Revealing the Monster (Playing with Monsters #4) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,129
had been where the guild had started. It was hidden beneath the city when the humans had been oblivious that hunters protected them from the shit that went bump in the night.
Something shifted at the bottom of the stairs, and then a shrill scream split through the air. Everyone paused, turning to look at each other to see if anyone had caught sight of what the fuck it had been.
The minute we turned back toward the darkened staircase, a blur of motion moved again. Screaming erupted from below, and the heartbeats that had been slow moments before began thundering with fear. Lucian stepped beside me, and Ryder did the same with Synthia.
“Down into the darkness we go,” Ristan snorted, winking at us while he took the lead. “Say your prayers and get whichever God you worship on the line.”
“That’s encouraging,” Synthia muttered beneath her breath, allowing Ryder to take a position in front of her pregnant form. “Whoever is down here is terrified of the creature that made that noise.”
“Like caged rats that know something is coming to grab one of them up for testing,” Vlad whispered.
“Why are we whispering?” Erie’s wide, blue eyes slid through us before she snorted. “Whatever it is, it’s oblivious to our presence. It’s hunting them while we’re seeking it. It isn’t afraid of us.”
“It should be,” Lucian grunted, winking at Erie.
“It has no idea that death comes for it, nor that war rides beside him,” Erie sang in a singsong voice that had everyone giving her a look of unease. “All we need now is Famine and Pestilence.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
There’s bliss in the unknowing of what tragedy will unfold next. I wish we could remain there, just on the cusp of knowing, but numb to what will come for us. ~Lena
The lower level of the guild was bathed in shadows. Nothing made a peep as we reached the bottom of the staircase. The walls were covered in fresh splatter from what appeared to be arterial blood, sat above the bookshelves, explaining the tangy scent. Dim light from a backup generator offered enough illumination that we could make out crumpled forms on the far wall.
Ristan paused at the foot of the stairs, looking toward the guild library. No one spoke, and the sadness that filled the air was thick enough to make you choke. He stepped back without warning, and Synthia reached for his arm, preventing him from escaping.
“Too many fucking ghosts down here, Flower,” Ristan uttered softly, his voice cracking. “I’ll go help above. I can’t be down here right now.”
“I understand,” she replied, nodding her head. “I’m sure they can use some assistance, or will once we figure out what we’re dealing with down here.”
He vanished from sight, and a silent look passed between Synthia and Ryder while Zahruk replaced Ristan in the lead. Swords with jagged edges covered the blades he held, pulsing with power, causing the furies within me to acknowledge them. They hummed like they were singing a song that tethered a thread inside of me.
Zahruk’s head tilted slightly left, and his gaze narrowed on me as if he sensed my interest. When he moved closer, his mouth opened, and a shrill scream erupted from his throat. Lucian stepped next to me, awarding Zahruk with a warning glare. He shook his light brown hair, dispelling whatever the hell had just come over him.
Zahruk opened his mouth to speak again, but something else answered him. The sound was like nails over a chalkboard and grating enough to make ears actually bleed. Several more shrilling cries filled the lower level, coming from multiple directions.
“That’s not a good sign.” I slid my gaze over the furthest corners of the library. “We’re being watched.”
“Obviously,” Spyder chuckled. “I think we need to work on your skills, Kitty. We’ve been under surveillance since the moment we entered this building.”
“I’m new at this shit, asshole,” I shot back, searching for whatever was observing us.
We started forward to the source of the erratic heartbeats, each one of us hugging the shelves while we moved through the darkness. The fluorescent lights buzzed, making so much noise that it sounded like we were in the midst of filming some low-budget horror show from the eighties.
I followed behind the others, peeking between shelves until something caught my attention on the floor. Swallowing down the fear etching up through my system, I grabbed Lucian’s arm, stopping him from following everyone else.
There was a winged beast in the middle of the aisle, watching us