Page 139 of Their Pretty Little Monster

I shudder, almost losing my footing, and slide off the wall.

“You all right?” Killian grunts.

“Yeah.”

Elara, what’s going on? I need your help with the Nythrax beast. It’s got us trapped.

Fuck! Why aren’t you using your ability? I’ve felt how strong you are. Why haven’t you destroyed it yet?

I’m tired of being told that when I feel anything but strong.

Stop letting your fear block you. You have the power inside you.

I’m trying, but it’s not working, and I don’t know how to stop being scared when we’re going to die. I don’t have control of my ability.

You need to be at your full power to defeat it. She sighs. If I’d known you couldn’t control it… Shit! Let me help. In an instant, a sharp pain jolts through me, electricity snapping down my arms. I collapse to my knees, heaving for breath, but something else stirs inside me. That light sensation from earlier—the power that lingers just beneath the surface.

“Sage?” Killian asks.

My heart’s racing, my mind is in overdrive, and I feel different, lighter, as though I’m floating.

With a growl, I stagger to my feet, and instantly, the power flares through me, an explosion of electric energy rippling down my arms.

“Shit, Sage, are you—” Killian’s getting to his feet, but I need to move, knowing what needs to be done.

“Stay here,” I call out, rushing out of the cave and scanning the forests.

In the distance to my right, the beast has one paw pressed down on Wolfe beneath him as Nyko relentlessly attacks it.

I scream from my terror as the beast lifts its paw to finish off Wolfe.

In a heartbeat, I summon a shadow Nythrax beast, and it’s here in the blink of an eye, right next to the real one. As I did back in the vessel when I faced that snake, I’m punching and kicking to indicate I want it to attack the beast.

My shadow lunges at the real one, their bodies clashing with a force that shakes the ground.

Nyko swoops down, grabs Wolfe, and they rush back to me. They’re saying something, glancing my way, but I don’t have time, not when every bit of concentration remains on the battle I can’t lose.

The real beast roars, swiping its massive claws, but they pass right through its opponent’s body. My shadow mirrors its moves, parrying every strike. It snarls, biting into the real creature’s hide, using its solid form, just as the snake had done back on the vessel.

Green blood sprays, and I’m cheering that it worked. My shadow is savage and relentless, tearing into the beast with unmatched ferocity. It latches onto the back of its neck, ripping away a huge chunk of flesh.

I cringe as Nyko and Wolfe call my name, but I’m too busy punching the air to control it. I have no idea if my motions are needed, but it feels like I’m actually fighting.

The Nythrax pivots instantly and brutally bites down, fangs sinking into my shadow’s side. It slices through me, the agony, the pain. I’m screaming, falling to my knees.

Shit, I experience its pain?

I reach to my side, expecting a hole, but instead, my body is airy and cold. Glancing down, I notice I look different. I gasp, my head spinning as I stumble back onto my feet.

My entire form resembles a void, as though I’m staring into space at the stars through myself. I have my body shape, but it’s a dark, star-filled expanse. Against my fingertips, my body feels cold, and there’s no substance I can reach into the void. I have no idea how I did this.

Wolfe and Nyko rush to my side.

“Princess, you finally turned into your monster form,” Nyko coos.

“Fucking hell, you’re everything.” Wolfe smiles, shaking his head. “But how about you destroy the beast now?”

I swing my gaze to the animal who’s attacking my shadow form again, every swipe of its claw plunging right through the body. Steeling myself, I prepare for the fight. The energy flares through me, a strange, exhilarating power.

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