Page 145 of My Monster’s Keeper

“Open the gates to the worlds permanently,” I whisper. “All alphas and betas are welcome in this place.”

Magic reaches out and seizes my chest, vines that tug and pull on something inside me. It hurts. I scream through my clenched teeth. The wind picks up, whipped by whatever is happening. I can hear Grant screaming something, but I don’t care.

“Let’s see how well you play with the big boys, you fucking coward!” I howl at him as he turns and runs.

A stone archway builds itself from the ground up. On the other side, one made of vines, earth, and grasses grows. A third one appears, and then a fourth. I don’t look at those. They are a problem for another day.

The air sets itself on fire, burning my lungs, and then, abruptly, it extinguishes. The wind stops. The roaring sound of the wind stops. It’s still, and when I look around, I’m alone.

Except for two creatures who move confidently towards me.

Song, with a huge sloppy grin, and a mysterious Pitch with eyes like moonlight.

I wait for them to reach me and crouch down to stroke Song’s head while Pitch climbs up my body to lie across my shoulders.

“Thank you, thank you. Perfect timing for a prison break.”

Pitch meows and rubs her face against mine.

“Let’s go get our family back.”

I turn for the vine portal. I don’t know why, I just have an instinct that I need to come to this one first.

“Wait-”

I turn my head and find the blind healer with her hand lifted. I only recognise her because their description of her is uncannily correct. The veil flutters, and her fingers tremble, but she doesn’t approach.

“You can’t get him out. The Prince. You can’t do it. You will drown in those oceans.”

I bare my teeth. “I can.”

“You can’t. But I can help you.”

I narrow my eyes, and, a moment later, the five Sirens appear. They ignore me completely, focusing instead on her.

“I propose a deal!” she shouts before they can grab her.

“What kind of deal?” the grumpy twin snarls.

The Healer inhales, her shoulders rising, holding and then falling. “I will go with you and be your slave to torment at your will. If you will retrieve the Frost Prince.”

The five of them glance at each other. “That easily? No running. No cheating? You will obey us?”

“I will not run, nor cheat the rules. I will obey you.” The Healer says, and I can’t help but feel like she’s winning something here.

“Go get him,” the biggest one says. His fingers shackle her wrist and tow her towards him.

Four of the five run through the portal, leaping elegantly through. The haze in the portal clears, and I see the huge black waves that are taller than a city.

How could my Frost survive that?

Will I find him in one piece?

I wait, counting the minutes. The seconds. Song barks at the gate in warning, and I look up just as they step through, dragging Frost with them. They drop him on the ground and walk straight past me to the Healer.

“Wait, will you be-”

“I’ll be fine. Go. You’ve changed everything. Let us do the work here in the world.” The Healer smiles faintly, even as the oldest of the Sirens grips her upper arm and walks away from me.