Page 121 of A Monstrous World: The Complete Series

Chapter Nineteen

Echo

I ’ve been gone for several hours.

I’m whatever one step past anxious is.

My need to get eyes on the confounding witch is alarming.

I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to Nadia. Perhaps I can blame it on the connection tethering our souls. It might also have something to do with the fact she freed me from the hell of being bound to my maker.

Whatever the reason, it doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it should.

I’ve served a true monster for centuries. Being bound to the baby darkling is a step up from the existence I’ve known.

I felt her sorrow when she told me about her mother. Felt the remorse she carries, despite it not being her fault. A witch can’t choose their magic any more than a shifter can pick their beast.

Guilt and sadness are not emotions I’m familiar with, nor have I been in quite some time. The maker connection overrode many of my own impulses and feelings.

Imogen hasn’t felt guilt a day in her long life. Not even if she was faced with all the horror she’s inflicted on those she supposedly cares for would she be able to fake an ounce of real emotion. If a truly soulless creature exists, then it’s my maker. She’ll be a problem before this is all over.

It took too long to jog back to town, since I was running on empty. Then even longer to feed and travel back to the peaks for my vehicle.

I park haphazardly in Ridge’s driveway and exit in a hurry. I’m on the porch about to head into the house when noises from the forest catch my attention.

Shifters are baser creatures.

It could be any wolves fucking.

My head cocks.

I listen intently for sounds of Nadia and Ridge inside his home, but I pick up no heartbeats. My gaze slides to the side as I spin, scanning the tree line.

That wolf has a death wish. After such a long existence, he’s desperate for someone to end his suffering.

There’s no other possibility.

He’s of an ancient wolf line—some of the oldest shifters in the human realm. He’ll be difficult to kill, but not impossible. If nothing else, I’ll remove his head and heart and keep him close.

It’ll be an agonizing existence for him to experience for the rest of time. Every time the organs attempt to regrow, I’ll simply remove them again.

Problem solved.

I stumble a step as I catch sight of them. She’s his fucking mate . The line at River and Brant’s cabin wasn’t a bullshit throwaway comment.

My head hangs as I stare at my boots.

This is a fucking disaster.

I had a feeling his beast was drawn to her. Shifters in animal form only show interest in their mate. I really hoped I was wrong, but as Ridge stares down at her with his head cocked and his eyes glowing from his wolf, it’s very clear. She’s in his lap, but he still makes her seem tiny.

On one hand, it’s a good thing because he’ll be an ally.

On another, it’s a disaster in the making because shifters are notoriously bad at sharing.

I wonder if she warned him about her profession.

Not that I particularly have any right to judge.

I don’t love the thought of her going back to that occupation, but perhaps, that’s a bit of my own history tainting the well.

My eyes are glued to Nadia as she writhes on the alpha barbarian’s lap. In the next instant, he lifts her, tossing her down and pinning her to the ground as he slams into her like a feral beast.

It would be convenient if she looked like she was in distress or, at the very least, not enjoying herself.

That would be a solid reason to step in and rip that asshole off her.

His forearm frames her head as he kisses her.

It’s a brutal kiss that has their tongues tangling in the air as he holds her in place.

Nadia bounces under him with each pump of his hips into hers, but he cradles her like she’s precious. Which makes me want to rip his head off all over again.

I frown, shaking my head. I’m losing my bloody mind. My thoughts circle in a loop of hating the barbarian wolf and how badly I ache to take his place.

Ridge fucks her through her release. The naughty thing gets so loud, I’m sure the entire pack knows what’s happening.

He kisses her in a soft way that I’m shocked a shifter can manage.

It’s the tender touches he offers as he caresses her cheek that make me slightly uncomfortable.

They barely know each other. There’s no reason he should be gently worshiping her under the moonlight.

She’s not his. She’s certainly not mine, either, but he has no right to treat her so reverently.

Not that I want him to fuck her like the animal he is. I take several steps forward. I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to snapping, not once in my long existence. Nadia is driving me mad, which is something not even Imogen managed to accomplish.

I showered during my five-minute stop at my apartment. I thoughtfully brought Nadia several changes of clothes, like a good soul-bonded vampire should.

