Page 116 of A Monstrous World: The Complete Series

Chapter Sixteen

Ridge

Ten Minutes Earlier

B eing immortal isn’t the gift many humans would believe, especially when you’re an ancient shifter who’s spent lifetimes waiting to find their mate.

I long ago gave up hope, and that was prior to females of my kind growing rarer. I’ve lived a life of relative isolation and celibacy for so long that my reaction to the little witch immediately made me suspicious.

For fuck’s sake, my wolf thinks her miniature fangs are adorable. Wolves and vampires are often cliché in our distaste for one another. She’s not a vampire, that much is clear. She’s got a heartbeat and a similar body temperature to any other human or witch.

Her coming here was clearly a setup. North Falls is so far outside of a tourist destination that I’m surprised delivery trucks still manage to bring necessities regularly. I’m sure the council’s compulsion has something to do with it.

“I can’t believe she took off with Brant,” Echo says indignantly. “It’s like she’s desperate for my palm on her ass.”

“Try it, and I’ll decapitate you,” I growl, stomping through the woods after him in human form.

I don’t know what the fuck that was back there, but even thinking about the creature sends an uncomfortable shiver down my spine. I’ve seen a lot during my thousands of years, but that shit was disturbing.

“Hey guys, thanks for waiting around for your teammate,” an eerie voice says, appearing beside Echo.

The vampire spins, hissing and swiping with his claws, but the creature turns to smoke.

I barely hold back the snicker, but again, whatever the hell that is creeps me out too. I likely would’ve had a similar reaction.

The shadowy demon from the peak forms from nothing. He’s wearing jeans with no shirt. I think. It’s hard to tell with the smoky lines appearing and shifting.

“That was uncalled for. We all have the same goals. I mean, I think we do. Would you like to explain why your soul is tethered to my witch?” he asks.

“Who the fuck are you?” I growl before my wolf feels the need to clarify. “She’s not yours. She’s mine .”

“Nadia has been busy.” He chuckles. “I’m Knight, resident sin eater, at your service. Well, not yours, but Nadia’s, so I’m thinking that’s the same thing at this point.” His hair bounces as he nods.

“Make fucking sense when you speak.” Echo rolls his shoulders back, continuing in the direction of Brant and River’s cabin.

“I asked you a question.” Knight flickers into shadows and reappears in front of Echo. “Why the hell are you soul-bound to my witch?”

Echo doesn’t say a word. His head tilts, and his dark hair falls over his forehead as he glares at the sin eater.

“She’s not your witch,” I growl. Clearly, she’s mine. The fact that’s all I can seem to focus on is mildly alarming, but my claws still elongate, showing my wolf’s displeasure.

Knight’s face contorts into a frown as he twists his head, like he’s listening to something. “Right, she’s going to need you, chop chop.” He becomes more transparent, but it’s clearly his back that’s facing our direction as he heads off at a rapid pace.

“I wasn’t aware sin eaters truly exist. I thought them nothing more than lore and fanciful stories.” Echo spins to face me with wide eyes. “We might just survive the council yet.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” I mutter, stomping to follow the unknown demon. “Just because he helped us eliminate a horde of lesser demons and a few newly turned vamps doesn’t mean he won’t stab us in the back at the first opportunity.”

“Fair enough.” Echo keeps pace at my side.

I miss a step as Knight disappears from in front of us.

A warm breath fans over my neck from behind a millisecond later.

“I’d never be so petty. That witch is going to be carrying my little demonic babies before you know it.

I would never kill her mate. That would piss her off.

I’d simply allow the next attack to be successful. ”

“That’s comforting,” I snort, jogging toward the cabin. I transform in mid-air, purposely allowing my paws to dig into the sand as I pivot.

“Bloody fucking wanker,” Echo says.

“The human realm is delightfully entertaining,” Knight says, but his voice comes from in front of me, not behind.

It’s clear he’s a formidable opponent. We’d best watch him carefully.

Which won’t be troublesome at all, considering he turns to fucking shadow.

Nadia passes out while I’m too far away to reach her. Echo makes a similar grab, but he stumbles when he sees she’s cradled to the chest of a reaper.

My wolf isn’t afraid of death, nor am I. There were many years where dying felt like a respite we’d never taste.

We continue, passing Echo. “Give her to me,” I growl. I try to will away my fangs and claws, but I’m still mid-transformation from my beast to human form.

“She likely won’t wake for hours.” The reaper brushes his lips over her forehead. It’s a strangely intimate move that sends a shiver of unease down my spine.

