Page 50 of Monster's Obsession

My head pulsed with a headache, and the air was charged with electricity, with a hunger for blood, with my misery.

Steele suddenly delivered a blow, smashing his fist to the center of Vero’s chest, sending him sprawling. My monster didn’t hesitate but lunged after him, only to have his opponent kick him in the gut, so hard that even from our spot, we heard the pain in his grunt.

I died a little on the inside, but Vero wasn’t holding back. He threw himself at a fallen Steele, blade glinting as it came down right for my lover’s chest.

Creed’s hand squeezed mine.

And the world seemed to slow down for me in those seconds.

“Watch out!” I yelled.

But nothing mattered.

The beast fell on him, the blade slamming into Steele’s chest.

I screamed, my world spiraling out of control, tears drenching my cheeks.

My gaze remained glued on them, but something wasn’t right…

I leaned forward right as the blade shattered in the monster’s grasp, breaking apart like shards of glass. Then it burst outward.

Vero disintegrated into dust, as did the blade.

Steele groaned, rolling in the opposite direction to us. Was he dying?

Mouth gaping open, I wasn’t sure what just happened.

But instead of cheers around me, the crowds had fallen deathly silent. Ash, on the other hand, shouted his cheers.

Desperately, I grasped onto his arm. “What’s going on? Please tell me,” I cried, unable to take another breath.

“He’s not guilty,” Creed boomed loud enough for everyone in the cavern to hear. “Steele is not guilty of killing the Red Queen.”

I screamed, mostly out of exhaustion, relief, and how strung up I felt. Then I found myself crying happy tears. Was he really not dead?

“How? Didn’t the monster stab him?” I was so confused.

Ash leaned down to me. “The blade was the judgment the whole time. If it killed him, he was guilty. The fact that it fractured revealed his innocence.”

Creed suddenly threw himself off the balcony, landing in front of the crowds, sticking the perfect landing. Then he marched over to the arena where the announcer tossed more gold at the invisible wall. The red around the perimeter faded instantly.

Creed hurriedly grabbed Steele from under his armpits and wrenched him to his feet, then raised one of his arms like this was a boxing match.

“Steele is not guilty. He is free!” Creed announced.

“Then who killed the queen?” someone called out from the crowd, but Creed ignored it and instead turned to Steele, who shoved himself away from the king. I witnessed the bloody and bruised anger on his face, the fury.

I couldn’t hear the furious words they exchanged, but when Steele marched right out of the cavern without a single look our way, my blood curdled.

Behind me, murmurs rose about the queen’s murderer still being out there.

I didn’t listen to them though, I was just devastated for Steele. I couldn’t even imagine what he must have gone through, being ostracised from his home, declared a killer by his family, all while being innocent and no one believing him.

Fuck. Was that worse than dying?

CHAPTER 12

BLAKE

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