Page 113 of Beauty's Monstrous Demons

“If she can survive being your food source, then she can handle meeting us,” he says wryly.

Smirking, I nod. My father waves his hand and two large, snarling Hellhounds appear next to him. Shadows and fire slide over their manes of hair, eyes black with flames inside of the pupils. They’re both adorable and scary as fuck.

“Meet Ashborne and Drago,” Mom says. “Boys, you’re to find the one our Lord is looking for. President Christa will put up a fight. Be sure not to kill her immediately so our son can properly interrogate her.”

They both nod, and I sigh. Here we go.

“Thank you,” I say gratefully. “We believe she meant to kill her. The prophecy has stated that she’ll sleep for a hundred years, but?—”

“Those things are always difficult to interpret and are ever changing,” my father says, interrupting. “How is she overall?”

“Terrified,” I grunt. “The only bright spots in her mind are the ones we create for her, and they never last for long beforeshe’s pulled away. While it’s keeping me at full strength through the bond, I would much rather have my mate alive and well.”

“Of course you would,” my mother murmurs. “Have you attempted to visit her together?”

“We haven’t,” I admit. “We’re barely surviving. Our pack was just forming when this all began. It’s been ten months.”

“And it will be many more if you don’t try,” Dad says gently. “The Hellhounds will do their best, as that’s all they know how to do. Don’t expect results right away. Hunt with them, but also take care of your mate.”

That means I’ll need to split my time, and I’ll need patience because President Christa probably won’t be easily found.

“I understand it must be difficult,” my mom says. “She sounds very special. May you have good hunting.”

Knowing I’m being gently dismissed so I can do my job, I nod.

“Thank you,” I say. “Drago, Ashborne, shall we hunt a stupid bitch who made the mistake of hurting what belongs to me?”

The fire gets brighter on their jet black hair, saliva dripping from their jowls as they step forward to sniff my hand and get my scent. Then, I have them smell something that President Christa left in her office when she left in a hurry. It’s a hair tie funny enough.

Leading the way, I mist away knowing that they’ll be able to follow me now, and if they catch a scent, I’ll be able to find them.

The hunt is on.

LORELEI

I’m standing at a clearing, blinking in confusion as I gaze out. I’m bathed in darkness, wind tearing at my hair while I watch my men trade stories about me. They’re sitting on a huge blanket, and I can only imagine how nice the sun must feel on their skin.

I’m always so cold now.

Taking a step forward, I wonder if they’ll recognize me. Do I look different now? Looking at my skin self consciously as the light hits it, I see midnight black veins crawling up my arms. Am I getting sick?

Is this place, and what President Christa injected into my veins finally killing me?

“Lorelei,” Alecto says warmly as I walk toward him. It’s been lonely without them, but he’s been coming to see me in my dreams more.

“Hi,” I murmur, patting down my wild curls. There’s black now streaming my hair too.

“You look beautiful,” Samael says with a small smirk. God, he’s the beautiful one. His electric blue hair is so pretty. “Why are you fussing with your hair?”

“It feels like it’s floating,” I sigh. “I feel like I look messy compared to you all.”

Surprising me, he pulls me into his arms, his lips brushing along my temple. I can’t tell if there’s something growing there, but it feels itchy.

“You have the cutest horns growing in,” he says with a deep chuckle. “I love them. They’re blue and black.”

“Mine,” Alecto growls. “They look like mine.”

“Look at you, using your words today,” Phenex says with a smirk. “The horns are new, I love them.”

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