Page 200 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Underworld

My eyes instantly dart to Thorne, concern bubbling in my stomach, and anxiety building beneath my strong façade. Once the command is given, Berkley descends the stairs without hesitation, ushering Thorne with care through the mass of bodies out into the hall. The two fake mortals who were nothing but viscera scurry from their places on the dais down the stairs like roaches in the light.

“Why are you here?” I ask as my false bravado melts away.

Luce pouts his lips in a fake, exaggerated manner. “You don’t want to see us?”

No, I really don’t wish to see them. I’ve known since Thorne stepped into Hell that eventually this time would come. I step off the throne, wiping away the remnants of fake blood with a wave of magic, and stand before them, utterly unamused. “Just tell me what you want, so I can be done with seeing you for the next few thousand years.”

Lilith looks down at her nails before meeting my gaze with icy eyes.

“Aamon dear, please stop being so sassy with us. We did just see you behave quite out of character for our sweet little boy. We may need a drink to deal with the shock of it all.” Her tone suggests she’s merely toying with me. She has no intention of sharing a drink at all with me, or anything else for that matter.

“Just come out with it, please. I have other more pressing things to deal with than the two of you showing up here to taunt me,” I snarl, crossing my arms defiantly over my chest.

Luce’s smile creeps over his face disturbingly, making my skin crawl. “Well, the use of a glamour and your behavior, as well as the many, many whispers of a mortal living in your home, tell us everything we need to know, sweetums.” His tone is saccharine, and he grabs hold of Lilith’s hand, chuckling. “So, tell us when were you planning to ask for permission to have someone here?”

I begin to answer, my mouth parting, but it’s immediately silenced by Lilith replying in my stead, “I think Aamon was going to hide things from us. After all the years we welcomed you into our life, you intended to keep secrets.” She pauses, though she doesn’t intend to let me answer. I know her game quite well. “It’s a great thing that, as far as warlocks go, he’s fairly useless; however, I think it may be in everyone's best interest if you allow Luce and me to meet him.”

A snarl rises in the back of my throat, but I swallow it down, schooling my features to appear entirely void of emotion. “My warlock may be useless, but that is quite the way I like him. There is no need for you to meet him. He's leaving tomorrow.”

“Really, that’s so quick,” Luce says, laughing. “If that’s the case, then I suppose we have nothing to worry about. If I recall, the last mortal you allowed to come here maimed Lilith’s favorite pet, and we were forced to kill it.”

Lilith scowls, dropping Luce’s hand before stepping toward me, pinning me with a stare that speaks of the injustice she feels she suffered. “I think we were quite clear that the next time you decided to do anything without our permission, we would be less than kind. So get rid of the warlock, and if we have to come back to tell you again, you’ll wish we hadn’t.”

I know she means it. I will never forget the sound of Sinead’s screams as Lilith and Luce ripped her arms from her torso andfed her limbs to Cerberus. “He will be gone tomorrow, I assure you.”

“Okay, sweetums.” Luce pats the side of Lilith’s arm, exuding calm out of every pore. “Let’s go. Aamon will be a good boy.”

As they turn to leave, I don’t miss the way Lilith says under her breath how she regrets having me in their triad because I am a soft, imbecilic birdbrain.

I truly do not miss being part of their life in any way, though now I must keep Thorne safe.

“Sir!” I hear suddenly once I’m at the enormous double doors. “Thorne is missing!”

Hawthorne

As I burstdown the sloping lawn and into the night, the streets’ vivid colors blur around me. The air is suffocating and stings my lungs as I push myself to run faster. Every corner I turn leads me further into the maze of the city.

“Stop!” a nasal voice shouts behind me in desperation. “You cannot go into the city alone!”

I can’t stop.

Adrenaline courses through me, drowning out any thoughts. My heart is pounding in my chest like a drum. I glance behind me, wondering who is calling after me, but I see nothing but a vacant street.

I skid around corners, snaking through the alleyways so quickly that my breathing is in ragged gasps. Ahead, the alley splits into two roads, and I choose the one to the left without a second thought.

“Please, sir, just stop!” the voice continues to call out, begging me to return to the mansion, but I ignore it.

I can almost feel freedom as I see the alley open up into a large square where masses of people search through stalls of trinkets. They’re bustling around, mindlessly busying themselves. I can easily go unnoticed in the crowd.

I skid to a halt as an oppressive shadow envelops the entire alley, sucking out all the color and sound with it. My heart sinks, and I panic, searching behind me for a way out, but it consumes both exits.

“No more running, boy.” The voice has a deep, guttural timbre to it that sends shivers down my spine, suffocating me with its authority. My skin prickles as the raw power radiates outward into my bones.

Aamon.

A spectral hand darts from the darkness, pulling me toward him effortlessly. I thrash and kick, but his hold on me is ruthless. Aamon’s eyes are no longer a golden hue, but a deep colorless void. His white seraph wings are now black and rotting, dripping an inky crimson liquid onto the street.

“Where do you think you could run to?”

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