Book Five: Chapter 18

He had seemed so helpless in that moment, but had accepted her without any fear. It had been that way with all the Caretakers, an immediate kinship that they felt with the monsters of the house. But Mike had been different. He had been just as enamored of her as she had been with him, and she couldn’t wait to feel his soft flesh against her fingertips. Her mind lingered on the memory, tracing the gentle curve of his shoulders, the warmth of his skin, the way his gaze had held hers without hesitation. The thought made her pulse quicken, and she flexed her fingers, imagining the sensation of brushing against him again.

She imagined that humans felt the same way about plush dolls as she did about them. They were so fragile and cute, almost unbearably delicate, she simply couldn’t help it. She could understand why they cherished the little things, the way she cherished them—not out of possession, but out of an intense, protecti