Page 43 of The Cries of Monsters

“And how long are we expected to be there?” I asked. In truth, as much as I hated attending the parties, even if I’d had a choice, I still would have gone. It was where I was hoping to find information about Cara.

“Until you’ve let enough monsters hear themselves speak to you, and you’ve reinvigorated their feelings of self-importance,” Darian drawled.

“Or until you’ve let enough of them fuck you against the wall,” Asher added with a stupid grin, and I scowled at him in disgust. Darian and Kade glared at him as well.

“What?” Asher replied with an innocent shrug. “I’m just sayin’. The Taratun don’t care about who the newbloods talk to. They care that the newbloods are participating in the party and actin’ as the main entertainment. Keeping the alphas of Katakin happy, as it were.”

“Anyone lays a hand on Raine, and they won’t have a hand anymore,” Kade snarled.

“Or a head,” Darian added, raising a finger into the air.

Fucking?My curiosity peaked at the thought of all the monsters in the party suddenly deciding to get their freak on. I mean, did that include the centaurs?How…I didn’t ask.

“I’lldecide who’s allowed to touch me, thank you,” I chipped in, ignoring Kade’s hard stare. “And I didn’t see any monsters going wild the last two nights, so I think we’re safe.”

“Safe,” Darian mused, rubbing his chin. “Now, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word used to describe one of these parties.”

“The mood changes throughout the night, Sharachi,” Asher explained with a hint of mirth. “Monsters take their fun seriously, and as the night wears on, you’ll see more of it.”

Oh. Ohhh.My mind then went to two nights earlier when Darian and Asher had stayed back at the party while Kade and I had returned to our rooms. This whole time, I’d imagined they’d picked a single female, but now I was picturing them being part of a full-on orgy, and that just pissed me off more.

“So I imagine you and Darian had a great time the other night,” I said to Asher while trying to keep my face blank.

“To the contrary, we left not long after you and Kade. I was finding it to be rather a bore,” Darian replied.

A bore?My gaze slid to Asher then, and his violet eyes peered back at me intently. His face was suddenly serious, and I swallowed thickly.

“A lot has changed since you turned up, sweetheart,” he said, and I wasn’t sure if it was his new nickname or his penetrating gaze, but warmth flowed through me.

Whenweenteredtheballroom, the party was in full swing. Alphas crowded around the newbloods, and monsters laughed and danced.

There had been three one-on-one fights that night. I’d bested Samara, the succubus. Lana had defeated a siren named Indira, and Nora’s bear had taken down Bri, who was a demon. Even more monsters encircled Lana and Nora than the night before, and numerous gazes watched me as my heels clicked along the marble floor. I’d only made it a few steps before a monster who appeared to be made from stone was shoving a goblet into my hand. He clapped me on the back, sending pain shooting up my spine while slurring, “Congratulations, newblood!”

Asher shouldered him away from me, but soon there was a whole swarm of monsters blocking my path. It was as if taking a chunk out of Samara’s leg had made me even more desirable.Monsters seriously have strange requirements when it comes to picking their friends.

After a few short conversations, Darian and the others managed to lead me to a less crowded space further into the room. I was able to breathe evenly for a few brief moments before I was approached by a demon with twisted horns poking from his short black hair and watery green eyes.

The demon smiled at me, but it wasn’t a nice smile.“The shifter who can resist a succubus’s power. You’ll have to let me know your secret.”

Around me, Kade, Darian, and Asher stiffened.

“Back off, Jarin. You have no reason to speak to her,” Asher said, pressing closer to my side.

“I’m alsodyingto know what kind of shifter you are,” the male added, ignoring Asher’s warning. There was something about the way he said it that had the hair raising on the back of my neck.

Pretending to be unaffected by his questions, I smiled. “For your sake, let’s just say no one can force me to do anything I don’t want to, and if I told you what I was, well, that would ruin the surprise now, wouldn’t it?”

The male’s green eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms across his chest as he scrutinized me. “Forwardandfeisty. I can see why so many of the alphas are talking about you.”

Talking about me?I could tell he was baiting me into asking him for more information. Instead, I said, “It seems you already know much about me, and yet, I know nothing about you.”

At that, Jarin pulled back his shoulders and puffed out his chest, and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “I’m Jarin, alpha of the House of Bateran. Being a shifter, there’s no chance of you joining my house, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun before the week is over.”

“Raine won’t be going anywhere with you,” Kade growled, positioning himself slightly in front of me. Kade was easily a head taller than Jarin and twice as thick, and I had to give Jarin points for not stepping back from such an imposing figure.

“Why don’t you waste the time of some other unsuspectin’ female, Jarin,” Asher said harshly. “We all know what happens when you’re left alone with newbloods,” he added with a grin that didn’t quite meet his eyes.

Asher must have hit a sore spot as Jarin’s nostrils flared with anger at the comment. Glaring at Kade and Asher, he turned to leave, but before he went, he said, “I’ll see you around, shifter.” And then he was moving away from us, disappearing into the sea of bodies.