The Monster's Den

The Monster’s Den Jillian West Copyright © 2023 by Jillian West 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. Camila Marques Open World Covers Contents Author’s Note Chapter 1 Emerson Chapter 2 Emerson Chapter 3 Emerson Chapter 4 Dread Chapter 5 Emerson Chapter 6 Laithe Chapter 7 Emerson Chapter 8 Ryktus Chapter 9 Emerson Chapter 10 Dread Chapter 11 Emerson Chapter 12 Ryktus Chapter 13 Emerson Chapter 14 Arsyn Chapter 15 Emerson Chapter 16 Laithe Chapter 17 Emerson Chapter 18 Dread Chapter 19 Emerson Chapter 20 Ryktus Chapter 21 Emerson Chapter 22 Arsyn Chapter 23 Emerson Chapter 24 Ryktus Chapter 25 Emerson Chapter 26 Laithe Chapter 27 Emerson Chapter 28 Arsyn Epilogue Epilogue Epilogue Epilogue Epilogue Epilogue Thank you!! Also by Jillian West Author’s Note The Monster’s Den is for the most part a relatively light and fluffy rom-com paranormal romance. It’s more of an action based plot than my normal style of character driven. It’s low stress/angst. Any major issues that arise will be dealt with swiftly and in a comical manner. The men in this book are monsters so you’ll see a bit more of their animalistic natures on page, but they are quite soft for our FMC. >>Spoilers Below This Point<< Emerson is a single mom to a half-shifter daughter. Her daughter’s father abandoned them prior to the beginning of the story, but I am noting it just in the interest of full disclosure. One of the H’s is a vampire and there will be sharing/drinking blood. There is a bit of exhibitionism and voyeurism. A few light BDSM elements and some breeding kink. The FMC is a sex worker and she meets her men as her customers. Well kind of. I think anymore would be a major spoiler. You can reach me at [email protected] or via social media. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions or would like anything clarified. If I’ve missed any things that should be listed please reach out to me on social media or email me and I’m happy to correct it. Chapter One Emerson A yawn escapes. I'm on the last hour of a double shift, and my body feels every second of it. Rolling my neck from side to side, I give the customer a placating smile. My back aches from holding up my boobs all day. I'm damn cranky, I know. The diner is filled with late-night stragglers, drunks needing some carbs on the way home from the bar, and rowdy college kids after the club. Friday and Saturday nights are the worst. Not that I have much room to complain. A job is a job, and I'm grateful to have it, since it puts food on the table for me and my daughter. I roll my eyes for the twentieth time as the frat guy asks for my number. He's hot in that all-American, guy-next-door way, but men in general aren’t currently on my radar. I might be their age, but I feel like I've got several decades of life experience on them. The next time he asks if he can hit me up sometime, I swear I'm going to the kitchen, grabbing a basket of fries, and every time he opens his mouth, I'm going to shove a couple in. The guys are laughing and making crude comments under their breath, but I'm way too freaking exhausted to care. All I want to do is close out their check and get home to crawl into bed. A pang of depression hits me square in the chest when I realize I have to wake up and do this all over again tomorrow, but that's life. Keeping a roof over mine and Ember's heads means I don't get to take days off just because I'm physically and mentally worn down. * * * I toss my tips into my bag and zip the side pocket. My eyes fly to the clock by the back door—I'm thirty minutes late to pick up Ember. Mrs. Brown won't be pleased. She's my neighbor who watches my munchkin while I'm working. With a shake of my head, I sigh. That last table of drunk guys didn't want to leave. They stuck around forever, but I'm finally free. I push open the back door and head out, scanning the alleyway. I hate leaving alone at this time of night—it's just asking for trouble—but I don't have a lot of options these days. Or rather, the options I do have aren’t very appealing. If being a struggling single mom wasn’t bad enough, I’ve got my ex’s debt constantly hanging over my head. That asshole jumped ship two months after I found out I was pregnant. He left me with a massive financial burden I didn’t rack up, but apparently, because I was involved with Alix, and I'm busy caring for his kid that he abandoned . . . Somehow, the local alpha is convinced that debt falls on me. I don't agree, but Alpha Brayden is bigger and scarier than I am. It doesn't leave me with many choices, outside of paying the ridiculous debt that seems to grow every time I see one of his lackeys. The echoing sound of my Converse hitting the pavement follows me down the alley until I round the corner. The front of the restaurant is mostly dead, with only a few cars remaining in the parking lot. I vaguely hope those college guys either walked somewhere or called a freaking cab. The route to my duplex takes me past the front of the building, and once I hit the parking lot, I know I'm not going to enjoy the rest of the night. A chill shivers its way down my spine as I spot three of the guys from