The company of fiends te.., p.1
The Company of Fiends (Tempting Monsters Book 2), page 1
THE COMPANY OF FIENDS
Tempting Monsters, Book Two
KATHRYN MOON
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
Copyright @ 2022 Kathryn Moon
The Company of Fiends, Tempting Monsters Book Two
First publication: June 23rd 2022
Cover art by Jodielocks Designs
Editing by Bookish Dreams Editing and Jess Whetsel
Formatting by Kathryn Moon
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Kathryn Moon
ohkathrynmoon@gmail.com
Kathrynmoon.com
Created with Vellum
FOREWORD AND CONTENT INFORMATION
Thank you so much for returning to the Tempting Monsters universe! For a complete list of content information please check out kathrynmoon.com/books but here are some pertinent details!
This is a why choose monster romance with mature themes and includes mf, mmf, mmfmmmm, and mm content. (These abbreviations make me cackle to pronounce.)
Sexy Stuff Includes (all consensual): D/s master/pet dynamics, pain/pleasure play (extreme heightened sensation, no physical damage)
Content Warnings Include: murder (off page discussion and on page action), violence (strangulation, gore, magical spoilery violence, all in scenes of action and conflict), past family emotional trauma
Note on golems: Prior to this publication I discovered that my use of the term ‘golem’ in A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor was inaccurate and insensitive. I’m no longer going to be using it in reference to any of the lovely marble statue men like Booker, they’ll simply be called what they are, which is enchanted statues. My apologies to have caused any offense by my wrongful use of a beautiful piece of Jewish mythology!
CONTENTS
Prologue
1. Setting the Stage
2. A Gentleman Orc's Disguise
3. Secret Audiences
4. A Lamppost for a Spotlight
5. Strange Bedfellows
6. A New Act
7. The Gemini
8. A Wicked Speech
9. Suspects and Staging
10. A One-Way Bridge
11. Unmade, Reborn
12. An Orc of Means
13. Unkept Woman
14. The Imp's Nest
15. Little Secrets
16. A New Assignment
17. Trim the Roots
18. A Musical Number
19. Waiting in the Wings
20. Bridging the Divide
21. Fighting and Cooperating
22. Assembling
23. Thirty Pounds' Worth
24. Training
25. Rewards
26. Vulnerable Honesties
27. Rending and Mending Hearts
28. Controlling a Demon
29. In Unison
30. The Eager Audience
31. The Overture
32. In Harmony
33. The Weight of a Burden
34. Breakfast and Carriage Rides
35. Wood Nymph
36. A Witch's Help
37. A Private Performance
38. Progress In Small Measures
39. Exit, Stage Left
40. Welcome Punishment
41. Possessed
42. Allies Arrive
43. Pantomime
44. Arrogant Monsters
45. Hungry Trees
46. Carry On
47. Encore
Epilogue
Afterword
Also by Kathryn Moon
Acknowledgments
About the Author
To my Whoopsie Daisy monster bae PA.
You make me function.
PROLOGUE
There was something about the theater that reminded me of a church. Or what I imagined of them. Pa had never taken me inside one. I think he was afraid of me being struck down by the Lord's might. We'd passed by their open doors on Sunday mornings, bells ringing above our heads and the busy conversation floating out from the pews inside, Pa's grip tight around my wrist, dragging me through the busy streets of London.
Now I stood alone in the empty center aisle, rows and rows of red velvet seats at my sides—stained and worn cushions waiting for their patrons—and gazed up at the barren stage. Even my breaths echoed in that hollowness, the cavern of air ahead of me, unlit and unoccupied until this evening. The sounds of the company backstage—the laughing and crashing and calls of orders—were as much a blur as the many voices of prayer from those churches years ago. There was even a vast organ taking up the wall to the right of the stage, although I imagined it wasn't chorales and hymns it would deliver to audiences.
Forgive me, Pa, I thought, walking slowly forward and staring at the dark floorboards, scuffed and marked with chalk. I think this is the only place left for me.
"Hello."
I startled in place, searching the seats around me, the doors, and the stage, until I finally caught a giant shadow shrouded in the darkness behind the barely parted curtains.
"I… I'm here to speak with Mr. Reddy," I stuttered out, shuffling closer, my eyes on the shadow.
Was it enormous because he was up on the stage, towering over me, even from so far away, or—
The figure stepped forward into the dim light, and even though I’d promised myself I wouldn't, a gasp escaped my lips. It, he, was one of them—a monster. He was giant, after all, not just an illusion from the stage, with three vivid green eyes studying me from above, a long dark tail trailing behind him on the ground, and several arms visible, the lowest pair crossed over his stomach.
