Page 48 of The Cries of Monsters

Henral, the centaur who always spoke at these events, announced Bri’s victory to the crowd, and once again, my eardrums protested at the deafening cheers that followed.

Bri’s grin stretched wider as she beamed at the applause, and I was happy for her. I might not have been willing to accept a place for myself in Katakin yet, but I was glad she had.

“That didn’t take long,” Asher mused from my left side. He was leaning back with his hands folded behind his head and his booted feet on the railing in front of him.

“Sirens and banshees always make the mistake of thinking their voice is their strongest weapon,” Darian said thoughtfully, as though the three newbloods were his pupils and he was disappointed in them.

“But isn’t it?” I asked, turning to him with a frown. “I mean, the banshee almost won just by wailing.”

“It is the most powerful weapon they wield, but I believe all monsters are only as strong as their entire body, no matter the power they have. For sirens, the gift of song works better when combined with other assets like combat skills and fast reflexes. It’s too risky to rely on one’s powers alone because if that’s their only strength, as soon as it’s gone, they have nothing. As we have seen tonight and also the other night when you won against Samara.”

Right, Samara. The succubus who tried to get me to eat her out.

As if he was having a similar thought, Kade’s face hardened. He hadn’t said much about Zacal or Samara since that fight, but I could tell it was still bothering him.

Sighing, I forced my attention back to the arena. Bri had been escorted from the sands, and monsters were beginning to retrieve the unconscious newbloods. Now that the fight was over, monsters in the stands began to rise and shuffle down the rows of seating as they filtered from the area.

“We should get going,” Kade said as the wraith who had been sitting on his left side disappeared, his ghostly body vanishing into thin air. Kade stood, and Asher followed. I moved behind them, and we began picking our way to the aisle.

Seriously handy, I thought as I passed the empty seat where the wraith had just been.Maybe I should rethink my monster preferences. Being a wraith looks like it would have a lot of advantages.

Darian and Locke walked behind me, and the siren must have noticed my hesitation. Moving closer, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Trust me, it’s not as fun as it sounds, lovely. You’ll want to be solid when I touch you, not slipping through my fingers like smoke.” One of his hands gripped my waist, and I shuddered at the contact.

Before me, Asher’s steps stopped, and he twisted his head back to grin at us. “Can’t say being a wraith would be my pick, but we’d make it work.”

I stared at him incredulously.Goddess, why are we even discussing this? It’s like I can’t even have a private thought anymore.“It’s not like I get to pick anything,” I retorted, but Darian shuffled closer to me, and the hardness in his pants prodded against my back, distracting me. My throat dried out, and I swallowed as desire ignited within me.

I fought against the bond that sparked between us and went to step forward. Only, I’d forgotten Asher was standing still, and as I moved, his perfectly shaped ass pressed against my front.

“I thought we were getting out of here?” I said through gritted teeth, pretending as if being sandwiched between two sexy-as-sin monsters wasn’t making me feel lightheaded.

Asher turned his head to give me a crooked grin, but he started moving again, and I focused on trying to keep my breathing steady as we left the stands.

“You all right there, Sharachi?” Asher asked with a knowing smirk as we stepped out into the tunnel that led down into the mountain.

I narrowed my eyes at him in annoyance. “Just peachy,” I said with a smile. My gaze trailed from him to a smug-looking Darian, and I added, “It’s a good thing we’re attending the after-party. I need wine if I’m going to deal with you two.”

Thenightwasgrowinglate, and the upbeat tempo of the band’s music filled my ears. After only stopping at our rooms briefly to change, we’d made our way to the ballroom to fulfill our obligation to make an appearance at the party. Because I hadn’t participated in the fight that night, there were fewer monsters who were vying for my attention, but that suited me just fine. I was quite happy for them to flock to Bri and offer their congratulations. Besides, Bri didn’t look like she minded.

Lifting my goblet, I downed the remainder of my wine, enjoying the way the fizzy alcohol warmed my chest. “So, what poison is on display tonight?” I asked, indicating to the nearby vase, which held a stunning bouquet of scarlet roses.

“That would be paralysis for an hour and nightmares for a week,” Asher answered casually from beside me.

I gaped at him. “Paralysis? And let me guess, death for any human who touched it?”

“Actually, it would be agonizing pain for a night while the human was paralyzed and plagued by nightmares, and then it would be death,” Darian added in a matter-of-fact voice as he held up a slender finger.

Oh, great. Is that all?

“Stay away from them,” Kade growled as if he thought I’d be dumb enough to touch them. His confidence in me was inspiring.

“Yes, because I’m about to just willingly go near the death flowers,” I retorted dryly.

“It wouldn’t be the first time you’d done somethin’ stupid,” Asher said with a shrug.

“You do seem to have little regard for your own well-being,” Darian added.

Hey!I opened my mouth to argue but shut it soon after when I thought of all I’d done since arriving in Katakin. Ihadstabbed Asher and tried to kill Kade while he slept. Not to mention the fact I made sure I’d gotten chosen for the selection in the first place by insulting Locke. They had a point. Still, I didn’t like them banding together against me.