Page 47 of Monster's Obsession

His words caught me off guard. I couldn’t remember Tempest ever saying anything so profound before. It made me wonder what had happened to him to feel the need to conceal his pain. Though I shouldn’t be surprised because most of my monsters were just as broken on the inside as me.

Words spilled from my mouth. “Maybe the tragedy isn’t the problem, but the parts of ourselves we allow to die because of it.”

I didn’t wait for a response, I didn't want one. Instead, I stared out at monsters everywhere, some piled so close they might be sitting on one another. The corners and entrances behind the stone steps around us were crammed. The entire cavern seemed to shudder with their guttural sounds.

Surveying the place, I searched for Creed and Steele, coming up short. When I turned to the balcony entrance, figuring I might pop into the tunnel to see if I could see anyone, something small on the wall caught my attention.

I frowned, squinting for a better look.

It was a small red crown painted onto the stone. I’d seen that before, I knew I had, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember where.

Right then Creed, Ash, and Seven entered the balcony, and the soul-splitting dread curled under my ribs.

With Creed’s presence, a hush fell over the arena. He stood tall, shoulders square, and his expression dark. Dressed in deep red, he wore a tight-fitting army jacket with half a dozen buckles across his torso, and matching leather pants with heavy boots that could kill with a single stomp.

Long hair framed his gorgeous face, and when he glanced down at me, something light crossed his face, a brightness behind his eyes that moments earlier were suffocating.

“Pet, you’ve just stolen my heart. You look every part a beautiful warrior goddess,” he murmured, taking my hand in his.

“I’m really pissed at you,” I answered. “How could you let this go ahead when I never got a chance to speak to Steele, and then you left me behind this morning. Can’t you call it off?” The words spilled from my lips as quickly as the anger building inside of me.

Tightness pinched at the corners of his mouth. “I know you won’t accept my apology that I had to keep you at a distance, but it has been a long time coming for us to finally discover the truth of what happened to our queen. Our city has suffered for years, starved, lost loved ones, and I owe them an answer.”

“And I deserved to speak to Steele and not be blocked by you.” My voice strained, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes.

Creed reached over and collected them with his thumbs before they spilled. “You’re breaking my heart,” he croaked.

“And you're destroying me.” I choked up. “I might lose someone today who I couldn’t even say goodbye to.” My words sounded brittle because they were like ice, shattering, and I couldn’t even look at Creed any longer.

A monster resembling a porcupine rushed onto the balcony, carrying several golden chairs he set down for us in a line.

I turned toward the arena right as a siren suddenly went off, echoing off the walls, and I cringed at how much it hurt my ears. I couldn’t move away from the railing; my hands were curled around it so hard, they hurt.

I hated how little control I had, hated how I understood Creed’s decision but didn’t want to, hated that everything around me was darkening, my life becoming madness.

Ash was suddenly at my side, his hand on my back. “I’ll stay with you,” he offered, and my heart melted, tears blurring my vision. I leaned against him because, right now, I was so angry, so heartbroken, I trembled. Everything had become too complicated, too painful, too much.

I wasn’t ready to live in a world without Steele, that was clear as I stood there and watched a lanky monster dressed in a gold bodysuit cross the stone bridge and onto the platform, which didn’t sway as much as I’d expect.

He had wild, golden hair that seemed to flutter where there was no wind, his face long, and when you stared at him sideways, he almost vanished from how flat he was.

Drums started to play, the tempo slowly picking up, my heart matching its speed.

And goosebumps raced up my arms.

Before I knew it, a beast of a man with four arms and covered in fur, shoved through the crowds to my right. They in turn went ballistic, and at first, I assumed he’d be Steele’s challenger, until I noticed he held onto a thick chain that was latched around Steele’s neck, and he hauled my lover behind him.

Bone-crushing heartache carved through me, and I winced. Ash held me tighter against him, not saying a word. My knees weakened, and I leaned forward, watching Steele being led onto the platform. There the monster unlatched the metal bracket from around his neck and released him, then walked away. Steele remained in his human form for now, wearing torn clothes, no shoes, his hair a mess.

Everything about him appeared vulnerable, but I’d seen him fight, and I knew he was a lot more powerful than he appeared.

He turned to take in the crowds who had come to see him perish. Suddenly, he paused, staring right in our direction.

My breath hitched, my heart bleeding to see him in such a condition. I didn’t care what anyone said, I refused to even give thought to him being guilty.

The golden man cleared his throat, the sound projecting across the cavern.

“Welcome.” His voice boomed loudly.

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