonder what he was going to say… It sounded like the beginning of something profound, but it would have to wait—the ferocity inside the makeshift sack had amped up a level. My fluttery friend strained against the opening, and I realized I’d probably frightened her by trapping her in a dark mass of tweed. Maybe if I gave her some air and made her feel more comfortable, she would calm down.

Feeling for her thin body through the fabric, I wrapped a hand around what I hoped was her waist and peeled back a few pieces of the gathered jacket. Her head poked out, her needle-sharp teeth gnashing at me as more rude shrieks pierced my ears. Those big black eyes narrowed as she sucked in deep breaths and tried to shimmy her shoulders out. I let her wriggle her arms loose, but made sure to keep the wings locked down.

Nathan yelped so loud I almost dropped the monster again. “No way! This isn’t possible!” He took off his glasses and wiped them on his polo shirt before putting them back on, like