Page 168 of A Monstrous World: The Complete Series

Chapter Twenty

Eldritch

“ I ’ve never seen anything like the ward on your father’s chamber,” Wraith says as Knight and I materialize in the hallway of the dragon’s keep.

I do a double take when I spot the tiny infant in his arms.

“Where the hell did the baby come from?” I choke out, adjusting to the change in my equilibrium that comes after siphoning.

“This is Hazel.” Wraith rocks the baby in his arms.

“Our daughter,” Knight adds.

“And how did she get here?” I ask, blinking like a fool.

“While Knight collected you, I snagged Hazel,” Wraith says simply.

“How did you form a portal?” I sputter. “Why bring Aline along if you didn’t need her to help us return home?”

“Reapers and sin eaters can move through the realms at will.” Knight shoves his long blond hair back from his face, rocking on his heels.

“Well, as long as we’re reaping. The universe must agree that we’re going to get a tasty meal tonight because it allowed Wraith to pop through and grab Hazel.

” He rubs his hands together in front of his bare chest.

I suppose he’s truly excited by that prospect.

“She’s a devourer.” Wraith nuzzles his cheek to the face of the tiny demon. “No one outside of close friends knows that information.”

I bow at the waist. “I will guard your secret.”

“Right, so…” Knight laughs. “We were specifically told to find your dad. The king is behind that ward, and we can’t manifest inside his chamber.”

My head tilts. “Does he have Veryn?”

“No,” Wraith says, his huge, void-like eyes blinking slowly. “However, he was responsible for the death of your mother, as well as the hundreds of years of torture you endured.”

“Bane and Athos thought you might like a chance to exact your revenge.” Knight smirks. “Also, with granddad out of the way, Veryn will be safer. They’re focusing on Cyril. We take out the king.”

Wraith nods. “We all have our parts to play. Now, if you could, we need King Cadryn removed from his chambers.”

Knight tosses a finger toward the huge wooden door. “We saw a balcony. It’s even open. You could totally fly in and toss his ass off. Once he’s in the courtyard, we can take care of the rest.”

I’ve spent much time daydreaming about punishing my father and very little actually considering it might be a possibility.

My head shakes. “I wanted revenge for many years, but Veryn’s and Charity’s safety comes before all else.”

“We each have our own parts to play,” Wraith repeats. “Removing the king does help to ensure Veryn’s future safety. Once the royal line is no more, the high-up families at court can fight it out for succession.”

“None of them will be concerned with tracking down a boy they have no proof even exists.” Knight’s eyebrows rise as he nods to the chamber. “Now, if you could get on with it. Hazel’s stomach is practically growling.”

My hair falls into my eyes as I appraise them.

If I access my wings, my horns will be visible, but Charity didn’t seem bothered by them the first night in the cave. They’re something I was teased about relentlessly growing up, but I’m free of all that now.

I nod, rolling my shoulders back. “Siphon us to the courtyard or point me toward the stairs. I’ll make sure my father reaches the ground.”

My wings extend, flapping and pushing me through the air.

The demons are able to shield themselves and companions, and being invisible seems like a reasonable equalizer.

I’ll never be as powerful as a full-blooded dragon, but my rage makes for solid fuel.

In shifted form, my father and other dragons are about two-and-a-half-times larger than my wyvern, making it imperative that it not come down to that.

Truthfully, the agony he put me through seems unimportant, like a distant memory. I simply need to do my part to protect Veryn and take out any threats to Charity’s future happiness. Once that’s done, I’ll ask to be brought back to my mate, and I won’t leave her side.

I land in a crouch on the balcony.

One of the doors is open, likely to allow a breeze, since it’s warm for the middle of the night. The climate-controlled machines they use in the human realm are quite convenient, even if I don’t have the first bloody clue how they work.

Pulling my wings close to my back, I slide through the open doorway sideways to keep from alerting my father that I’m intruding into his private space.

My boots barely make a noise, but even that is louder than I’d like as I approach his sleeping form.

The nude woman at his side isn’t his mate, and pure rage fills my heart.

Did he learn nothing from the disaster with my mother?

In all honesty, I feel a pinch of sorrow for his mate. It’s difficult to fathom the pain she must experience every time he steps out on his matebond.

The wyvern screams in my mind, calling for my father’s retribution. My eyes glow yellowy-green as I bend over his sleeping form. He’s got a white sheet pulled around his lower half, but I believe he’s also in some sort of thin sleep pants.

What a fitting outfit for the pathetic creature to meet his end.

“Hello, father,” I murmur, lifting his massive form out of the bed.

My wings expand as I toss him toward the balcony with all my might.

The female in his bed wakes with a scream, glancing around in confusion. I harbor no ill will toward her, so I ignore her as I stomp toward my father.

His head darts about as he attempts to pick himself up from the broken table that he likely takes meals at when he eats in his quarters.

Flying across the room, I viciously slam my boot into his jaw.

Memories of all the times he backhanded me for saying the wrong thing fill my mind.

Gods.

Those were the times I was actually trying to please him.

Thousands more of his belt and boots flying at my head strengthen my resolve. His eyes light with his dragon as his head cocks, and I know he’s trying to locate me by sound alone.

I fly through the air, scooping him in my arms like a bride, and barrel through the glass and wood of the half-closed door. Once we hit the railing to the balcony, I simply chuck him over.

Wraith gives me a nod from his position near the fountain as my father struggles to transform in mid-air.

My jaw literally falls as his body freezes in its descent.

Either the reaper or the sin eater has the ability to freeze time.

I spin around, moving to the side until I can see back into the bedroom. Even the woman is frozen, holding the sheet to her chest.

The residents of Haven truly are powerful beings.

Turning back to the railing, I extend my wings.