Page 31 of The Wars of Monsters
A shifter in the form of some massive gray animal with a huge, curved horn moved to my left, and before I could stop myself, I instinctually opened my mouth and roared. As I did so, heat bubbled in my belly and a stream of fire shot out across the space. The shifter dropped into a crouch, and the fire seared the air above his head, incinerating the hair off his small tail, and burning a large hole in the wall leaving an opening into the next training room.Make that double oops.
There was a commotion in the room next door, and the moment the fire stopped, two gargoyles peeked their heads through the hole. Their stony jaws slackened when they glimpsed me, and I breathed in, appreciating the scent of charcoal in the air.
I roared again, managing to keep back the fire this time, and the monsters around me winced at the noise. I didn’t care for these insignificant creatures. All I cared about was my mates. I turned my head, my huge eyes taking in where Darian and Asher stood by my sides, and Kade and Locke stood beside a bleeding Cassar.
Asher stared up at me, his axes resting on his shoulders and a wide grin splitting his face. “Well now, sweetheart, next time you’re goin’ to have to learn to share.”
I puffed a breath on his face in response, surrounding him in a cloud of smoke that dissipated quickly.
“You wanted to know the truth, and now you do,” Darian said, stepping forward a few paces so he could see all of the monsters around the room. None of them took their attention from me. “Our lovely Raine is indeed a dragon shifter, and it just so happens that she’s as intolerant of your bullshit as the rest of us. So, I suggest you get back to training and be grateful we’re on your side because when we go up against the fae and the outliers you’ll be glad we’re standing next to you.” When he finished speaking, an unspoken challenge glinted dangerously in his blue eyes as he twirled another star in his fingers.
A male who had turned into a bull huffed, but before I could think about roasting him, he began shifting until he was standing naked in his human form. Following his lead, the rest of the shifters did the same, changing back to their human forms. Cassar was the last to change, and he remained bleeding on the floor as he glared at us through his one eye that was swollen shut.
Kade rolled his shoulders as if he was trying to stop himself from shifting, and when he spoke his words came out more wolf than human. “The next monster to whisper untruths about Raine or any of my brothers will regret they ever opened their mouth.”
Asher started stroking the scales of my neck, and instinctively I curled my tail around him and pulled him closer.
Despite the fact I was showing my demon affection, the shifters continued to watch us warily.
“What’s going on here?” A male voice hissed, and I turned my attention to the doorway on our left, where Losak was entering the room beside Lyr and Dean. Lyr smiled, her eyes shining with approval as she admired my dragon form, but Losak shook with rage as he took in Cassar, Quinn, and the rest of his naked shifters.
“The members of the House of Silat were throwing around wild accusations,” Darian answered primly, “and Raine was gracious enough to give them a taste of what she could do.”
Lyr turned to the hole burned into the wall, and Dean raised his brows in surprise.
Losak turned his attention to me, his eyes becoming reptilian slits as he took in the four red horns protruding from my head, and the glittering gems that stretched along my scaled chest.
When he didn’t speak, Locke added, “Keep your shifters in line, alpha, or you’ll need to find yourself another second.”
“Whatever they said, I assure you, I have no interest in fighting any of you,” Losak finally hissed, addressing my vampire. Then he turned to Quinn and the others. “Shifters, go cool off elsewhere. We have a war to prepare for!” He paused, and then added, “And take Cassar and Quinn to get patched up.”
The monsters jolted into action, a few shifters scrambling forward to help Cassar and Quinn limp from the room, while the rest filed through the doorway like they were keen to get away from me and my mates as quickly as possible.
“Well, I can see you’ve been having fun,” Lyr mused as she sauntered closer with Dean by her side. I snarled, reminding her that she was not to touch any of my monsters. While her body remained relaxed, her eyes were alert as she analyzed me, like she was ready to react if I made any sudden movements.
Understanding that the tiger shifter wanted to talk, I focused hard, forcing my dragon back until I was shifting and again in human form. Asher looked forlorn that I was no longer wrapped around him, but he pulled his shirt over his head and held it out to me. I smiled but shook my head with a laugh. I wasn’t about to yank the sweaty fabric over my head no matter how good it smelled. Instead, I rested a hand on a hip, not caring that I was completely naked.
I opened my mouth to finally disagree with Lyr’s comment, but I closed it again when I realized she was right. Ithadbeen fun messing with the shifters, and after the incident with the fae scout, it’d been just the outlet my dragon needed. As if she could read my thoughts, Lyr’s lips curved higher.
“Losak, you need to get your shifters under control, or the battle will be over before it’s even started,” Kade growled.
“He’s right,” Lyr agreed. “Without the House of Saceris and the House of Shadows, we’re short on warriors. We can’t afford to be fighting each other.”
“I’ll handle it,” Losak replied. “Quinn and Cassar are still upset our house was attacked. Both of them lost friends to the outliers. We all did. But I’ll make sure they’re reminded that we need to be united. It’ll take time.”
“Time isn’t something we have,” Locke said coldly. “The presence of a fae scout proves just how serious the fae are. For all we know they could arrive any day now.”
Lyr tapped her chin with her finger. “We need to capture Warrick, so we have him when the fae arrive. I still don’t think King Adrien will be enough for them to accept peace. If we give the fae Warrick as well, and explain he was the one who tortured Prince Azaren, it might just be enough.”
Asher scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, does anyone actually think that’ll work?”
“It has to,” Lyr replied. “It’s our only chance.”
“And how exactly are any of us going to capture Warrick when he has an army of outliers at his disposal,” Darian commented.
“I’ve been tracking his patterns when I can,” Lyr said. “From what I’ve heard, he’s planning to hold a meeting with the Taratun council tomorrow. They’re gathering in the mountain.”
“The council?” Kade growled in surprise. “I thought Warrick would have silenced them given his control over the city.”