Ridge should not be smiling at my witch when I went out of my way to be thoughtful for the first time in centuries.

It becomes clear he has spotted me when he pulls back until he’s kneeling, looks straight at me, and winks. That motherfucker is still inside her.

My fangs and claws descend as I plan the best way to incapacitate him long enough to pour some concrete. I’ll also need a deep hole and enough time for said concrete to dry once he’s buried inside.

I can’t remove his head at the moment . . .

Nadia might find that traumatic.

See, I can be a thoughtful and conscientious tether. If I do something stupid, then I could fuck things up by destroying her trust in me.

I’ll have to murder the brute once she’s no longer around to witness it.

He pulls her up, helping her flip over on all fours, and slams back inside her.

He gives me a look that indicates he wants me to see how much she trusts him.

Also, apparently, how little he cares about breaking her.

Witches are on par with humans, but he fucks into her in a way that makes it clear he’s not concerned about hurting her.

I take several more steps forward before I can stop myself. He’s taunting the wrong vampire. The closer I get, the tighter the tether between us pulls. It’s surreal and utterly intoxicating, feeling her pleasure coursing through the link.

Nadia gasps, catching sight of me, or perhaps, she feels me as I do her? It’s impossible to say with any certainty, but the thought succeeds in making my cock painfully hard.

Ridge pulls her top half up until they’re both kneeling and writhing around together. Fuck, her tits are fabulous. The way her cunt is stuffed full of his cock is enticing as hell. I wouldn’t mind a taste. I lick my lips.

The useless mutt glares, his eyes flashing like he read my thoughts.

Luckily, I know that’s impossible.

I shove my hands into my jeans pockets and aim for the closest tree. If they’re going to fuck in the woods while the council has it out for all of us, then I might as well provide security.

After all, my existence hinges on keeping her alive. It has nothing to do with my growing obsession to the shadowborn blood witch. It’s absolutely not because the expression she makes as she comes again seems burned into my retinas.

It’s also not because she selflessly allowed herself to be kidnapped by an unfamiliar bigfoot and thunderbird to save a dying woman.

Yeah, it’s not like I’m fucked or anything. Right?

The wolf ruts and snarls while Nadia sobs and begs the next few hours of my never-ending existence away.

If I were human, the back of my skull would be raw.

The number of times I’ve banged my head against the coarse tree bark would’ve certainly killed me if I weren’t immortal.

At the very least, I’d have brain damage.

They finally settle as the first visages of light break the horizon. Ridge scoops her up, heading toward his house without a backward glance in my direction.

“You’re welcome for having your back,” I mutter low enough that only he will pick up my words.

Ridge turns, flipping me off with the hand on Nadia’s ass and continues on like nothing happened. I follow them, pondering ways to broach the many different conversations we need to have.

I’m unsurprised when he carries her into his shower.

I lounge against the wall as I run through the facts. I’ve never been close enough to the inner workings of the council to know what’s going on.

The inhabitants of North Falls love to call me the council’s echo, but I was physically incapable of rebuffing Imogen’s demands until Nadia severed our bond. She’ll always be my maker, but the tables have turned.

I’m no longer hers to command.

Imogen won’t allow that slight to stand. She may have agreed because she continually defers to Constantine, but it’s only a matter of time.

Once Nadia has served her purpose, Imogen will strike. That’s something I won’t allow. Our destiny is tethered together. I’m far from altruistic. It’s simply a fact that I can’t survive without the little witch.

There’s also the added component of the demons. It’s clear they know Nadia and are willing to fight to keep her alive, but according to the reaper, only she can summon them, and she doesn’t remember they fucking exist.

My hand flies to my temple, rubbing away the low throbbing ache. I’ve been perpetually drained dry over the last day and a half. All the pieces of the puzzle are only adding to my frustration.

It’s not something I’ll be able to determine alone.

Nadia is the one with answers, and it’s about time she gives them.

Ridge comes out in a pair of sweats, while Nadia is in one of his long, white T-shirts. The thing resembles a dress on her curvy frame.

“Hey,” she says, smiling and waving when she spots me lounging. Her face scrunches as she frowns, yanking her hand down. It’s distractingly cute.

What the fuck is going on in my head recently?