Page 71 of Their Pretty Little Monster

“We can’t dismiss that idea,” he snarls. “It’s exactly what that bastard would do.” He’s practicing with the sword, cutting through the air, looking ready to go into battle, exerting himself.

“Wolfe, what the hell is up with you?” Yet, I recognize this behavior almost immediately as I question him, remembering he’s just fucked Sage. After I claimed her, the adrenaline rush was burning me alive. I had to go hunting just to shake it off… and now I watch Wolfe struggling with the same intensity.

He glances over at me, shaking from adrenaline. “I can’t help it. There’s something…”

“You’re feeling it, too, aren’t you?”

He growls, as though just standing still is killing him, and after a few more swings, he puts the sword back up on the cradle on the wall.

“Claiming Sage did something to you, just like it did to me. After I took her, I had an explosion of energy, so much that I needed to hunt before I went mad. And I see it in you now.”

He blinks, his brow furrowing.

“It feels as though she’s filling us with energy, like a battery, charging us to the maximum.”

His eyes widen. “You think she…”

“I do. Her powers are coming forward, and fuck, if this is a taste, she’s going to be a lot more powerful than any of us expected.”

My heart thumps faster just thinking of her ability, how easily it can hurt her if she’s not prepared.

“More reason to keep her protected with one of us at all times,” Wolfe states my exact thoughts. “But right now, I’ll fucking go insane if I don’t release this energy.” Pacing, he rubs his palms down the sides of his legs as though he has no idea what to do with them.

“Go!” I laugh, remembering very well the hyped-up intensity.

He’s already on his way out of the door. “You remain here with her,” he states, then he’s gone.

Thinking of Sage, my pulse pounds, and the staggering need to shield her from danger has me just as damn overwhelmed as Wolfe.

Wolfe

Imarch out of my quarters, not wanting to be away from Sage’s side. Yet, the adrenaline surges through me so fiercely I might go ballistic if I don’t expend the energy. And I sure as fuck don’t want to lose my shit in front of the other Shadowfen who are already questioning my ability to gain us back our kingdom.

My heart slams against my rib cage, muscles taut, insides tense—reminiscent of the times I’ve faced off with beasts. And now, I need to beat the shit out of something.

My thoughts spiral around her… as a half-Shadowfen, she should be weaker, her powers diluted, yet she carries an energy that impacts others in ways I’ve never seen before. All of my kind are born with their own level of shadow abilities, but this is something so much more. It’s as though she’s a conduit, transferring power into others.

That’s fucking unheard of.

There are tales of Shadowfen with unusual abilities from the past, tales of someone born with such strength that they possessed control of others’ shadows. It was so dangerous that they ended up locking her up in isolation. She carried the power to make others kill themselves, to turn against anyone, to manipulate the shadows as if they were her own limbs. She had the power of a God.

The thought churns deep in my gut, telling myself we won’t have that problem with Sage.

I rush toward the training rooms, passing Shadowfen staff, who glance at me, bowing their heads in respect. I take the back corridors to the elevator, not in the mood to deal with anyone.

“Wolfe,” a whiny voice calls from behind me, and I recognize it at once. Clay.

I roll my eyes, tensing all over as I twist around to find the captain coming at me like a Tidecreeper, his posture rigid, movements jerky. He’s seething, eyes burning with an intensity that makes his birdlike frame even more imposing.

“We have to talk,” he groans, the long, black and white feathers running the length under his arms fluttering in his approach.

“I’m busy,” I snap. “But if you insist, you can join me in the training room, and I’ll listen.”

He grumbles, clearly displeased. The Shadowfen isn’t a fighter, not with his frail appearance. He peers at me as if I’m joking.

“I’ve been trying to get hold of you, but you’ve been elusive.”

“Okay, you have me now. Talk, as I need something from you, too.” My annoyance rumbles behind my words at his persistence.

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