Page 31 of Ravaging Red (Monsters of the Hollow Realm #1)

A Threat Of Darkness

RAEL

T he fire had burned down to just the glowing embers that created soft shadows across the walls. Red was curled against my chest, her breath warm against my skin, the soft weight of her leg was draped across mine.

My mind had slowly drifted during the night, and in my deep sleep, the darkness reached out to me.

The dream came in pieces. Shards of painful memories stitched together in a place that was neither in the woods nor the void that was the Veil.

The Hollow twisted around me, its vines coiled around my legs and arms like serpents, the ground then split open to reveal rot.

I stood alone in the thicket; the air stifled with the strong scent of sulfur and smoke.

I could sense something watching me from beyond the treeline.

Its form was darkness, and it pulsed with envy. Amidst the tendrils of black smoke, its face continuously changed. Sometimes it portrayed my own, at others it was Red I was looking at, and at times I could see nothing at all.

“You think a Council seat makes you strong?” the creature hissed, giving out a high-pitched sound. “You think that sigil on your shoulder will stop what’s coming?”

I tried to move, but the roots kept me pinned down. The creature circled me, acid leaked from its mouth, dropping to the ground and steaming.

“She is ripe now. Bred. Soft and full of your stink.”

I growled, teeth bared. “If you touch her…”

“You’ll do what?” it sneered. “You can’t protect her from the kind of power I bring. You’re a child playing war games with monsters. And that Council, your beautiful Verrian, has no idea what she’s released into this world."

It leaned in close, and I gagged from its rancid breath. “I will take every human who dares love a beast. I will sever every bond with rot. And I will feed on the silence left behind.”

I roared in the dream. The roots snapped, but as I lunged forward, it was too late. The dream shifted and I awoke, gasping and clawing at the air.

The room was dark, the fire burnt out, and a cold draft swept through the windows. My skin was slick with sweat. My arms still wrapped around a still sleeping Red.

I hugged her tight as I slid back against the headboard. The dream lingered, thick in my chest and my body ached with the truth of what that creature had whispered to me.

She is bred .

I could sense it, her body was changing, and I was going to feel it all. The bond was strong between us and I knew that my seed had settled in her womb. I wasn’t yet sure if it was a blessing or a curse. For the first time in centuries, I felt something I hadn’t let myself feel...

Fear.

I eased from the bed carefully, careful not to wake her.

Pulling the cloak over my shoulders, I stepped out into the corridors of the High Council.

The wind was sharp coming from the peaks, and the stone seemed colder than I remembered.

I didn’t know where I was going, only that I needed air, space, anything to clear the rage and worry that was twisting in my gut.

As I turned the bend past a series of towering stained-glass windows, I caught a shadow flicker across the marble floor. The closer I got, the more familiar it became.

Drayx.

He stood on the balcony that overlooked the Fire Peaks. In the distance you could hear the crashing waves on the beaches of Raven’s Reach. He stood in the shadows, always hidden and watching.

I approached him slowly, footsteps echoing between the stone columns.

“You’ve seen it,” he said without turning.

I came to stand beside him, facing the horizon as we spoke. “The creature?”

He nodded. “I can sense your fear, Wolf.”

“I’ve fought it when it tried to hurt Red. It’s incessant in its pursuit of the humans. It seems we are the only ones who can protect them.”

“I believe he is waiting for something.” He looked at me then, and I could see his beard and light eyes within the shadow.

“You know.”

He nodded. “I see more than I let on, Rael. I could sense it about your mate as soon as she walked in. I was surprised to know you survived an attack which is why I think, perhaps what he is waiting for, is connected to your mate somehow.”

Terror reached out its decrepit fingers and it now mixed with the fury and the worry I held deep inside.

“Does Verrian know?”

“She suspects. But you need to stay calm Wolf. Nothing will come of brute force.”

“You’re a great tracker, Drayx. You can enter worlds we don’t even know about. Can you track it?”

“I cannot. It hides in cracks of the Veil that we forgot existed.”

“It’s coming for our bond. For all bonds between humans and monsters.”

“I know.” Drayx turned toward me then, his face shifting in the darkness. “But you must not let it wear you down. Listen to me carefully, Rael. You must keep the baby secret. You cannot let the Council know.”

I clenched my fists. “Why?”

“Because Verrian already suspects. And if I’m right…” He paused, shadows rippling over his form. “Then what we are dealing with isn’t just envy. It’s retribution.”

“Speak clearly, Drayx. What do you know?”

He turned to me then, his features serious. “It means your human may be the vengeance of something that is far older than your lifeline. Than my own. And if Verrian continues to hide in her secrets, she’ll lose control of everything she’s built.”

“So, what do we do?”

He reached out, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Stay. Watch. Protect the ones who love as you do. Because they will come for her, Rael. Maybe not right away, maybe in years to come. But as far as I can see, this creature is set on waging war and when it does…”

“I’ll be ready,” I growled.

Drayx nodded once. “It’s all we can do. We need to keep it from bonding. Do you understand?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Good. We will talk later. I need some sleep, and you need to get back home.”

“Are we not to stay here?”

“Not unless you want them to take that baby from you. I’ve already spoken to Verrian, you are free to go. I will send word for you when needed.”

“Thank you, friend.”

He quickly vanished into mist and I stood there, breathing hard.

The Council didn’t matter. Not in the way they thought. Because what was coming wasn’t just darkness. It was something personal and it had vengeance in its heart.

For now, I would follow Drayx’s order and take care of my family. I needed to get Red back to safety, back home.