Page 117 of The Monsters We Are

“I think it’s about time he gets what he wants, don’t you?”

“You can’t free him. You can’t even free yourself.”

Wynter tugged ever so slightly on the iron collar, and it split into several pieces as it fell from her neck. Enjoying how his jaw dropped, she asked, “You didn’t notice me touch it earlier? I infected it with a little rot . . . much like I did the floor beneath me.” She pushed to her feet, brushing off any pieces of the collar, and walked toward the front of the cell. “That rot is spreading and spreading throughout the foundations of this place as we speak.”

Paling, he shook his head and backed up. “You . . . no. No, you wouldn’t—”

“Of course I would. I doall kindsof crazy shit.”

His face flushed in anger. “You don’t know what you—” He cut himself off as a tremor ran through the building. Beneath them, something roared.

“Ah, it shouldn’t be long now until he escapes.”

“Are you fucking stupid?” Noah demanded. “He’ll kill us all!”

“Itisa possibility, I have to admit.” She bit her lower lip. “But then again, maybe Kali’s right and he’ll just go after the people who’ve kept him here all this time. I guess we shall see.”

A breeze whipped around the space, blowing out the torches, carrying an otherworldly laugh that bounced off the walls.

Noah sucked in a sharp, shaky breath.

The breeze returned only to smash into the cell door, which unlocked with asnick.Wynter whipped it open, slamming it into Noah, hearing him hit the floor hard.

She was on him in a blink.

*

A growl sawed at Cain’s throat as he once more failed to penetrate the shield before him. It was little more than a bubble of power. A bubble that surrounded a single door. And yet, his strikes hadn’t made even so much as a dent in the shield.

Unlike with Devil’s Cradle, a building didn’t sit upon the entrance to the city beneath Aeon. There was merely a small hill featuring a thick wooden door. So easy to penetrate if only it wasn’t protected. Powered by the blood of both Aeons and Ancients, it was built to keep all intruders at bay in order to protect Eden should she be Resting.

Only Inanna and Ishtar weren’t helping attack the shield. They were searching for another possible entrance. There had to be more than one way in or out.

Really, Cain and the others weren’t battering at the shield in the hope of breaking it. Their purpose was to provoke Adam. They knew him. Knew how his mind worked. Knew that, being as arrogant as he was, hiding underground would be poking at the man’s ego.

Adam would hate that the Ancients might think he was too scared to face them. He’d hate that they were essentially pounding on his front door while he remained inside where he was safe. More, he would detest what it said about him that he’d left the people on the surface to handle the invasion for him. It showed a cowardice that Cain himself had often pointed out but that Adam had refused to acknowledge he possessed. And so Cain and the other Ancients were playing on that.

In the meantime, many of their aides were currently watching their backs, fighting off any enemies who thought to attack while the Ancients were preoccupied. As for the people of Devil’s Cradle . . . they were still fighting hard, and they were winning.

Azazel chucked yet another sphere of power at the shield, grunting when it had no effect. “I didn’t think he had it in him to hide this long.”

“Neither did I,” said Dantalion. “It will certainly be an awakening for him.”

Seth scratched at his nape. “Do you think we should try something else?”

Cain shook his head. “If you keep banging on someone’s front door long enough, they’ll do something sooner or later.”

“Especially if they are anything like Adam,” Lilith added.

Abaddon frowned, his gaze moving to something behind Cain. “Isn’t that your consort’s coven?”

His brows snapping together, Cain turned. And yes, the Bloodrose Coven was hurrying toward them. His heart jumped. Because Wynter wasn’t among them . . . and Xavier was carrying her blade. “Where is she?” Cain bit out the moment they reached him.

Delilah grimaced. “You’re not gonna like this, and you’re probably gonna be pissed at us. But Wynter made us swear we’d stick to the plan.”

The bottom dropped out of his stomach. “Tell me.”

Delilah licked her lips. “Noah took her to Adam.”

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