Page 121 of Monsters in Love

He eased away from her. “You must.”

“Besides…” Tarn peered upward at the exit and scrunched his nose. “It’s still daylight.”

Talos nodded. “We are more comfortable with light, but we have no idea if we can survive the afternoon sun. And even if we could, even if we could fit through that narrow opening—which we can’t—the people in the square would be terrified. They’d be too busy running from us to listen to any warning.”

More wails rippled down the tunnel with a sudden wash of air, like the breath of an ancient demon.

“They’re coming,” Tarn hissed. “You have to go!”

“Belle!” Emmi squeaked.

“You both have to go,” Talos said. “Now. Warn the people. Then get out.”

Isabelle knew he was right. She had to get her sister to safety and warn the people of Windhaven. Yet the thought of climbing through that drain and into the world above without Talos felt like carving out her own heart. Tears streaking down her face, she threw her arms around Talos and kissed him fiercely. “Promise me you’ll find us.”

Talos turned away. “We’ll see what we can do.”

She gripped his face. “Don’t you lie to me.”

“Belle…” Emotions chased themselves through those brown eyes. Passion and kindness mixed with a terrible sadness. “My love. There is no place in the above-world for creatures like us.”

Her fingers tightened on his cheeks. “Then we find somewhere. Together.”

With a sigh, he rested his forehead on hers. “Together.”

Before she could demand further promises, he boosted her up—farther this time—and she swallowed the arguments in her throat. No matter how much she wanted Talos to make promises, she needed to get her sister out of these tunnels. She wrestled off the metal grate covering the opening and wriggled into the square head first.

As soon as she was outside, she turned to help Emmi follow.

“Come.” She took her sister’s hand. “We must warn the bishop.”

Hand-in-hand they raced across the square. For once she was glad to see Jaston standing in front of the Chastry doors in full armor. He might be a bully and an ass, but he took his guard duties seriously. “Captain!”

The people filling the square around her stopped and stared. Gasps rippled through the space.

“Belle?” Shock shaped Jaston’s features. “This is not possible.”

“I assure you, it is.” She focused on him, but pitched her voice to carry across the square—an easier feat than usual, given the stunned silence gripping the area. “Windhaven is in terrible danger. The demons have multiplied, and their tunnels have spread below the entire town. They’re gathering. They’re going to force their way out tonight, and no amount of torches lining our streets will stop them.”

“Impossible!” Jaston staggered backward, those icy eyes darting between Isabelle and her sister. “You might have been forgiven by the Gods, but you have to be mistaken by the rest. The demons cannot go beyond the reach of the Chastry, and the torches will keep them back. This we know.”

“But we don’t know,” Isabelle said. “We thought we did. We were wrong.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s wrong,” Emmi spat. “You’re—”

Isabelle stepped in front of her sister.

Keeping her eyes on Jaston, she tried to make him see sense. “I’ve seen the tunnels—and the demons. They are coming. The torches won’t be enough—not when the skies turn to night. You haven’t seen their numbers. This threat is—”

“Lies!” He shook his head. “You’re confused.”

She willed her voice to remain calm. “I am not.”

Emmi peered around her and shouted, “We know what we saw—”

Jaston drew his sword and pointed the blade, the tip wavering, his face contorted with what might be fury—or fear. “The gods might have spared you, but that does not give you leave to spread lies.”

Sunlight glinted off metal in the corners of Isabelle’s vision.

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