Page 1 of Kingdom of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #2)

One

Numb.

That’s the only word to describe how I feel since watching Shadow Striker punch through Becks’ chest right before the portal slammed shut in front of me. Since realizing everything I believed about myself was a lie.

I’m not a creature.

I’m human .

A being from an entirely different world.

Which means the creatures who raised me, the pair sitting across from me right now, waiting for me to say something, anything, probably aren’t my parents at all.

We’re gathered around the kitchen table, the three of us, like nothing’s changed.

Like my entire world didn’t just implode.

A blanket is draped over my shoulders. I can’t remember who put it there.

My hands are curled around a steaming mug of tea I haven’t touched.

Concern is etched into every line of my parents’ faces as they watch me silently, helplessly.

I haven’t said more than two words since they picked me up from the ruins.

The police called them in the middle of the night. I was too shell-shocked to even protest when they arrived. They haven’t shown anger or disappointment yet, but I know it’s coming.

Maybe I would’ve cared before. But now? I’m not sure I have anything left to give.

The longer I sit here, the harder it is to look at them. Because whether they knew I was human or not, one thing is undeniable. They knew I wasn’t their biological child. They knew I didn’t belong, and they kept that truth from me for almost eighteen years.

Regardless of blood, my mom and dad are, and will always be, my parents. But in this moment, they feel like strangers to me. As the repercussions of what went down last night start to break through the shock that’s kept my mind hazy, they’re not the ones I want to process this trauma with.

The sun is just starting to crest the horizon, its first rays slipping through the thin paisley curtains.

Another day, but nothing like the last, and all I know is that I don’t want to be here, sitting—doing nothing.

I want to find Talon and make a plan to get Becks back.

It’s my fault he’s trapped in another world, and I won’t give up until I bring him home.

“Honey,” my mom finally says.

She reaches forward to touch my hand, but I flinch away. I don’t look up to see the hurt splashed across her face. I already know it’s there.

A squeak of wood breaks the silence, and out of the corner of my eye I see my dad put his arm around her and pull her closer.

“Locklyn,” he starts, but I push back from the table before he can get any more words out.

I know they’re owed an explanation, even if I feel betrayed right now, but I just can’t sit here calmly and give it to them.

Not when Becks is still out there. Injured. Trapped in a completely unfamiliar world.

Not when I need to talk to Talon and make a plan.

Not when I’ve barely had two seconds with Ensley to talk about what happened to her brother.

I don’t have time to sit down and unpack our issues, let alone Chaos, right now.

“Where do you think you’re going?” my dad barks as I start to walk away.

“To get cleaned up,” I mumble, eyes fixed on the door.

“Sit back down,” he orders, his voice carrying just enough flint and steel to make me pause in the doorway.

I glance over my shoulder to find my dad standing beside his chair. My mom is still seated, clutching one of his hands, her watery gaze flicking back and forth between the two of us.

“I don’t have time?—”

“You’re not going anywhere until you explain yourself to your mother and me.

” His voice is steady, laced with firm command.

“We’ve been pretty understanding about all of this so far.

But you can’t expect to walk out of this room without saying anything after we were woken up by a call from the police in the middle of the night telling us our daughter has been part of some dangerous underground competition for weeks. ”

I press my lips together, reading the resolve etched into my dad’s face. He’s not going to let this go. Understandable .

The magical noise-dampening barrier around the ruins wasn’t the only thing to vanish the moment Kerrim and Becks disappeared through the portal.

The magical gag order that kept anyone from speaking about Chaos to those who hadn’t been there opening night disintegrated with it.

By the time the police found Talon and me beneath the cathedral ruins, they already knew about the competition.

My parents, along with who knows how many others, now know the truth. Or at least fragments of it. More of those details are sure to surface in the coming days.

There was a time I wished for this. Wished I could confide in my parents, tell them everything. But things have changed.

“I can’t do this right now,” I tell them honestly, my voice low. “I’m sorry, but I’m just too tired. And there are other things I need to do.”

