Page 46 of Monsters of Midnight

I exited my cell full of confidence and willingness to meet Undirheim head on. It felt more dangerous and less protected than when I had traversed through the streets of Alameda, invisible to the satyrs who had hunted me for my own protection.

Here it wasn’t quite the case.

From what I had been told, the demons and the Valkyrie were not to be trusted on any level.

They might have tasks of taking people from one realm to another, but they had no actual responsibility. They were just meant to cleanse the dead and pass them on.

They were a group unto their own, who followed their own rules and regulations, and didn’t adhere to one side or the other. I wasn’t supposed to be leaning more toward the demigod side. After all, that’s who the witches had sworn allegiance to. I wasn’t a witch. I was a fae, and no doubt by my actions I was giving up any chance of being allowed into the fae after the world. That was a risk I was going to have to take. I needed to see Ryder.

Missing him had erupted like an aching in my bones. I needed to be near him, to see him, to talk to him, to touch him. Everything that had been blocked out by being in Undirheim was gone. The separation from my feelings was gone. Now all I could do was hurry and rush to find Ryder.

I raced with Bales through the darkened streets, only stopping when I realized there was a commotion going on that had gained everyone’s attention. In my heart I hoped it was Ryder who had sparked the interest of the Valkyrie and the demons. Ss I heard the screams erupt, though, I knew it wasn’t the case. Something was causing disruption in Undirheim and for all of his strengths and weaknesses, I prayed it would not be Ryder.

And suddenly I felt a keening rising within me, and I realized that despite the fact we were in Undirheim, people were going to die. That would have to mean demons or Valkyrie were going to die.

My eyes whipped down to Bales. “We have to do something,” I said, as I watched the demons and the Valkyrie flee. I stood looking toward the center of the monsters, and I suddenly had a sickening feeling in my stomach. This was Cade, and beside him was the most terrifying monster I had ever seen in my entire life or even imagined. It was over nine feet tall, grey thick elephant hide-like skin in and its torso ended in a plethora of tentacles moved it forward over the cobblestones of Undirheim.

“Holy fuck,” I whispered to Bales. This monster was a beast, one I couldn’t imagine going up against.

I imagine Ryder could take it. Not that it would be easy. It wouldn’t be, but Ryder would have the knowledge and the power to do something about this beast.

That’s when I made the connection. The legs like tentacles…the monster was exactly the way Ryder described his father in his monster form. This creature wasn’t just Cade’s half-brother, he was also Ryder’s half-brother.

The singing erupting him from my chest was heralding the death of people. I looked around, unable to tell exactly who it was who was dying, but then I saw her. It was Ryder’s mother. Called forth by Cade and his brother.

“Your sacrifice made it possible for us to come in to Undirheim.” Cade smiled.

“It wasn’t meant for you,” she said, looking in confusion from where I stood in the shadows to where Cade’s brother stood.

“It doesn’t matter what you meant,” Cade said. “The results are what they are.”

Ryder’s mother turned toward me, wailing. I wasn’t sure I wanted that much attention brought to me, but it seemed like it didn’t matter. It was going to be what it was. Cade and his brother rounded their attention on me.

“This is the one who sacrificed herself with the ring,” Cade said, with a smile and nod. “Is not what we made together beautiful?”

He gazed lovingly at his monstrous brother. It wasn’t so much the monsters on the outside perspective I didn’t like. It was definitely much more of the intention they had of wiping out all of humanity starting with Undirheim.

“You can’t just come in and wipe out Undirheim,” I stepped forward from the shadows.

“Who said anything about wiping it out?” Cade asked.

I motioned my hands to the demons and Valkyrie who were already pinned down by monsters.

“There’s no stopping you,” I cried.

“You haven’t even tried,” Cade countered.

“I don’t have the power to stop you,” I said, shaking my head.

“You could always try,” Cade grinned at me encouragingly. I wanted to smack him in the face.

Something beat me to it.

A whirling mass of fang and wings and leathery skin flew past me, landing square on Cade’s chest.

Ryder had made it back to Undirheim.

Chapter 28

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