Page 99 of Land of Monsters

“Is he wrong?” Warwick lifted his brow.

“I’m doing just fine.” I gritted my teeth.

“Really?” Brexley crackled a dry laugh. “You were about to be killed!”

“Different than any other time, really?” Warwick replied.

“And come to find out, Kalaraja is still alive, along with Joska and Samu,” Brexley exclaimed.

They weren’t even the worst of it.

“Why didn’t you come to us?” She placed her hand on her chest like it hurt.

“I…” I swallowed roughly. “I didn’t want to involve you guys.”

“Involve us?” Brexley snipped at my words like they offended her. “We are yourfamily, Ash. Did you hesitate whenIneeded you last year? Why would you think we wouldn’t want to be by your side for this?”

My nose burned with unshed emotion.

“Ash?”

“Because I knew you would!” I yelled, louder than I expected. “That was the problem!”

Brexley’s head jarred back, while an icy expression slipped over Warwick’s face.

“You came here to die,” he said evenly, but I sensed his rage fostering under his skin again. I had known Warwick way too long not to pick up on his every signal.

My silence was their answer.

“Ash…” Brexley deflated, tears welling in her eyes.

“Well, don’t worry.” I lifted a shoulder, switching my weight, knowing what I needed to confess next. “I don’t feel like that anymore.” My gaze moved to the door, feeling Raven not too far away.

As if Raven was summoned, sensing the tug on the binds connecting us, the door opened. Her petite frame stepped in, a towel wrapped around her. She came to a halt, her gaze darting to the enormous man with a claw-scythe on his back, to Brexley,then to my freshly bleeding lip, putting the pieces together. I saw the fire flare in her eyes.

“No. Rav—” I reached out, but I was too late. Her teeth snapped, blades pushing out through the towel from her spine as she lunged for Warwick.

“Raven, no!” I grabbed for her as Brexley hopped between her and Warwick. The energy in the space hissed. This would go bad fast. “EVERYONE STOP!” I bellowed, jerking Raven back, putting myself in the middle of the three. I gripped Raven’s face, forcing her eyes on me, my voice commanding the dweller to submit. “Back down. They are not our enemy.”

A growl summoned from her throat, her teeth gnashing at me. “They hurt you.”

“Back down,” I ordered the dweller. “Now.”

Her nose wrinkled, but slowly her pupils merged back into green. Her skin shifted back to normal, but her attention continued darting to them, still on guard.

“Calm down,mroczny.” I leaned my forehead onto hers. “They are my friends. The family I told you about.”

She exhaled, her fingers clinging to what was left of her towel. Nudity was not a big deal to any of us, but I still didn’t like her feeling vulnerable. Snatching a man’s sweatshirt off the table, one of the items Silk left out for us, I pushed it over her head, getting her arms through. The fabric slipped down to the tops of her thighs, at least covering most of her.

“You good?” I muttered to her.

She nodded, her eyebrows furrowing at my split lip.

“I deserved it.” I linked my hand with hers, tuning back to my friends.

Brexley and Warwick both stood dumbfounded, their eyes intently watching us.

“What?”

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