Page 39 of Monsters of Air

“You’d bleed me?” Disgust filled my voice as my lips curled. First they eat us, then they rape us, now this. The Fae really were monsters.

“Not what I mean, little girl.”

“They’d breed you,” Zilon whispered.

Okay, great, so we were back to the rape. And impregnation. I was going to be sick.

“That’s your plan. Kidnap a bunch of riders to breed them?” The words tasted like bile.

“Divine beings have a better chance of making more of the blessed children, and you smell like you would give us exactly what we have been waiting for.” Something about that spoken through bruises and blood made it twice as creepy. Divine, blessed children, he was starting to sound like he was part of a cult.

“Stop talking to her,” Philit snapped as Zilon pulled me back.

“Why? She seems to enjoy talking to me.”

Before Philit could react, Landers was there, giving the Fae a swift kick in the ribs, the Fae shrieked and howled and tried to move away. Philit wasn’t letting him go anywhere.

“We should just kill this piece of trash,” Landers growled, breathing heavily as he stared down at the Fae with pure hatred in his gaze. “We aren’t going to get anything out of him.”

“See, Rayna.” The Fae looked back at me, clearly dismissing Landers and the others. “They’re weak. Their only decision is to murder. They’re incapable of thinking further than the violence that thrums through their veins. They don’t deserve you.”

“And you do?” I asked, my stomach flipping as he said my name. I hadn’t even realized they had heard it. “You can do better than them?” It was so hard to keep the revulsion off my expression, but somehow I managed.

“We’d definitely make you stronger than they will ever allow you. They will only use you for what your blood gives them. They use you to make themselves strong. We will make you strong on your own.”

I balled my hands into fists, trying to control my breathing. It was almost like he knew how much I struggled. How desperately I wanted to be their equal.

“A dragon’s goal is to make you rely on them for strength,” The Fae continued when I didn’t say anything. “It isn’t like they’re all that strong. Your father would be alive if they were. They would have known the moment you got far away from them. They’d feel it. So why did it take them so long to help you? And?”

I took in a sharp breath, pain lancing through me at his words. I glanced at the other three in shock, part of me wondering how much of that was true.

Philit didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at me, he just stomped forward and kicked the Fae, knocking him out. The Fae slumped back against the floor, his head lolling unnaturally.

“Why did you do that?” Zilon asked him.

“I didn’t want to hear any more of his lies. Besides, we need to get sleep and with him gabbing in the background, that wasn’t going to happen.” Philit turned to me. “Don’t mind what the Fae said. In fact, erase that bullshit from your head right now. They want you for themselves so they can mate you. You are only a pussy to fuck and a belly to breed to them. Ignore him and get some sleep.”

Yeah, because that seemed possible.

He stomped toward the entrance of the cave, where Zilon had just come from, leaving me to gape after him.

I knew he was right. Everyone had said as much. Hell, the Fae had said as much. But that didn’t stop his words from pricking holes in my thoughts and turning it to cheese.

I followed Zilon to the fire, wrapping my damp blanket around me in a foolish attempt to get warm. At least the cave was protection against the frigid wind and snow outside. I could already feel my blanket begin to dry and heat, not that I was going to be able to get any sleep regardless.

I stared at the small flickering flames, the crackling of the wet logs mixing with the snores from Landers who had already curled up. I couldn’t get the Fae’s words out of my head.

His promise of my own strength. His taunt that Da would still be alive if the Dragon’s had been fast enough. It twisted in my mind like a worm.

But I couldn’t let it take hold, I wouldn’t let it.

Because no matter what he said, they had been the one to kill Da.

That Fae had slaughtered him long before the dragon’s had arrived.

That was why I could never trust them.

Why they would always be my enemy.

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