Pa had hidden me from this world as much as he was able, and the only monsters I'd ever met had come to our tiny flat disguised as humans. In truth, Pa had hidden me from humans too.
"You'll be the new girl," the man on the stage said, his two symmetrical eyes squinting, the one centered above growing wider, all fixed to me.
"Y-yes," I said, nodding, my hands wringing at my back.
He nodded and pointed to my left, an entirely new arm revealed at his back, six in total. "There's a set of stairs up to the stage from there. It’s the easiest route if you come through the theater. But no one does. You'll learn your way around eventually."
I sighed and hurried through the aisles of seats to the hollow, black left doorway. His voice was melodic and low, carrying from the floorboards up to the walkways and rafters, a comforting contrast to my first understanding of the difference between myself and a monster. I fumbled my way up the short dark flight of stairs, my breath hitching as I looked up to find him nearby again.
He was even more enormous up close, my head barely reaching the center of his chest, those green eyes glowing down at me. He stepped back, holding out a hand, and when I focused there, I could almost pretend he was normal, although there was a glimpse of iridescence on his skin just under his cuff.
"Nireas. I play the organ here during the shows," he said.
What are you? I wanted to ask. But I bit my tongue and raised my eyes again to meet his, forcing myself not to gape or flinch or gasp. "Hazel Nix."
His top eye blinked first, and then the lower two, and I found myself smiling up at him. His hand was cool and large around mine. I followed the lead of the gentle tug as he drew me out onto the stage and then around the curtains hanging solemnly like columns.
"Fire in a theater is dangerous, and we don't like to overwork the pixies," Nireas said, leading me through, a strange new universe suddenly expanding around me in smears of shadow. He added, "You get used to the dark."
I'd never imagined what a backstage might look like, a theater was about what was in front of the audience, but this was huge and black and cavernous, a maze of rope pulleys and cupboards and strange furniture waiting for the right scene. Above me there was a whoosh of air, a black mass passing by.
"She new?" a voice over our heads called.
Nireas grunted in answer before turning his head in my direction. "What theater did you belong to before?"
"I didn't."
He hummed, a soothing note that echoed as we turned a corner and entered a wide open space full of clutter and props and backdrops. "House?"
"House?" I repeated.
"Did you work in one of the houses?"
Realizing his meaning, I blushed. "No. This will be my first job."
His steps paused as we reached a long staircase leading down into the belly of the building. "How did you find out about the company?"
There was light coming from below, just enough to make out the long angles of his face, a
This time, it was Nireas's third eye which narrowed, but he walked down the stairs, drawing me with him, the voices below growing louder with every step.
The halls were even more narrow down here and crowded with racks of clothing and tables of strange objects, so that Nireas had to walk sideways and I crowded close to his hip to avoid bumping anything out of place. Doorways were covered with curtains while girls and more monsters gathered in tiny rooms or chatted in doorways. The sound of laughter and grunts was barely muffled behind one half-shut curtain, and my eyes bounced quickly away from another, the view of pink flesh and traveling hands now imprinted in my vision, like I could still see the three bodies tangled together while I focused hard on the black fabric of Nireas's jacket.
"Here at the end of the hall," he said. "You'll find meals off to the right when it's long hours."
"Thank you." My voice was thin, and I realized I'd been holding my breath, trying to see everything at once, and half-terrified at what I did find.
He stopped and stepped in front of the final door of the hall, head tipped down. I looked up and found his lips turned down, brow slightly furrowed. It made me feel like a little girl in front of my father again, a disappointment and a problem to solve.
"Don't go exploring alone until…until you know what you'll find," Nireas said.
I frowned at the riddle, but he turned away from me again, knocking on the door.
"What?" a sharp male voice snapped from inside.
"New girl," Nireas said, shooting another frown over his shoulder.
"Send her in."
The door swung open, and my eyes fell to the floor after one brief glance. There was a feminine gasp, but this time, it was from the woman splayed out on a cluttered desk, her blouse hanging open to reveal bouncing breasts as the older man bucked forward between her hips.
This is what you came here for, I reminded myself. You knew. Don't balk or they'll send you away.
I forced my gaze up again and found everyone staring back at me. Nireas slipped away, his long dark tail dragging behind him, flicking and bumping against the heel of my boot once. Inside the office, the man carried on, his focus dropping back down to the woman on the desk. He was just shy of middle-aged, with grey in his hair and beard and crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, and his belly was round as he slapped into her thighs, grunting with renewed effort.
