Monsters Are Hidden

Monsters Are Hidden GODS AMONG MEN SERIES ALTA HENSLEY Copyright © 2023 by Alta Hensley All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Dedication For all the people who wanted to invite the Monster under the bed to join you as you slept. Contents Warning Intro Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 About the Author Also by Alta Hensley Warning Enter this tale at your own risk. It’s dark. It’s dirty. It’s about the monster that makes the scary bumps in the night. The problem with secrets is they create powerful monsters. And even more dangerous enemies. He’s the keeper of all his family’s secrets, the watcher of all. He knows what I’ve done, what I’ve risked… the deadly choice I made. The tangled vines of his mighty family tree are strangling me. There is no escape. I am locked away, captive to his twisted obsession and demands. If I run, my hell will never end. If I stay, he will devour me. My only choice is to dare the monster to come out into the light, before his darkness destroys us both. Yes… he is the monster in hiding. And he is the end of my beginning. Chapter One Ani I don’t know what time it is. I’ve been sleeping more than I’ve been awake, and the darkness of the night has deepened. I am curiously removed from the world around me and wake slowly, disorientated, with soft sheets luxurious against my skin. A feeling of stillness hangs in the air, and the room is lit by a soft night light that is always kept on. Somewhere, in the distance, a clock is ticking, and I feel a faint chill. I’ve been in this mansion for weeks—maybe even a month. Each day has blended with the next, and I feel as if I’m living in an odd purgatory between the hell I was once in and a potential future of better times ahead now that he’s gone. Forever gone. Gone. My phone vibrates on the nightstand beside me, which makes me wonder if that is the sound that woke me. It’s my sister calling, so I answer quickly. If I don’t, she’ll start to panic. “Hey.” I reach for the glass of water beside my bed. My voice is scratchy, and I don’t want Daphne to worry even more that I may be getting sick or something. “Did I wake you?” “I really need to start sleeping on a regular schedule. I’m losing all sense of time.” “You’re healing. Your body went through a lot,” Daphne says, softly. “Your mind did, too.” This isn’t the first time she’s given me this reassurance. Every time I bring up how I should leave and get out of her hair, I receive this same lecture. “I know, but I’m feeling better. The bruising is fading. Nothing I can’t hide with a little makeup.” I leave out the fact that I have the kind of makeup that covers the bruises back at my trailer and have done this multiple times. “You aren’t ready to leave Olympus,” Daphne says, clearly reading my mind. “I don’t want you in that tin can any longer.” “That tin can is my home.” “It’s a piece-of-shit trailer, and it doesn’t need to be your home. I can help you—” “I’m not taking your money,” I say. “Ani…” “I’m serious. You and Apollo have already done far more than I’m comfortable with.” My sister and I have been having this argument ever since she married into the Godwin family. Just because she has access to money now doesn’t mean I do. I don’t take charity or handouts. Never have. Never will. “Tell me about the house you visited today,” I say. “I’m assuming you’ve seen it by now.” “It’s so pretty. Everything inside is what I imagined it would be. It’s perfect. Apollo said we can buy it. It has three bedrooms, so if you want to move—” “I’m not moving in with you guys,” I say. “No way. Don’t even think that’s a possibility. It’s bad enough I’m staying in the infamous Godwin family estate. I’m sure I’m an uninvited guest.” “I invited you. Apollo invited you. And both of us want you to remain there until we come up with a plan to get you in a better situation.” “I need to come up with a plan. Not we. This is my problem. My messed-up life.” She sighs heavily on the other end of the phone but doesn’t argue any further. Instead, she says, “Thank you for remembering this house and giving the information to Apollo. It was by far the most romantic thing I could have experienced. A true Cinderella story.” “You deserve it,” I say, and she does. My older sister has always done whatever she could for me, and it’s time for her to put herself first. “We’re going to stay in Seattle for a couple of days while Apollo does some work for Medusa Enterprises and also does what it takes to buy the house. Do you think you’ll be okay on the island without me?” I suppress the urge to groan as I sit up all the way, peering into the darkness. I’ve spent way too much time in bed, and my body is shouting for me to get up and stop