Page 96 of Monster's Obsession

Just as I swung around, Vero rose to his feet, and I swiped my hand with the weapon across the air between us, catching him across the throat, slicing deeply. He stumbled and gurgled, and blood splattered everywhere. He hit the floor like a sack of sand and died after a few choking sounds.

I grinned savagely, knowing blood coated my features.

Tucking my blade in the back of my pants, I picked up the queen's gown she’d left on the floor, using it to grab the knife from his pocket. I smeared it in the queen’s blood and tossed it back to the floor, to make it look like he turned against his queen.

I’d tell Creed about the attack in the morning, and we’d be ready.

Just as I released the most calming breath of my life, the loud thud of boots echoed outside the main doors into the throne room.

Fuck, someone was coming in.

I flew across the room to the side door, checked the hallway was empty, then vanished into the shadows.

And for the first time since being born, I felt like I served a purpose in life.

CHAPTER 21

BLAKE

The saddest part about being betrayed was that it rarely came from enemies. It came from family, from friends…from lovers.

Something I should have known all too well.

But I’d never expected my world to crumble like this…right when we’d just started finding a good place between my monsters and me.

And now the truth was about to ruin us.

Tempest had been lying to us, letting Steele take the blame. He’d also tried to kill me…and then cursed me to forget him doing it.

Opening my eyes on a heavy sigh, I stared out across the city of Wyld from the balcony, hugging myself because I’d been crying and shaking with anger since we’d left the lake in the paradise gardens.

I was terrified now that the truth was out, the circle of my monsters would be torn apart.

Growing close to Tempest made me believe him when he said he loved me at the club, but every thought kept returning to the cave where he spilled the real truth. I guessed it must have felt good for him to finally tell someone.

Just like now, despite feeling like things could never be completely happy again, the air felt lighter. It had been this way ever since I burst out of the lake and I suspected whatever curse was on me by Tempest had also blocked our feeding of the city.

“Blake, we have him,” Creed announced, pulling me out of my thoughts. “They’d tracked Tempest and brought him in.”

Dread flared over me as I turned to my king.

“What will you do to him?” I asked, my voice brittle. How much more tragedy could a girl take?

“Justice,” Creed answered stoically, holding himself solid, but I knew him well enough to see the deepening lines at the corners of his eyes from his frown, to hear the ache behind his voice. “He has a lot to answer for.”

Collecting my hand in his, we made a quick path to the throne room, a grand place I rarely visited. The enormous room was empty, with only the huge throne at one end, perched up on a platform of stairs. No other furniture, only monster carvings in the wall. It always felt clinical there and unwelcoming.

My gaze fell on Tempest who was shirtless and kneeling, his head down to the floor, forced there by Ash's foot on his back.

Tempest had his hands free yet he wasn’t fighting.

My mouth went dry as my gaze remained trained on him. We were the only ones in the throne room, which gave me hope that Creed wanted to find a way to solve this before announcing to the city they’d found the real killer.

We approached them, my stomach doing somersaults with anxiety.

Tempest twisted his head to look at me, his gaze burning with terrifying agony, his cheeks pale.

I shivered all over. He had the face of a man caught red-handed, but it was so much more than that. He was remorseful; I could see it scribbled all over his mournful expression. If he didn’t care, he’d fight back. He’d swear at us until he was blue in the face, declaring he was innocent.