Page 70 of The Cries of Monsters
He’d barely finished speaking when a howl cut through the air, followed by another and then a third.
Asher drew his axes and rolled his shoulders as if he was readying himself for a fight. “Sounds like they’re huntin’.”
“Hunting? Is it Prince Azaren?” I asked, suddenly irrationally worried for the fae. I knew the fae were murderers, but the male had such a friendly attitude that the thought of him being torn to shreds by Zacal’s wolves didn’t sit right with me.
“See for yourself,” Kade growled as a tall, slender male with short azure-colored hair ran into view, appearing from between the trees at the bottom of the hill we were standing on. The prince held a tall stack of books in front of him as he ran, and his muscled arms strained to hold them as he staggered forward. Twice when the books swayed to one side, I thought he would drop them. A bandage wound around Prince Azaren’s right wrist, the one that Warrick had cut and used to bleed him, and he now wore a black shirt and pants that I could only imagine he’d managed to steal from a monster on his way out of the mountain.
“Well, would you look at that. The royal fucker found the books,” Asher commented, grinning at the sight of the prince running toward us.
Kade didn’t look amused. He still hadn’t released my waist, and he took another deep inhale, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air. “He’s not going to make it. The wolves will be on him before he sets foot through that portal.”
“What? But if they kill him, then there’ll definitely be a war. You need to save him,” I said as I stared at the prince.
A low growl started in Kade’s chest, but Locke’s voice cut through the sound. “She’s right. The prince needs to live, and he must get back through that portal. Kade, you and I are the fastest. We’ll grab the books and the prince. Asher and Darian, you wait with Raine beside the portal. When Kade and I return with the prince, we go through together.”
Kade’s eyes darkened, his growl growing louder, but he nodded and released me. Lifting me off my feet, he literally placed me into Darian’s arms. I barely had time to splutter a protest before he said, “I’ll be back with the fae,” and was sprinting away from us, shifting into his wolf form as he went.
Locke’s wings speared from his back, and the vampire flew after Kade, the pair of them heading toward the prince. Prince Azaren’s eyes widened at the sight of them, but then my view of the prince was cut off. Darian had turned around, and he was carrying me toward the portal. His strides were confident and graceful, almost as if he was gliding over the ground, but his body was hard, his muscles tense as if he was readying himself for battle.
“Hey!” I complained, but he held me tight. It wasn’t until we were right next to the portal that he set me down. By the time I spun around, Locke was flying back with the books stacked in his arms, and Kade had shifted back to his human form and had an unconscious Prince Azaren bent over his shoulder. Asher stood next to us, but his axes were back at his sides, and he was holding the clothes and weapons Kade had shed when he’d shifted into his wolf form.
Locke landed near us a short while later and placed the books on the ground, but I kept my eyes trained on Kade and the prince. Kade was halfway up the hill when Zacal’s wolves burst from the trees at the bottom. At first, I could only see two of them, but soon there were five wolves running after Kade and the fae, their large paws flying over the ground.
Darian grabbed two of the throwing stars pinned to the leather pouches on his chest, but Locke shook his head. “Don’t hurt them. It’s bad enough they’ll see us leaving with the fae. We don’t need to wound them as well.”
Shit.I hadn’t thought about what the other monsters in Katakin would think of Locke, Kade, and the others if they left for the fae world. No one else knew the fae was a prince or that there was the possibility of a cure. Would they think Locke and the others were traitors? I couldn’t dwell on it now. Reaching down, I picked up three books from the stack and piled them onto my other arm. I didn’t know why Prince Azaren was so desperate to save the fairy tales, but I had a feeling we’d need his goodwill when we were on the other side of the portal. Saving the books seemed like a good way to start building some.
Locke frowned at me, and I thought he was going to snatch them back, but instead, he picked up the rest before I could grab more. To my surprise, he held the books carefully, as though he was worried about destroying the leather hardcovers or aged pages within.
Howls broke out across the forest, and I looked up as Kade barreled toward us, grunting as he ran.
“Get ready,” Locke shouted. “We go through together.”
When Kade reached us, I frowned at the prince’s unconscious form. No doubt, Kade had used his fist to persuade the prince to go with him. Before I could comment, Darian scooped me into his arms, taking me into the portal with him. Light sparked in my eyes, blinding me, and I couldn’t tell if Locke and the others were with us. The three fae books dug painfully into my chest as Darian gripped me tightly, and all I saw was the endless blue that spiraled in my vision.Well, fuck.
TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK 3: THE CURSE OF MONSTERS