she speaks. When Amias begins breathing more heavily, the demon turns to him and speaks in Briyan.
“These are the mates of one of the girls you bought. It seems there was some sort of mistake, so hopefully we can work something out. I wouldn’t have sold her if I’d known.”
Mates? The word makes me jerk in my seat again. He can’t possibly mean Isla, can he? And there’s no way mate means the same thing in their realm, right?
The demon continues speaking, switching back over to the language that sounds like Isla’s. Demons have the power to speak and understand any language, making it that much easier to deceive people. Two of the men speak back and forth with him, never taking their eyes off Amias. The third approaches the Elder with a feral look in his eyes.
He asks something in a low voice, pinning Amias to the wall. Amias lets out a muffled cry, and the demon looks up from his interrogation with the other two men. He says something to the man threatening Amias, appearing agitated.
“Where is Isla?” the man pinning Amias to the wall asks again. I watch with absolute shock and horror as his irises and the whites of his eyes turn black, grotesque horns emerge from the top of his head, and his nails transform into claws as the skin on his hands and forearms darkens. He’s a demon too.
I’ve met plenty of demons in my life. They have the most terrible scent, and the sight of them always makes my beast feel tense. In my experience, only the most dangerous and powerful demons can drop their glamours as seamlessly as this one. I growl low in my throat, curling my hand into a fist while I watch the demon scum on the screen ask about my wife. Why would he be looking for her?
Amias mumbles prayers to himself instead of answering, and the demon makes a horrible sound somewhere between a hiss and an animalistic snarl. “What did you do with her? I know you took her, you sick fuck!”
“Careful, Alistair.” One of the other men approaches, placing his hand on the demon’s shoulder as he glares at Amias. He’s tall and pale with fiery-red hair, and he speaks Briyan with a thick accent. “Don’t hurt him before he tells us what we want to hear.”
Alistair? No. No, this can’t be right. Alistair must be a common name in Isla’s realm. There’s no way her Alistair is a demon.
“If you’ve hurt Isla, I swear—”
The Alistair demon’s threat is cut off by Amias’s terrified voice. “Isla is safe from your evil. You’ll never see her again!”
Amias lifts a light stone from his pocket and shoves it at the red-haired man. The man crumples to the ground in pain, proving he’s not human either. Alistair shouts something in another language, fury lighting his demonic, black eyes. A horrifying scream tears from Amias’s throat, and I watch his hand on screen disintegrate into ash. His scream cuts off abruptly, and the light stone is left floating in the air on its own.
“No!” Alistair blinks, his eyes appearing human once more. He stares at the floor in horror, shaking his head back and forth. He babbles wildly in their other language, and I curl my hands into fists as I desperately try to decipher his words.
The other man leaves the first demon and runs over, wrapping his arm around Alistair. He whispers something soothingly in the same language Isla uses, and then the scene before me disappears.
I stand up in outrage, speaking without thinking. “Is that it? Is that all he witnessed?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Janak sneers. “The magic our Elders used stopped working shortly after Amias was killed.”
“Why would that demon be looking for Isla?” Ilari asks, reminding me of his presence.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I rest my hands on top of my head and pace the small space of Janak’s office. My thoughts are reeling, and I have no idea how to make sense of everything I just witnessed. Those creatures were looking for Isla, and they seemed to care for her. The word mate was used too. None of it makes any sense at all.
“That demon scum who murdered our Head Elder, reducing him to nothing more than ash, is Isla’s supposed brother. He’s the one Maalik and Reule asked me to search for. I checked with my sources, and Alistair isn’t a common name in their realm. Do you know what could have happened if we’d brought him here without realizing his true nature? Your mate is luckier than I ever realized. I’m no longer sorry for bringing her or those other girls here, no matter what you have to say about it, Maalik.”
I look up and meet Janak’s fuming gaze. I understand he’s angry that he lost an Elder today, but we all know the risks of traveling to different realms and working with dark creatures. Amias will be known as a hero among his fellow Elders.
As for the potential risk of bringing Alistair to Briya? It’s a lot for me to wrap my head around. How can I reconcile the fact that my wife considers a demon to be her family or her friend? How many dark creatures was she connected to in her old life? How am I going to explain everything to my brothers?
Most importantly, how am I going to face Isla after this? I wanted to bring her good news. What if she still insists on going home to find Alistair?
Unless I break my promise to her, I’ll be forced to break the oath I made to my kingdom the day I became a Guardian.
Acknowledgments
Wow. I can’t believe I’m already writing another of these so soon! Of Moons and Monsters is my fourth published book, and my second of this year already. As much as I love my other books, this one is extra special to me.
I started working on Isla’s story last April. I was still working at my old, miserable job then where I was considered an “essential employee” in the middle of the pandemic. I was constantly stressed, having panic attacks almost daily, and I couldn’t focus on any of my other writing projects (which were only a hobby at that time). Something compelled me to set all of my other interests aside to work on this story instead, and Isla’s world began to come to life. I can see my growth as a writer in this book more than anything else I’ve written so far, and this book also helps me remember that I can persevere and get through anything.
Of course, this book would still be nothing without the support of my closest family and friends.
Thank you to my husband, David. Even though you lost your shit and found it absolutely hilarious when you realized I named a fae character Rian. The teasing has been relentless.
Thank you to Kelly, always. I’m sad I can’t just shout down the hallway to inform you I have a new chapter written anymore, but you’ll still always get the first peek at new Isla updates in the future.
Thank you, Taryn. My co-captain, best friend, and editor. For always making me a better writer and for loving Maalik so much. Not sure I’ll ever be able to top Chapter 9 by your standards, but I promise to try! Also, I’m really sorry about Chapter 11, you little trooper.
Thank you to Savannah, for making my life so much easier and for being the best PA in the universe. My releases have been so much smoother and so much more successful since I hired you. Thank you to VerĨa, Bonnie, and Kika from the bottom of my heart for your help with the Czech translations in this book. And a special thank you to Seneca, Danielle, and Rachael for making me feel like I always have friends to reach out to about anything on a daily basis.
And most of all, thank you to my readers who continue to support me and show their love for my characters. You guys are one hundred percent the reason I’m able to keep writing and publishing.
About the Author
Willow Hadley is a self-published author who primarily writes reverse harem romance. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, their doggo, and two demon-familiars (aka cats). She started writing in early 2018, and she joined the Wattpad Stars program in 2019. She loves character driven stories and fluffy books that give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. She’s also obsessed with Disney movies, and her favorite candy is licorice.
Of Moons and Monsters is her fourth published book.
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Also by Willow Hadley
Cricket (Cricket Kendall #1)
Wildflower (Cricket Kendall #2)
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Smile Like You Mean It (Charlotte Reynolds #1)
Of Dreams and Demons (Of Moons and Monsters #2)
RELEASE DATE TBD