Page 17 of Unraveled
“You are perfectly capable of ignoring the pull of the blood moon. You’ve been doing it for a decade. What made it different this time?” the first voice says.
My lips tremble as the ache becomes too much to ignore. I put it away in a little box inside my mind, where it can’t invademy every thought. I need to remain aware of what is happening if I’m to escape whatever fate the beast has planned for me.
“It’s different because she attacked me with... peculiar magic.” The beast’s voice lowers at the end, like he isn’t sure he should speak this aloud. Silence takes over the room, and my breath is loud as I wait for one of them to speak.
“I begged you not to go to that hellish town,” the first voice says with a tone of resignation I can’t understand. Why would he care whether the beast went anywhere? And who are they?
“Tell me, Finley, since you’re so wise: What is going to happen if the sacrifices continue?”
Sacrifices? Could the beast be referring to what Skylar and Irene are doing in that tower? Is that why he targeted the building? Or is it something else? The silence extends long enough I almost give up my pretense of being unconscious and peek at them.
“Did you consider what will happen to the humans once their little shield comes down? The lunargyres will swarm that place.”
“So be it.”
My breath hitches. They stop speaking again, but this time the silence is broken by the rustle of fabric. A rug muffles the stomping of big, clawed feet as they close in on me.
Fuck. He must know about the scientists taking beasts.
I need to get back to Penumbra and let Irene know. Whether he knows that their magic powers the veil is unclear. But he’s ready to condemn my city to make them stop.
I try my best to look like a good, unconscious prisoner. My amulet is nowhere near me. Without it, I can’t cast spells. Sweat prickles the back of my skull.
“You can stop pretending, Mia. We know you’re awake,” the beast says.
I blink my eyes open, and his massive body casts a shadow over me. He must stand almost seven feet tall.
“How do you know my name?” I push my body against the back of the sofa and hiss as pain wakes down my side. My vision blurs again, and I bite on my lip to prevent myself from crying out.
I can’t show him I’m weakened by my condition. It would make me easier prey. Perhaps he doesn’t know I lost my necklace and I’m as defenseless as any unarmed human.
After all, magic is a rare gift, and very few can master it without an amulet.
The beast tilts his head, stepping closer to me until his knees touch the edge of the sofa. “The other woman on the rooftop called you by that name right before she shot me.”
I meet his eyes, and warmth spreads through me. It’s the same warmth I felt earlier when he broke through the veil. A sense of belonging.
I hate how my heart sputters at hearing my name from his lips, so I say, “Well, you don’t get to call me that.”
His gaze is bright, even as it narrows on me. It’s then I notice he’s wearing clothes, unlike earlier in the evening.
He shrugs. “I guess I enjoy calling you Monster. It suits you.”
“I’m not a monster,” I snarl, and anger blurs the edges of my pain. “You are.”
A slow smile tilts his lips. It’s cold and calculating and does nothing to ease the dread spreading through my body. “Did no one teach you manners, Little Monster?”
My lips part and close again. “You’re the one calling me Monster—” I stop myself from continuing this useless argument and change tack. “Let me go.”
He crosses his arms and looks amused as he says, “I don’t think so.”
Gods, I hate him.
“What is this place, and why did you bring me here?” Unsteadily, I start to stand, ignoring my wounds and fear. Myvision darkens as I attempt to take in my surroundings, and shock surges in my chest as he catches me right before I fall face-first to the ground.
He’s more gentle than I expect as he helps me settle back. “You’re injured,” he says coldly, like he can’t believe he needs to remind me of the fact.
When our eyes meet, I feel the same pull in my gut as I did before.
