Read Online Monster Mine by Meg Collett - Free Book Online Page A

we’re all here together. We can figure out
the other stuff before the end of winter break.”
    A knock sounded on the door, causing
Hatter to jump. He unlocked it and poked his head out. A second
later, he looked back at me. “Some skinny kid with
food.”
    “ Hey, Ollie!” Ghost called
from the hall as he poked his silver head around Hatter.
    “ He’s okay.”
    Hatter stepped back and the kid
entered carrying a paper plate with a teetering mound of peanut
butter crackers and another glass of lemonade. “I thought you all
might be hungry.” He grinned around at us, even at Luke, who just
stared blankly at him.
    “ For crackers?” Hatter
crossed his arms over his chest.
    “ Oh.” The kid looked down
at the plate. “It’s all I could—”
    “ It’s perfect. Thanks,
Ghost.” I stood from the bed and took the plate and glass from him,
glaring at Hatter. “I appreciate the food. Is anyone else
here?”
    “ They’re all hunting,” he
pouted. “Oh! I’m supposed to tell you that Hex wants to talk to you
before the sun sets.”
    “ Absolutely not,” Luke
said, the forcefulness of his words rocking Ghost back onto his
heels.
    Ignoring Luke and the way my heart
bucked at the sound of my father’s name, I asked, “Do you know
why?”
    “ Thad told me before he
went out. He’s the only one who talks to Hex.” Ghost snuck a
scuttling sideways look at Luke, who I could tell had hurt his
feelings. “You have to go soon before Hex starts his
hunt.”
    “ Are they hunting for the
rogue ’swang that killed those other three?” Sunny
asked.
    Ghost’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
“How did you know?”
    “ A rogue?” Luke asked at
the same time as Hatter said, “The halflings hunt rogue
’swangs?”
    “ Well
. . . yeah .”
    I admired the subtle sarcasm overlaid
with a soft hint of disdain in Ghost’s voice. It had been a while
since I’d spoken “teenager,” which reminded me: my birthday had
passed during my time with Max. No one knew I was nineteen
now.
    “ Won’t the sun be setting
soon?” Sunny asked, shooting me a worried glance. We all knew what
that meant: when the sun went down, I’d be talking with an aswang,
not a human.
    “ She’ll hit the rim
quickly.” I almost smiled at Ghost’s choice of words for describing
a sunset. He was clearly proud of having the opportunity to use
them, even if they reeked of something Thad would say. “I’m
supposed to bring you down once you’ve finished eating.”
    “ Ghost, is it?” Sunny came
forward, drawing the kid’s attention.
    I watched him subtly check her out the
way only young boys could. He saw her sweet curves, her easy smile,
and her pretty eyes. I remembered when I first saw the beautiful
Filipino girl standing in the ward at the university; I’d envied
her casual elegance and charm.
    “ Yes, miss.” Ghost shot
her a crooked smile full of slanted teeth that had a charm of their
own.
    “ Do you mind if we talk to
Ollie for a minute? Not long. And we really appreciate the
crackers.”
    Ghost stuck his hands in his pockets,
busy thinking, but the battle was lost when Sunny turned her smile
up a notch or two. “Okay. I’ll be just out in the hall, but
hurry.”
    Hatter’s hard stare lingered on the
boy for a stretched-out breath before moving to Sunny and back
again. Only when he’d proved his point did he unlock the door and
let Ghost out. Hatter closed it behind him and leaned back against
the wood, propping his boot up.
    “ The kid’s listening in on
the other side,” he said. He cracked his elbow against the door,
right where a little urchin might crouch with his ear pushed
against the wood.
    From the other side came a muffled
curse.
    “ How do you know about the
rogue ’swang?” Hatter asked Sunny, crossing his arms back over his
chest.
    Sunny raised her brows, her eyes going
to the door. “I might have overheard it somewhere,” she said
carefully.
    Hatter nodded, understanding that
she’d been sneaking