“Don’t hurt my mate.” It comes out as more of a plea than has crossed my lips in centuries.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?” Knight mutters. “That’s Wraith, and believe it or not, we’re all on the same team.”

“What team is that?” Echo asks quietly.

“The one where we keep Nadia safe and fill her full of our spawn.” Wraith nods, but it’s his deadpan delivery that has me taking a step back. My wolf has the opposite reaction. He wants her full of our pups, but he’s not big on sharing. “What? You want the same.” He looks at Knight, who chuckles.

“Yes, but they aren’t used to your crazy.

You’re going to scare them away.” Knight crosses long, thin arms over his bare chest. He has straight blond hair to his shoulders and a slender frame similar to Echo’s.

Despite the curved horns, he’s very humanoid at the moment.

Whatever the fuck he turned into while we were fighting is the shit of nightmares.

“I’m not crazy. I’m protective,” the reaper says so indignantly that Echo snorts, swiping a hand over his face. “I’ve even mostly stopped stalking her over the last year. We only interact now when she knows about it.”

My beast perks up. He likes the idea of hunting the little witch, especially of watching her when she’s unaware.

“How is this possible?” River says.

All four of our eyes fly to Milania.

“That’s going to be a problem.” Knight raises his eyebrows at Wraith.

The reaper still cradles Nadia to his chest, but he raises a hand, snapping. Everything in the room freezes, except for the four of us and, possibly, Nadia. It’s impossible to tell with her passed out.

“Holding time is going to drain me faster than I want to leave her.” Wraith sighs heavily.

“What the fuck?” Echo studies the very still Milania. “Did you do this?”

“Do what?” I move closer, checking her out with renewed interest, since everyone seems concerned.

“Does it not bother you being butt-ass naked, with your cock swinging?” Knight snorts, swiping a hand over his face.

“No,” I say simply. My nose twitches as I approach, but it’s the elongation of Milania’s face and the pointed ears that have me staggering back a step. “She was human.”

“Yes, well, now she’s not.” Wraith shrugs.

“How is that possible?” Echo leans over, sniffing her. “She smells full-blooded.”

“Yes,” Wraith agrees.

“How?” I snarl, spinning to face him.

“That is distracting,” Wraith says to Knight, but he nods to my nude form.

Shifters are completely confident in our bodies.

“Every group needs one barbarian.” Knight laughs, gesturing at me. “He’s also vicious as fuck in beast form. So there’s that.”

“Thank you.” I give him a nod of appreciation.

“Jesus Christ, I’m surrounded by idiots,” Echo mutters. “Answer the question of how that human woman is now a fae female.”

“It wasn’t either of us, but I think you know that.” Knight raises his eyebrows.

I glare at him. I know nothing of the sort.

The infuriating asshole shrugs.

“Blood witches are rare.” Wraith nuzzles his cheek to the top of Nadia’s head.

“They’re often the mouthpiece for the gods, or possibly evolution, depending on how you choose to view it.

” He shrugs. “Who knows why. It’s a myth that they’re all inherently bad or drawn to dark magic. What is blood but a conduit of life?”

“Stop talking in riddles!” Echo snarls, spinning in a circle with his hands behind his head.

“I was trying to be plain. Omegas died out of the monster community in the human realm many hundreds of years ago. Did no one correlate that to the mass extermination of blood witches?” Wraith glances between me and Echo. “Really? It’s a widely known theory in Hell.”

“Gods,” I mutter.

“If they exist, I’d assume they’re very pissed at their creations for upsetting the balance of nature.

Nadia isn’t the only blood witch in existence, but she is one of several hundred that have started popping up within the last few decades.

” Wraith gives her a fond smile. “Fertility witches can’t activate dormant omega genes, especially since they’ve been watered down for multiple generations, but blood witches can. ”

“You’re saying Milania had dormant fae DNA?” Echo asks.

“I’d imagine so. Otherwise, I don’t see how that transformation could have been successful,” Wraith says.

“They did immediately claim her as their mate.” I eye River and Brant. They fell in love the moment they scented her. I attributed it to loneliness, but perhaps they picked up on something the rest of us missed.

“Omegas always gave birth to one of each of their mate’s species. Well, as long as that partner contributed DNA at the time of conception,” Echo says.

I don’t have the first clue what that means. Maybe I am a barbarian. I scratch my jaw. I guess they mean one of those babies belongs to Brant and one to River. That’s kind of cool. I bet they’ll be pleased.