Page 76 of Land of Monsters

It shouldn’t be possible… nor did I even want it to be. I came here with a simple plan. Revenge. To take the lives of the two people who took from me. My plan derailed the moment she walked into the bar. I didn’t even notice it creep in. When did everything change? How did it go from wanting her gone from my life to now clinging to her with desperation? Wanting to keep her next to me at all costs, even when I knew I couldn’t. We could fight a lot of things, but her family, who she was, was not one of them. She was a true princess. Her role was there.

The queen and king of the Unified Nations were not a force I could battle.

Of course they were scared and wanted her home safe with them. I wanted it for her as well.

She shouldn’t be in this mess. This was all my doing. What might have happened to her in the castle would haunt me for the rest of my days. The mere thought of Raven being raped and brutalized had me gasping for air, taking another swig of alcohol.

I couldn’t leave the rest of those women there, like Celeste, Viorica, and Brându?a, to suffer that hell any longer. Nor Iacob or the innocent villagers. They were all there because of me.Because Sonya came hunting for me, and they got caught in the crosshairs.

My design to kill Sonya and Iain was only stronger, though it led to the same outcome. I probably wouldn’t make it out of this country alive. Not with what I had to do.

Whatever connection was between Raven and me didn’t matter. She was never meant to be part of my world. And I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to her.

“No.”

The voice whipped me around. Raven was sitting up, her eyes burning into me.

“You’re awake.” I moved to her, sitting on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not leaving you.” Her gaze burrowed in, not allowing me to deter the subject.

My mouth parted, baffled at the directness, the fact she responded to something I was simply thinking when my back was to her. “What?”

“I said, I’m not leaving. I know what you were thinking. And we’ve been here before. Several times. Stop thinking you know what is best for me.”

“How did you know I was thinking that?” I frowned, anxiousness rolling in my lungs.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her hands twisting together, her voice low. “I just did.”

Scrubbing my face, I let out an aggravated groan. “Raven—”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m in this fight too.”

“But you shouldn’t be!” I stood up from the bed.

“Too late. I am.”

“The world is searching for you.” I paced in a line, aggravated and restless. “You’re famous. Everyone will be out searching for you, wanting to cash in, like Daciana. I don’t even know how truly safe we are here.”

“I’ll cut and dye my hair.” She climbed out of the layers of comforters, standing up, far stronger than she should’ve been. “I don’t care. But I’m not leaving you to this fight alone. I was there. I not only witnessed what they were doing to those women, butIexperienced it.”

My muscles locked up at her words. The need to level the castle and destroy everything in it clenched my fists into balls.

“You have no right to take awaymyrevenge.”

“If it saves your life, I fucking do!”

“So you can sacrifice, but I can’t?” She came up to me, shoving at my chest. Her legs were still wobbly, but fierce indignation flickered in her eyes. “No,” she challenged. “I forbid it.”

“Youforbidit?” I scoffed.

“Yep. I demand you go back to Budapest, where you belong.” She folded her arms, searching my face. “See? Don’t like when someone tells you what to do, huh?”

“Raven.” Aggravation pinched my brow.

“No.” She wagged her head. “You don’t get to order me to do something, then not do the same when I ask you. Not how this works.”

“How this works?” I widened my legs, crossing my arms, mimicking her. “And howdoesthis work, exactly?”

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