Page 14 of Land of Monsters

The truth was plain to see.

?

Light drifted between my lids, pulling me from a deep sleep. The rumble of my stomach, crying out for food, forced my eyesopen to a cloudy day. I could tell by the sky above it had to be midday. My system shut down for over twelve hours. I hadn’t slept so long in years.

Cocooned in blankets and warmth, I woke up alone. Again. I popped my head up in search of Raven, a frown tugging at my lips. An irritated sense of déjà vu rushed over me when I noticed her vacant spot, rumpled blanket, and my empty arms.

Pushing myself up, I ran a hand through my hair, a vexed grunt rolling up my throat.Did she not remember what I told her last time about being on her own here?

Somewhere in my brain, I knew she’d be okay. The people in this place weren’t the fighting type. Even Dubthach wouldn’t hurt her outright; it went against his creed. Yet annoyance rocked me up to my feet, accompanied by my anger at her for leaving this room without me.

Like you did last night?

A hazy memory of Celeste down on her knees flashed in my memory, her tongue exploring my cock. And I had walked away before it went any further.

I pinched my nose with a groan, examining my clothes strewn over the floor, trailing up to the bed, recalling how easily I had stripped and crawled into bed with Raven.

Even after everything that had happened, all my claims, my fears, in my drug-induced state, I ran back here. To her.

Dread kicked like a stubborn mule, knocking air from my lungs. Caring just led to pain. The last time I let myself go down that road, I barely made it through, and some part of me didn’t.

I died with them. I would not do it again.

She didn’t belong here. Not in my fight. She needed to go back home, where they could deal with who was after her. The king and queen were a lot more capable than I was. She should’ve returned home the moment her bodyguard was murdered in that pub.

Why didn’t she? Why did she follow me instead? Drawing me into a situation I never needed to be in? I doubted her family would believe I didn’t know who she was, dragging her to Romania and getting the princess involved in life-and-death circumstances.

They’d hang me.

My emotions turned to ire, pointing at her.

I took the quickest shower ever, needing to get the feel of Celeste’s mouth off me. I dressed quickly and left, moving through the camp, searching for the thorn in my side.

As if I knew where she would be, I headed toward the food tent but came to a halt at the gardens, my lungs hitching. Hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, her cheeks rosy and healthy, Raven crawled on her hands and knees through dirt in the plant bed, hands caked in damp soil.

I stood there enjoying the view of her surrounded by nature, smiling as she conversed with an older human woman with graying hair next to her. They chatted away while they picked herbs. Every inch of me got hard, reacting to a kink I didn’t know I had.

Rejuvenated energy and magic thrummed off her. Without the bracelet, I could feel it hum in my bones, making something in my gut flare, then instantly turn to rage.

I was perfectly content before she came into my life. Satisfied to avenge my lovers and be done with it all. Join them in death. It was what I wanted.

She had no right to come along and flip everything upside down, especially because of who she was. Something I could never have. Being here with me was only temporary until she moved on from her ex.

There was no way I would love again, but even if I did, it couldneverbe her… for so many reasons.

I started out wanting her to go home, but now it was my mission. For her safety and for my sanity, I would force her.

“Raven.” I stomped over to the garden, cutting through their chatter like a cleaver. Their heads popped up. Raven’s smile wilted off her face, her eyes taking in my tense attitude. “What in the hell are you doing?”

Her lids constricted. “Gardening.” She returned to digging up mushrooms, her tone combative. “As a nature fairy, I thought it’d be pretty obvious.”

A huff streamed through my nose, her insolence driving a nail through the back of my neck, generating even more exasperation.

I used to be calm and cool. Centuries of living with Warwick set the bar high to invoke turmoil. Pretty much nothing ruffled my feathers anymore. Except her. She had me losing my shit faster than anyone.

“Yes,” I gritted. “I see that.”

“Then why did you ask?” She dropped the fungi into the satchel, brushing back a loose strand of hair with the back of her hand. “Helping Maria make mushroom soup.” She nodded at the woman next to her. The lady smiled nervously at me, her eyes darting between us like she knew she should leave, the tension straining like an out-of-tune violin.

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