Revealing the Monster (Playing with Monsters #4) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,24

you, Kid. I’m in over my head on this one.”

“My mother,” I whispered, swallowing past the lump that saying her name created. “She did not know what they were. We were all in over our heads, drowning in a war that we didn’t know was happening around us. Lucian was there to protect the world, and we didn’t even realize the danger of his presence to ours or us. I had the seal within me, slumbering. If it had awoken, we’d all be nothing more than husks of flesh after it had spit out our bones.”

“This world was already heading down the highway to Hell. Now, we have shit happening that makes me wonder if we can ever come back from this. I need to show you one more thing if you can spare a few more minutes.”

“For you, old man, I will always make time.” Hearing a noise behind me, I turned to see Zahruk coming down the stairs toward us. He had dual blades attached to his back, with leather straps that crossed over his ripped chest. Eyes the color of freshly polished sapphires smiled the moment they landed on me, and then slowly moved back to Alden.

“You’ll need to remove the crystals, Kid. Zahruk is here to see the newest clusterfuck unfolding in town.”

Bending down, I retrieved the crystals while holding Zahruk’s gaze. His lips tightened, curving into a wicked grin when he reached us.

“You called for me, Elder?” Zahruk asked, his attention shifting to Alden.

“It’s just Alden now,” he corrected, pushing his fingers through his hair. “You can bring Lena with us, right?”

“She’s light and easily captured,” Zahruk stated, dragging his gaze down my curves. “Shame she got claimed so early on.”

“Careful,” Alden chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling with the secret. “She’s taken by something none of us could deal with once it was pissed off.”

“Sounds fun.” Zahruk held his hand out for mine. “Don’t be scared. You’ll like my bite.”

“You may not like mine. It’s to die for,” I returned, as one side of Zahruk’s mouth tipped up in a sinful grin. “After we’ve finished here, can you drop me off at Vlad’s club?”

“Sure thing, pretty monster.”

Chapter Seven

Once upon a time, I knew better than to walk into the shadows and play with darkness. Now, I am the darkness. ~Lena

The three of us appeared in a dark alleyway bathed in pulsing shadows and what seemed to be some kind of portal. My eyes slid over the wafting darkness that beckoned us forward seductively. Tiny rainbow prisms covered the ground in front of the swirling, wispy tendrils of dark shadows, while the sound of a beating drum came from the gloomy portal, deeper inside the alley. Or, at least, I assumed it was a drum. Zahruk toed the crystals before kneeling and using his fingers to grab a shard of one of the larger pieces. Then, bringing it to his nose, he jerked it back away from his face, tossing it down as he rose to his impressive height.

“What the fuck is happening here?” Zahruk’s voice held worry deep within his sultry timbre. “It feels wrong, even to me.”

“Good question, but no one seems to know the answer, and whatever it is, it’s spreading into our world.” Alden crossed his arms over his chest, his bushy brow raised as he glared at the shadows. “I sent enforcers into that shit, and two came out… changed, for lack of a better word. One became insane, and the other had brand-like markings all over him. Not like yours or Ryder’s, though. These markings have altered his genetic make-up. His ears are now pointed, and when he’s angry, his eyes turn entirely black, swallowing the sclera and iris. He hungers, and no matter how much we feed him, he is never satisfied.”

“They didn’t come out the same?” I asked, watching Alden’s head shake.

“When did this anomaly show up?” Zahruk asked, narrowing his gaze on the pulsing, thrumming shadows that continually sang an eerie song, sending a shiver rushing up my spine.

“It was here when we exited the shelter; after all that shit went down in Faery. We came out here because I got reports of people going missing around this area. I figured it was an otherworldly creature feeding on humans. I never expected to find something like this,” Alden grumbled, shaking his head. “There are other areas all over town where the same thing has appeared. Some are silent, and others sound the same as this one, like