The woman squealed behind sealed lips, her eyes widening on mine and something…playful in her stare, like she knew how ridiculous the scene was. She was pretty, as far as I could tell with her head staring at me upside-down, and her thighs bracketed around the broad waist of the man. Her long dark brown hair was braided, and its tail thumped against the desk in time with their coupling, drumming faster until the man bellowed, hands gripping her breasts as he crumpled forward.
"Ungh. Good girl, Myra," he breathed, releasing one breast to pat it gently before pushing himself back up.
His brow was sparkling with sweat now, and he fell back into his chair with another exhausted heave of breath, hands fumbling his pants up but not bothering to tie them shut.
Myra, the woman, sat up on the desk and laughed lightly, pulling her blouse up to her shoulders but not buttoning it. "Gimme your hanky, you louse, I know you have one on you."
Mr. Reddy snorted and drew a scrap of fabric from his pocket, passing it to her. I let my eyes drift away as she stood, reaching to wipe between her legs as her skirt fell around her.
"You're the girl Mr. Douthwaite sent," Mr. Reddy said, leaning around Myra's soft frame to squint at me.
I nodded and braved his gaze, knowing my face was flaming but determined to learn to be as casual about such a scene as everyone in this theater appeared to be. "Hazel Nix."
He nodded slowly, glancing at Myra. "Out," he said to her.
"I'm on my way, aren't I?" she answered, laughing.
"Faster then, hussy," he said, lips quirking slightly at her.
She turned to me and rolled her eyes, tossing back the scrap of fabric he'd offered her. It landed with a wet slap on his lap, and he growled as she ran for the door, breasts still hanging between the open flaps of her blouse.
"Shut the door," he said to me.
Mrs. Elliston, who'd come to clean our flat every other Wednesday, had once told me it was God's gift to women that He didn't let men's desires rise again when they'd just been satisfied, otherwise women would never get a chance to learn that our feet were for standing. I took it as a small reassurance now that I was alone with the man.
I turned and pushed the door shut, the hinges creaking as it closed with a small click.
"Douthwaite told me about you," Mr. Reddy said.
I turned to face him. His eyes were a bright green, and as his head tipped, I noticed the slight point to his ears. He looked human, but not quite.
I dipped my head. "He said he would."
"You could pass," he suggested.
I pressed my lips together and shook my head slowly. "Not for…not for long."
Mr. Reddy leaned forward. "So…what is it? Witch blood? Elf with clipped ears? Or was your father a werewolf and you get a little rowdy on full moons?"
What are you? I wanted to say. I had sworn to Pa to never tell anyone, not unless it would help me hide. But that's what Mr. Douthwaite said I would do here—hide where I was safe.
"My mother was a nymph," I said. "She left me at my father's door."
Mr. Reddy nodded slowly and hummed. "Flighty little creatures. Very commitment averse. Incredible fucks."
My jaw clenched.
"Easy to hide too. Show me your ears."
I turned my head and pulled my hair away from my ears. "The scars aren't easy to see."
"Good. There's only so many places in the world for people like us, Miss Nix," Mr. Reddy said, arms crossing over his chest and resting on his stomach. "I have my position because I fought for it and because I don't make a show of myself. Our audience pays to see humans, you understand?"
I nodded quickly.
His answering smile was grim. "But a little nymph blood suits this theater. You know what to do?"
This was the hard sell, I knew. But I wouldn't be able to fool him, I could tell that much about Mr. Reddy. "Only a little," I admitted. I'd bedded two young men, entirely in preparation to arrive here. Both experiences were short events. I'd already learned more about sex while walking through the underbelly of the theater.
Mr. Reddy shrugged. "The girls would get jealous if you got featured right away anyways. You'll get your practice, and you'll start slow. But be careful backstage. We’re not used to innocents in these halls."
That explained Nireas's puzzling warning. I drew in a slow breath and glanced down at my lap, trying to hold onto my courage.
"I'll tell Myra to keep an eye on you," Mr. Reddy said, and I was surprised by the gentleness in his tone. It must've shown on my face because he gave me another one of those solemn smiles. "I know what you walked in on, but girls only come to my office when they want something. If that something is a day off or a good part, we talk. If it's a quick fuck, they hop on the desk. It's up to them. You understand?"
I nodded again, my nerves and worry settling. The truth was, those two brief experiences of sex had taught me only one thing—I wanted more. I wasn't even sure why. I hadn't moaned or giggled like the women here at the theater. I hadn't sweat and rutted like Mr. Reddy. I'd liked being touched. I'd liked the wonder on the young men's faces. No one had ever looked at me that way before, awed and thrilled, like I was exactly what they'd hoped for.
