Monster Under My Bed

Chapter 2

I stared, dumbfounded at the "monster" that was sitting on my bed. He didn't look like any monster I had ever heard of. I had always been taught that monsters were ugly. 

He was... beautiful. 

He was adorned in what appeared to be black leather. At least, the few clothes he was wearing. His chest was bare, letting me see his finely toned abs. Two leather straps were fastened, covering his v-line. He had a choker around his neck. Not only that, but there wasn't much that was covering his... private area. It appeared that a few thick, leather straps, which were connected to the straps around his pelvis, were giving him coverage. However, I saw a hint of cloth, so I am sure he was at least wearing something under the leather. 

His shaggy hair reminded me of raven feathers. Even the way his hair was styled kind of looked like raven feathers; messy, but it looked soft. 

Ruby. That's all I can think of when I looked into his eyes. Freshly cut, but still dark and clouded. They stared at me with amusement.

He winked at me, smiling mischievously.

That's when I snapped out of my thoughts. I whipped out my combat knife and crouched, extending my right leg forward and putting most of my weight on my left leg. I kept my blade somewhat tucked to my chest with my left hand. My right arm was outstretched in a defensive position, ready to grab him if he rushed at me. 

He "tsked" at me. "Predictable," he taunted.

I tensed up more. How did he know? He's bluffing, I reassured myself.

"Is that what you think?" he asked, still smirking.

Okay, now I was freaking out. Can he read my mind? I thought.

"I'm bored," he said, bluntly. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, showing off his surprisingly white fangs. They were adorable.

Adorable? I thought. What the hell? I'm supposed to kill him, not think he's cute!

"Tired," he mumbled and promptly rolled into a ball on my bed. He snuggled into my pillow and smiled. 

I stood there, staring. Light snoring filled the room.

He seriously fell asleep? I thought, relaxing a little. Is this guy serious? He must know what I'm supposed to do and he's sleeping? How stupid is he?

I slowly tip-toe over to my bed, trying not to wake him. This is my chance, I thought. I can kill him while he's vulnerable. 

I stood beside my bed and hesitated. I hate myself for even thinking something so horrible. He hasn't done anything to me and I'm supposed to kill him. And while he's sleeping. I feel like it's dishonorable.

But I'm doing this for my family, I thought, trying to reassure myself. If I don't do this, the Elders will kick me out of town. 

That helped me stop second-guessing. I studied him, trying to figure out what monster he is and how to kill him. Looking humanistic narrowed down the list a bit, but I  still can't place what monster he is.

A werewolf? No, it's a full moon and he isn't transformed. A shapeshifter? Not likely. They take the form of another person and no human has red eyes.

I keep guessing and disproving monsters one-by-one. I studied thousands of monsters, but I can't place what he is. 

At this point, I need to take a chance. The closest candidate I can think of is that he's a demon. The color of his eyes, the way he's dressed, and his attitude all seem to fit. Luckily, my blade is made to kill demons without having to exorcise them. 

I slowly bring the knife above my head, ready to plunge it into his heart. 

I hesitate again. His face seems so peaceful like he hasn't been in a real bed in a long time. Oh, Mom, I thought. What do I do?

I turn my gaze to the bedpost, not wanting to look at him when I killed him. First mistake.

His eyes snap open, the red catching my attention. He sat up, startling me so badly that my knife clattered to the floor. Second mistake.

My third and final mistake was not being on guard. He seized his opportunity, wrapping his legs around my thighs and flipping me onto the bed. He held my wrists down, preventing me from fighting back. 

I stared at him, stunned. His chuckle snapped me out of my daze. "Get off me!" I shouted.

"Nope," he whispered into my ear.

I felt a shiver run through my body. Zapped strength left me unable to fight him off. What kind of demon is he?

Being this close to him and the moonlight highlighting his tanned face, I noticed something that I hadn't seen before.

Small, curly black horns protruded from his head. Well, now I know for sure he isn't a demon, I thought. Demons possess human bodies and horns never come out of someone's head. 

That's when I noticed something else.

Behind him, a long, black tail was swaying back and forth. The tip of his tail was in the shape of an arrowhead. It moved rather... excitingly. 

My eyes widened and my heart almost stopped. I finally figured out, for sure, what he is.

He's-