Page 13 of Their Pretty Little Monster

SAGE

Standing by the village lake, I stare into its darkness.

The Viscount has extinguished his lantern, and even with the moon’s help, I can barely make out anything but its reflection shimmering off the surface. Trees around the water’s edge sway, their leaves rustling in a soft, haunting whisper.

“Is this the right place?” I ask, glancing around. “The front gate to the village is in the opposite direction.” I squint into the darkness, trying to make sense of his motives, but I can’t even see his face.

He gives a light laugh, which surprises me—I’ve only heard dreadful things about him, but evidently, he can also laugh.

“This is exactly where we need to be. Now take my hand,” he commands.

It’s really impossible not to panic when you’re brought by the Viscount in the middle of the night to a lake, hardly being told anything but that I’m to be an Offering. Each breath sharpens, aching in my chest at how fast they’re coming. I keep imagining myself about to be shoved into the water… Is there a monster portal down there? While I can swim a bit, I’ll end up drowning.

I take a step back, every inch of me icy cold, but the Viscount has my hand firmly, tugging me alongside him.

“You don’t need to be scared.”

“Oh, I have plenty of reasons to be terrified,” I reply, the edge of panic sharpening my response. “Viscount, please tell me what’s going on?”

“Told you, call me Killian.” When he cuts a glance my way, his eyes are emitting that strange glow again. If I wasn’t about to start screaming from fear, I might have taken a moment to consider what it meant.

Suddenly, he starts mumbling something under his breath, but his voice rises, and it’s a language I don’t recognize. I was taught the basics about monsters, including the portals they can open and close with magic or incantations. Mom also told me that those selected as Bride Offerings won’t know how they will be treated until they arrive, but she suspected it’ll be more like a sacred duty we’re performing.

Except, wait… I don’t understand what the Viscount is doing as his gaze locks on the lake in front of us. Is he summoning the monster to collect me?

The water ripples outward from a spot in front of our feet as if someone dropped a pebble into it. And right in the middle, there’s a purple glow, growing brighter.

The Viscount’s incantation continues…

My thoughts die as a sudden splash of water sprays us in the face. I squeak out of shock, pulling on his hand to free myself, but he’s not releasing me.

“I’m not ready for this,” I murmur through chattering teeth at the sight in front of me.

The lake at our feet has morphed into a gaping hole, its edges glowing a sinister violet color while the heart of it yawns open into a black abyss. A mouth ready to swallow up everything… including me.

I recoil instinctively, fighting against the Viscount’s iron grip.

“It’s time to go,” he insists.

I’m shaking my head vehemently. “No, I can’t do this. I’m going to die.” Panic seizes me, squeezing my chest.

“There’s no other way and no going back now,” he states matter-of-factly. I hate his calmness.

He hauls me by the arm closer, his other arm wrapping around my lower back, forcing me to the edge of the lake.

“Please, I don’t want to do this. Just tell the monster I ran away. No one needs to know the truth.”

He laughs, a sound that sends shivers down my arms. “I promise it won’t be so bad.”

“That’s really not funny,” I protest, but my objections are cut short when he shoves me forward, right into the gaping maw of the portal.

A scream rips from my lips, echoing the terror of my recurring nightmare—falling into nothingness, just like when the room in my dream cracked in half, and I fell into it.

Flailing about through the void, I scream wildly.

As abruptly as the fall began, I’m shoved out into another place where natural light blinds me momentarily, and relentless rain drenches me. I stumble on unsteady feet, my head spinning.

Where in the hell am I?

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