Page 40 of The Wars of Monsters

And when I say your bloodline… Raine, I believe Queen Izla placed it onherbloodline.There was another pause before the message continued.And if that’s the case, it would mean you have royal ties to the Kingdom of Aestas, Realm of Zalei. It would mean you’re possibly a descendant of both my aunt, Queen Izla, and King Adrien, the cursed human king. Even now as I embed this message in your mind, I can feel your power calling to mine. I hadn’t understood what it meant the first time I felt it, but now I do. We’re family, dear. I couldn’t tell you this in front of your monster friends, especially as you all seem quite…attached, but if you’re back in Katakin when you hear this, you must find a way to return to Zalei. You are clearly not a full-blooded fae and there is no hope for you to break the curse over Katakin. If you return to Zalei, I can break your bonds with the monsters, and perhaps, I can help you figure this all out.

“Raine,” Kade’s worried voice sounded in my ears as he shook me lightly, and I blinked my eyes open to find all four of my monsters crouched over me.

I coughed, my mouth feeling bone dry, and even though I couldn’t hear Prince Azaren’s voice anymore, his words echoed in my mind.Family. Sacrifice.I already knew I had fae blood, but the idea that I could have royal blood made my stomach churn. Could I be the descendent of King Adrien, the cursed king? I thought of the way Queen Izla had touched her belly in my vision, and my coughing turned to gagging as I fought to keep down the bile rising up my throat. I swallowed, determined to hold it together. I couldn’t lose my shit. Not even if I was the descendent of the cruel king.

“Thank the Devil Enzal,” Darian commented as I calmed and peered at them. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

“You gave us a fright there, sweetheart,” Asher said with a grin, though his face was still a shade paler than usual.

I groaned, and Kade helped me to sit up. It was only then that I noticed my ass wasn’t on the cold stone but on the wolf shifter’s warm lap.

“What did you see?” Locke asked from my other side, his body rigid and his features taut like he was still concerned for me.

I wrinkled my brow. “How do you know I saw something?”

“You’re not the first one to touch Izla’s handprint, Mahare,” Kade answered with a serious expression. “It calls to all of us, and many have pressed their palms against it over the years. Everyone who does enters some kind of trance. Most say they see visions of nightmares come to life, though some simply pass out and wake a short while later unable to remember anything other than having touched it.”

“Asher here has experienced it firsthand,” Darian commented.

“He has?” I asked, cutting my gaze to the demon.

Asher shrugged. “I had to know what the fuck everyone kept goin’ on about.”

Darian shook his head at the demon, but I didn’t take my attention from Asher. “And what did you see when you touched it?”

My demon became thoughtful. “There weren’t any nightmares if that’s what you’re wonderin’. But I do remember seeing a burst of color. Come to think of it, it kinda reminded me of the forest in the fae realm. Can’t say I remember much more than that. It was years ago, after all.”

My brow scrunched as I took in the information.

“So, what did yousee, Raine?” Locke prompted.

I stared at the monsters who all had a place in my heart. My mates in every sense of the word, even though we hadn’t yet marked one another. I didn’t want to keep secrets from them, but would they even believe me? I mean, didIeven believe it? And if they did, how would they feel about the discovery that I was a descendant of the king who led them into darkness? I was already part fae, telling them that I was also the king’s descendant was just…a lot.

“You’re not easing our worries here, lovely,” Darian said with a small smile when I still didn’t speak.

I took a deep breath and went on to tell them of the scene I’d witnessed through Queen Izla’s eyes, and then the words Prince Azaren had embedded in my mind describing the way to break the curse. Steeling myself, I was about to tell them the other part of Prince Azaren’s message, but Locke cursed and drove his boot into a nearby boulder. The rock careened into the pit, impacting with the wall before shattering into smaller pieces that fell into the darkness below.

“Locke,” Kade growled in warning. “We’re not meant to be drawing attention to ourselves.”

My vampire clenched his fists before turning to us. “No pure-blood fae will ever sacrifice themselves for the monsters.”

Darian lifted a finger. “Not yet perhaps, but in time if we can foster the relationship between the fae and the monsters, who knows?”

“Yeah, even I know that’s not gonna happen,” Asher commented with a skeptical expression.

“Raine, is there something else?” Kade asked, and I blinked my attention away from Asher and turned to my wolf shifter who was watching me carefully.

I bit my lip. “What?”

Kade’s golden eyes were attentive. “Was there anything more in the prince’s message?”

I peered at where Locke stood with a defeated gleam now in his black eyes. I had intended to tell them everything. To come clean and hope for the best, but now, well I wasn’t so sure. As much as I told myself my monsters would understand, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was true. Out of all of them, Locke hated being a monster the most. How would he feel if he found out I was of the same bloodline as King Adrien?No, later. I’ll tell them everything, just not right now.Besides, we were there to capture Warrick. Hearing that extra bit of news would just be another thing playing on their minds. No, it was better to wait. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.

I stared at the portal that burned close by. I understood it all now. The queen was pregnant with King Adrien’s baby when she’d escaped to my island, and somehow, she’d given birth.My ancestor.Did anyone else on my island know about this? Know abouther?Realizing Kade was still waiting for an answer, I shook my head. “No, sorry. That’s all I’ve got.”

He stared at me for a moment longer before he nodded, and his shoulders relaxed. “Well, at least we now know about the curse. Looks like we won’t be able to break it.”

“So I guess we’d better focus on stopping this war,” Darian added grimly.