Page 3 of Land of Monsters

It took just a minute for the temperature to prickle at my skin, forcing my lids open again. I seized another huge inhale and sat up, peering down at my healing wounds. Still red and tender to the touch, they at least had stopped bleeding. They were a touchstone, a reality check to everything that had happened last night. The truth of who she really was.

My gaze flew over to the curled-up figure, her torn jacket and sweater laying over her delicate frame. It was hard to liken this petite, stunning girl to the deadly creature I saw last night.

She saved my life… twice. However, I couldn’t fight the betrayal I felt from her not telling me. From feeling like I was being deceived since day one.

Now I understood it was never the Russians who put the cuff on her wrist to lock away her powers. She had done it herself. To keep her powers in check, hiding them from the world.

There were so many things I missed, not putting the pieces together. Her elegant mannerisms and refined etiquette. The diamond earrings she wore and didn’t even think about thembeing ostentatious, yet at the same time being so meticulously trained in fighting.

She was a dark dweller—a bloodyprincess. Her mother was the queen of the entire Unified Nations, a Druid, and could have my head on a spike. Her father was one of the most feared “retired” assassins from the Otherworld and was rumored to still do shady shit for the king.

In a sick twist, I had met her father, Lorcan, already. The year before, when they helped us fight Istvan, though I barely remembered any of them. That night was a haze for me, except for one moment. I didn’t recall much outside of watching Lukas and Kek die.

Sighing, I shoved out my thoughts from burrowing deeper. Exhaustion already sagged my shoulders, my body wanting to go right back to sleep and continue to heal. But we couldn’t. It wouldn’t be long before the Russians came back searching for us. And they would come prepared.

Climbing to my feet, I pulled on my pants, watching her as if she’d rise like some horror movie. The fragile girl was only the shell of what lay inside.

A Natural Obscurer.

“Spread out. Search everywhere.” A thick, muffled voice from outside broke through the silence, seeping through the wood door and jerking me around in terror.

Holy shit.

Snagging the pick from the spot where it laid next to me all night, I snuck to the door. Built into a mountain, the old ticket booth had two small boarded-up windows on either side of the entrance and one cut out of the door for dealing with customers. The wood covering the ticket window was weathered and warped, allowing me to peek through the gap.

Expecting the Russian Mafia, I caught my breath when I noticed figures dressed in light camouflage tracking down thepath, blending in with the snowy terrain, carrying automatic rifles.

Their arms bore a royal insignia patch.

Sonya’s.

My pulse thudded against my neck, and I gripped the handle, like the axe had any chance against their guns. One round would tear through our flesh, cutting our bodies in half in mere seconds.

With everything going on, it hadn’t occurred to me that Iain was still out there hunting us. Stupid. Of course he wouldn’t just let me slip away like that, but the fact they tracked us here? Not good.

My attention jumped over to Raven, out cold, oblivious to the danger lurking up to us. Fae might have a lot more strength, speed, and infinite life compared to humans, but we still had our weaknesses. Those times when we were vulnerable. When we had to shut down and knit ourselves back together, we were at our most defenseless.

At least a dozen various-sized figures crept by the sloped stone incline up to the booth. The heavy snow and years of nature taking over concealed it slightly from the main path. Though I knew it was only a matter of minutes before someone came up here to investigate, finding the door lock busted.

And we had nowhere to go.

One way in and one way out.

Sweat dotted my hairline, and the axe handle was damp under my grip. Holding my breath, I waited. It would just take one to point at the booth and we were dead.

A dozen soldiers slunk by their target on the way to the caves, probably thinking that was where we hid. And in any other circumstances, it would’ve been. Safe from the elements and a lot warmer than out here, it would be a natural place to make camp for the night.

The crack of branches heavy with snow murmured that nature was waking up to an overcast day. I watched the group creep by, still ready to hear one shout out. Every thud of my heart was like a bomb ticking down. Waiting felt like years as I tried to keep my anxiety in check.

Warwick was always the cool one in situations like this, the one who never seemed fazed in life-and-death situations. Maybe because he had died. Brutally. Brexley dragged his soul from the depths and brought him back.

Death was his comrade, not his enemy.

Normally I was collected and calm as well, while Kitty was the one who would be listing all the things that could go wrong.

In the last year, I had lost all fear of death. If anything, I begged for it. Demanded it come and get me. Take me into its dark embrace because nothing could be worse than the hell I was living. But somewhere, something had changed.

The pure, unfiltered fear of them finding us made me dizzy, except I knew it wasn’t in fear of my own death. My gaze was caught by the figure tucked into a tight ball, her body shivering again.

---