Because while they may deserve answers, right now I need to focus on saving the person who took a blade for me. The one I left behind.

“It doesn’t matter if?—”

“Garrett,” my mom says, tugging gently on his arm to stop him.

My dad looks down at her, his jaw tight.

“She’s been through a lot tonight,” she continues softly. “We can have this conversation after she’s had a shower and some sleep. Let her be.”

He frowns, clearly not thrilled with the idea. But I know from experience that while my dad may be big and burly, he’s putty in my mom’s delicate hands. He can deny her nothing.

Despite the swirl of emotions crashing through me, despite the distance I feel from them both right now, I can’t help but marvel at the quiet love they have for each other. And not for the first time, my heart aches to have even a piece of that for myself.

But is it too late for that? Was Becks my one chance at a love like that, and now it’s gone forever because he is?

I give a small shake of my head, forcing the thought away. I can’t allow myself to think like that or I’ll crack into a million pieces. Too many to ever put back together again.

Becks is okay. And I will find him , I say to myself, trying to cement those thoughts in my mind.

As expected, my dad glances back at me and gives me a tight nod. Without another word, I take the out I’ve been given, and flee.

I slam my fist against the solid wood door as hard as I can. It’s quiet behind the imposing double doors, but I know someone’s inside. I saw the curtain in one of the upstairs rooms shift, like someone dropped it the moment I looked up.

I pause for ten seconds, tops, before pounding again. I don’t care if I’m being rude. That’s the least of my concerns right now. What matters is that Talon’s ignoring my messages.

My mind won’t stop spinning with worst-case scenarios. Becks bleeding out. Becks being taken captive by Kerrim. Kerrim using Shadow Striker to finish Becks off.

The only thing keeping me even partially grounded is the hope that Talon might have some answers.

I don’t know how I’m going to reach Becks, but if there’s a way, Talon is it.

But he’s not answering his phone. He hasn’t responded to a single message.

After everything that’s happened, after everything we’ve been through, he owes me more than silence.

Maybe there’s a reasonable explanation. It hasn’t even been a full day since Chaos imploded. But rising urgency in my gut says I can’t afford to wait. Time’s running out for Becks.

If Talon won’t come to me, I’ll find him myself and get the answers I need.

I lift my hand to pound on the door again when it suddenly swings open.

Drake Brayden’s imposing form fills the doorway, a lowball glass of amber liquid in his hand.

His hair is uncharacteristically disheveled, and his eyes are bloodshot.

He smells like a distillery as he frowns down at me, his black brows a harsh slash above a hostile stare.

I’m not overly surprised to see Talon’s uncle. This is his house, after all, and he answered the door the last time I came here, but I am surprised to see him in such a state.

“What are you doing here?” he barks, and despite myself I take an involuntary step back.

Drake is an intimidating dragon shifter.

Standing over six and a half feet tall and powerful enough to hold a seat on the dragon council, he exudes authority.

Despite my earlier bravado, it takes a second to gather my courage.

What helps is remembering the role he played in tearing Becks and me apart.

How he used Becks’ freedom to blackmail me into not only ending things, but staging the scene with Talon to make it look like I’d moved on.

Some of the blame for Becks believing I betrayed him lies squarely at Drake’s feet, and that thought turns my apprehension into anger.

“I’m here to see Talon,” I say, proud that my voice comes out strong and clear.

He narrows his eyes at me, then starts to close the door without a word.

“Wait!” I shout, jamming my foot between the door and the frame, stopping it just in time. He reopens it, just enough for me to see half his face and body.

“Where is he?”

“Talon’s not here,” he says flatly, and tries to close the door again, but I slap a hand against the wood, holding it firm.

“When will he be back?”

Drake shakes his head and lets out a humorless laugh.

Without bothering to try closing the door again, he turns and walks away.

I shove the door fully open and watch as he strides around the large black dragon sculpture in the center of the foyer, disappearing into a room beneath the curving double staircase.

I take a tentative step into the house.

Drake might be intimidating, but I’ve stood up to him once before, and I’m ready to do it again. I’m not leaving until I find Talon.