Page 130 of Their Pretty Little Monster

All right, I think. So why are you telling me this?

I never knew my mother. I saw in some of your visions that yours loved you so much.

Wait, did you see all my thoughts? You saw everything?

She laughs, sounding eerily like me. I didn’t have enough time to see a lot of your memories during the blood connection. Only a few, but I focused mainly on you and the three Shadowfen you’re mated to. And how much they chase you.

My cheeks flush, thinking of the intimate moments she might have seen. I’m uncomfortable.

Don’t worry, I’ve seen far worse from a young age. Not much shocks me anymore. But now that we’re connected, I can only see the memories you send. I can communicate with you when I open up the channel between us.

Can I talk to you when I want to?

Not really how it works.

So… why won’t you tell the King about our real mission, then? I ask, unable to hide what she’s seen in my thoughts. When she doesn’t respond, I press, Is it because he mistreats you? I know how it feels.

You wouldn’t, she snaps.

I grew up in a village where everyone hated me because I was different, so I know a bit about being pushed aside, never accepted.

At least you had your mother. I don’t remember mine. I have a few friends, but they’re too afraid of my father.

I’m sorry.

Silence.

Do you want us to help you get away from our father?

She laughs bitterly. That’s never going to be possible.

Yet I hear a sliver of hope in her voice. Why else would she reach out to me to show me those visions if not a cry for help?

I will try to help, I promise.

Then, the fuzz in my head is gone. She’s disconnected from our chat. She’s gone. I lie on the bed, blinking up at the ceiling, set to help Elara. But first, we need to somehow survive my father’s madness.

Chapter

Thirty-Five

NYKO

After an enormous meal, more than I expected from the false dicknose King, I’ve been crashed on the couch, listening to Wolfe talking for what feels like an eternity about all the ways tomorrow could go, what quests we might face, and, most importantly, how we could use the moment to our advantage.

Now, he’s up on his feet, staring out at the city, melancholy as hell, and I can’t damn blame him. Being back here, reminded of what he lost, is gut-wrenching. I feel the sting twisting in my heart, too. I lost my father to the Great Desolation, killed in the destruction, my mother died while she gave birth to me, and it’s taken me a damn long time to accept their loss. I’m not over it—never will be. So, being here, all I can think about is anger, wanting someone to pay.

I clench my fists, grinding my teeth.

That’s when I realize that Killian and Sage have been in one of the other rooms for too long. They’re way too quiet, which makes me suspicious. I leave behind the living area where Wolfe is lost in his thoughts and stroll down the long corridor. I hear a small laugh, leading me to the bathroom. I knock on the door, and it swings open—it wasn’t shut.

It’s a grand room with an enormous tub built into the floor, large enough to comfortably hold five to six Shadowfen in monster form. Right now, Sage sits upright quickly at seeing me as though she’s been caught doing something. The tub is filled with a mountain of suds, the jets whirring as they shoot water around.

“You’re looking suspicious.” I stroll over to her and hit the button on the side of the tub to stop the jets. The sound was setting my teeth on edge.

She blinks at me, taking her time responding, her gorgeous little mouth hanging open. “I-I’m fine.” She’s grinning a lot, her breathing coming quickly, and I’m curious about what she’s been up to. Something she’s hiding, that’s for sure.

Sitting on the edge of the tub, I scoop some suds and stare at my gorgeous princess, who’s blushing immensely.

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