Page 75 of Land of Monsters

Glancing over my shoulder, I made sure we weren’t being followed as the trek took us back to the old town. Not that anyone was coherent enough to follow us from the club. If they did survive, they would be healing for weeks after what she did to them.

Raven was magnificent in the most terrifying way. Her devastation was felt in the atmosphere, watering the earth with blood, which even nature bowed to. I stood in the middle of her chaos with no fear of her wrath. Death fell around me like dominoes, a whirlwind of blood and screams, and I was the one she bowed to. As if I was the rock she had to smash against to find herself in the madness.

Wind whipped at my face and nose, the storm rolling in fast, the taste of snow in the air. I rushed to the only place I could think of. When we turned the corner, music rose in the air, and people milled in and out of the door, debauchery already eliciting customers in to escape life.

There was nowhere else to go, not when Raven needed to heal. With my own energy dragging, I required a place I could think. Come up with a plan.

I ducked inside. The dark lounge was sprinkled with only a few patrons at the gambling tables, hoping their luck would strike early.

The director of the house spotted our covered heads and vagabond clothes and came storming toward me, a cheery yellow robe fluttering behind him, contradicting the dark mood I carted through the door.

“What do we look like? A halfway house? Get out! We don’t allow—” He came to stop in front of me, his mouth parting whenI lifted my head under the hood. He let out a gasp, his eyes widening at Raven’s limp, bloody figure in my arms. “Oh my gods…”

“We have nowhere else to go,” I rumbled, my gaze darting around, assessing everyone in the brothel.

Maestro Silk swallowed, his gaze running over Raven and the dried blood she was bathed in.

“Of course. Come.” Maestro motioned me to follow, instantly reacting, knowing this wasn’t the time to talk. “Let’s get her upstairs. Zabel?” He clicked his fingers at one of the workers. “Get brandy, some towels, clothes, and warm soup,” he ordered, taking the steps up to the second floor, down the hallway, to the last bedroom. He bumped the door open, motioning to the full bed, the room almost identical to the one we stayed in last time.

I carefully placed Raven down on the creaky bed, and she let out a small whimper, her muscles trembling violently. Wrapping the comforter over her, I peered around the room for more covers.

“Do you have a hot water bottle and more blankets?” I could hear the strain in my voice, the discomfort of watching her suffer at all.

“Yes.” Maestro nodded, darting out of the room, not even questioning my demands.

“Dziubus.”I brushed hair off her forehead, strands stuck to the dried gore around her nose and eyes. “You’re safe.” I tightened the blanket around her.

“Here.” Maestro returned, dumping two more comforters onto the bed. “Zabel will bring up the heated water bottle and whatever else you need.”

I wrapped them around her, nodding back at him. My stress eased a little now that she could get warm. Start to heal.

“Thank you.” I turned to him, my deepest gratitude conveyed in my face and tone, my eyes making full contact with his. “I’m indebted to you.”

“Oh. Don’t even think of it. Plus, I am the one indebted to you, remember?” Maestro swished his hand with a half laugh. “And really, I like pretending I’m some grand hero, saving all the beautiful people so I have something delicious to stare at.”

I dipped my head with a smile, getting the feeling sentiment made him uncomfortable.

“Let me know if you need anything else.” He headed for the door and stopped. “She’ll be okay?”

“Yes. With rest.”

He touched his breastbone in relief before taking one more look at Raven, then slipped out.

I stared down at Raven, her body still shivering and convulsing. Crawling into bed next to her, I wrapped my body around hers.

My eyes shutting, I breathed her in, willing my energy into Raven as I drifted off to sleep along with her.

?

When I woke, night colored the windows. A single firelight flickered on the table, the room glowing softly. A tray of food and supplies was left for us, and a hot water bottle was tucked at Raven’s feet. Muffled sounds of people congregating in the lounge below, spilling into the street, laid like a soundtrack to the brothel. I could tell by the quietness upstairs that it was still a little too early for activity to be rampant in the bedrooms.

My attention turned to the woman next to me. Blood caked her skin, but she slept soundlessly in my arms, her skin flushed with color, her breathing steady. Her magic hadn’t returned yet,but she seemed to be healing faster than before, as if I somehow let her use some of my energy to restore her own.

Was it even possible to share my magic with her? What we did on that mountain in the middle of the forest was impossible. It shouldn’t be feasible between two different fae races.

Yet, we did.

The question of why roused me from the bed. I extracted myself from Raven’s body without waking her. Quietly, I moved to the table, grabbing the brandy bottle and taking a swig. Letting the liquor burn down my throat, I exhaled, trying to keep centered.

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