Page 29 of Monstrous

“Mom—” I don’t have a friend from out of town, I want to tell her, but I stop myself at the last minute. I need her to stay calm instead of joining me in panic.

My attention darts to the door for half a second as Zane returns. His shoulders tense as he senses the change in atmosphere immediately.

“Hold on, honey. I’m sure this is such a surprise for you,” Mom tells me with a small chuckle. “Your friend wants to say hello.”

“No,” I whisper.

But I hear muffled voices as she hands off the phone. The next moment, every bone in my body feels like they’ve frozen solid.

“Marianna.” It’s the same voice I heard in the apartment when Darkness called to me. “You’re going to want to come over. Your mother and I have had a lovely chat about you. Unfortunately, I’m not in the mood to talk anymore.”

ChapterNine

Darkness hangs up on me with a click. My fingers refuse to work and the phone clatters down to the floor as my pulse races. I can’t see anything. My vision goes blurry and at once there’s a hard body at my back keeping me from cracking my head on the floor.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I say through numb lips. Jittery nerves jump against my skin in an attempt to escape.

What doesn’t matter, little love? Arc asks, scanning my face in worry.What’s happening?

“He’s not coming after us. He’s at my mother’s house.” My horrified gaze flicks between the three of them. “Darkness has my mom.”

They jump into motion in an instant, rallying around me, and Zane holds out his hand to help Vexx to his feet.

Come. We’ve got to go. No time for a plan, then, he says.

Vexx’s gaze darkens.The plan is toattack.

Perhaps Mariana should stay behind while we handle this, Arc suggests.

Just like that, I’m right back in panic mode, my fingers trembling and the rest of me not faring much better. Darkness isn’t coming for us here because he’s already cut straight to the heart of me. He’s gone after the one person in this world I love more than anything else.

How had he even known where to find her?

“But I’ve got to do something.” I hardly hear myself speak, but the men do. “I’m not staying behind. I’m sorry.”

Except I also can’t move so what do I expect to do? Invite Darkness to join me in a panic attack and we can go to therapy together?

Someone lifts me up and gives me a good shake. When I finally manage to tear my gaze from the floor, Arc stares down at me. His brows lower in what I might call a sneer but somehow falls short.

Pull yourself together, then. You can’t fall apart, he warns me.If you break down, one of us will stay behind with you because you’ll be nothing but a hindrance in this fight.

I shake my head. “I’m not staying here. No. I’m coming with you.”

I’ve got to pull those big girl pants on and actually handle my shit.

You’re sure? Arc questions.

“Yes.” I set him with a glare, taking his doubt personally, even though I logically knew he did so to bait me. “I’m sure.”

We will do everything in our power to stop Darkness, but you should be the one to take him down. And you won’t accomplish anything if you don’t believe you can, Vexx warns.

“Your faith in me is entirely misplaced!”

Except it feels like a lie now. Because I can clearly do things, like heal Vexx. I’m just not sure how my drawing skills will help me defeat a nebulous evil monster.

Any bit of happiness I managed to steal before evaporates inside of me. Everything goes cold and I find myself shivering before Vexx wraps me in his arms.

Hold on to your joy, Mari, he says.If you lose it, then wealllose.

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