Page 86 of Fated to Monsters

Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today. Right now. As soon as fucking possible.

“What should I be on the lookout for?” I ask him.

“Headaches, fatigue, nose bleeds, nausea. Those are all precursors to worsening symptoms.”

“How worse?”

"Death." Sydney sighs. "It's incredibly uncommon, but I've read cases in which the soul of the astral traveler was stuck in the in-between, unable to reunite with its body." He looks to Dash. "Because of your regenerative abilities, you should be fine for immediate travel. And Wes, you haven't yet, so you're good to go, too."

Relief washes over me at not putting Dash or Wes at any more risk than they already are.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Wes’s fiery gaze meets mine.

“Without a doubt.” I lower myself onto the floor and wait for my direction from the witches sending me to Prania.

Dash lies next to me, weaving our hands together, and Wes settles on the other side.

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Bo blurts out. “Absolutely ridiculous.”

“Tell us how you really feel,” I mumble.

Dash squeezes my hand and Wes rubs his thumb along mine. Having two out of three of my men being supportive will have to do, at least, for now. I’ll deal with Bo when I return from hopefully what will be my final assassination mission.

With a few daggers tucked along my leather gear, I close my eyes and brace myself for what’s to come. Ever since I stepped foot in Arthlia, I haven’t been able to shake the thought that my work in Prania was not over. I hurt many. I made bad decisions. I was a close-minded fool doing errands for a woman who manipulates and controls anyone she possibly can. She is pure evil, and she must be stopped. And who better to do it than the person that was trained to do her bidding?

The room spins, that familiar vacuum-type thing happening as Sydney and Tremont mutter the incantation necessary to send us to Prania. I should have pushed for Dash to stay behind, but after hearing what Parla had done to him, I knew with certainty that if he wanted to come, I would be selfish for not allowing it. He deserves to watch her die just as much as the rest of us. I’ll do the honors of holding her down and letting him rip into her the same way she had done to him.

Any death, no matter how brutal it could be, would still not be enough punishment for the terrible things she has done.

Once everything has stopped moving, I open my eyes and blink through the thick haze of Prania’s sky. Sitting up, I notice a trickle run down my nose. I wipe at it, the crimson staining my hand. As quick as I can, I sniffle the rest of it up and drag my hand against the ground to rid myself of the evidence. I've only just got here and already the symptoms that Sydney mentioned are present.

“You guys good?” I rise to my feet and dust off my legs. There is no time like the present to get this show on the road. I refuse to leave here without following through, and I can’t exactly do that if I die in the process.

“Yep,” Dash joins me at my side.

Wes huffs and comes closer, too. “Can’t say I’m thrilled to be back here.” His eyes glow and his skin radiates heat like his hound side is already on high alert. I don’t blame him for being proactive, I would probably do the same if I had those types of abilities.

I unsheathe a blade and shove the handle into Dash’s hand. “If it’s not a demon, kill it. And if it’s a demon trying to kill you, kill it. Do not hesitate. Just because you’re a phoenix doesn’t mean I’m okay with you dying.”

Dash nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

I roll my eyes and scan the vicinity, unsure of where we landed. There’s no telling where Pippa, Gary, and the wendigo went, but if my beacon is doing what it’s supposed to be doing, they should be alerted to our whereabouts if they're nearby. I just hope they get here before any other bloodthirsty demon does.

I don’t want to have to kill, but I will if it’s what stands between us and our survival.

“Let’s stick to the plan,” I tell them while pulling the compass from my pocket. The dial swivels and then settles on its direction. “This way.”

We take a few steps and I stop, holding out both of my arms to prevent them from going any farther.

“What’s wrong?” Wes asks immediately.

“Do you see that?” I point to the ground.

“No.”

“What are we supposed to be seeing?” Dash glances over my shoulder.

“That. Right there.” I kneel and get a closer look at the faint but illuminated petals on the ground. They brighten, only to dim out and be replaced by another set a bit farther away.

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