Page 14 of Ruthless Monsters

No, as long as he can get her to Genzen City, that’s all I need. No matter what happens, I can find her after that. I think of the promise I made to her as I lead her through the palace and toward the portal room, toward her escape from this place. I won’t let the queen use her. I won’t let her become another pawn to be abused by our court.

Sen is silent as we dart down the corridors, neither of us speaking, not even when we reach the portal room, our hoods pulled low. The guards outside the room are loyal to me, andthey start opening the doors the moment they see me. I don’t bother asking them if they’ve seen Nate. If he’s as good as they say, undoubtedly the shifter has found a way inside without alerting them. I usher Sen inside and follow after her.

There’s a brief moment, when I fear Nate won’t be there. When I imagine the room to be empty, and the entire plan to be a failure. It’s possible the shifter could have simply escaped into the city with plans to find another route home, but then I spot the shifter’s broad form.

He stands before the empty portal gates and turns, grinning at me. “Thought I’d be gone, didn’ ya? Gettin’ here wasn’t the easiest task, but nothin’ I couldn’t handle.” His relaxed smile fades when he sees who I’m with.

When he spots her ashen face beneath her hood, his playful expression darkens. “You didn’t tell me that’s who I was takin’,” he says. “Is that?—”

“My sister, the Princess Mirelle,” I confirm. “And if I had, would you have agreed?”

“Not fuckin’ likely,” he admits, scrubbing a hand over his face. Then he winces as if he only just remembers that she can hear him. “Look I appreciate that I’m not in the cells anymore, but had I known this is what you were askin’…”

“You’d have what?” I retort, giving him a deadpan look. “Waited for your execution?”

“I’d have found another way,” he replies, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t have the whole of Toralyn after me, prince.”

I frown, my patience wearing thin. “We don’t have time for this, Nate. Given the tales of your exploits, this doesn’t seem like too big a task for you. Now, let’s see.” I pause, pulling a thin object from my robes. The turquoise ring glitters as I rub the crystal and whisper a few words. Magic hums through me, and energy crackles around the gateway before the center floodswith silver light that shimmers and ripples, moving like liquid metal. Smiling in satisfaction, I tell him. “Believe me, you will be rewarded for this.”

“You say rewarded, but you mean ‘hunted,’ brother,” he replies, but I ignore him, turning to Sen.

Crouching down, I open my mouth to speak to my sister when the doors of the room swing open. Varek, my mother’s prized general, storms into the room with four soldiers marching behind him. “What is the meaning of this?” he shouts, his temples pulsing with anger as he takes in the scene.

The guards fan out at his sides, but I lift my hand, sending out a burst of wind that sends them flying backward. All of them, that is, except Varek. His wings are spread wide, and he braces, his enchanted shield protecting him from my onslaught.

“You’ll be punished for this,” the general snarls.

“Get her out of here!” I shout at Nate, but when I turn my head, the shifter is gone. The silver fire of the portal burns brighter, the only indication of where Nine Lives has disappeared, but Sen still stands behind me, her hood pulled back to reveal the markings all over her face. Her eyes are round and frightened as she watches me.

“Damn it!” I curse as panic makes my heart rate spike. “Go, Sen! Before the portal closes!” I shout, but as I take a step toward my sister, Varek’s illusion power rushes at me. In seconds, multiple Varek’s materialize around me, blocking my view of her. I hear the portal close, the crackling energy silencing, right before someone crashes into me from behind.

No!

My mind snaps back to the present, and I’m still staring at Nate’s bloodied face. It’s because of him that my sister never made it out that day. He left without her, and it’s because of him she’s still in Toralyn suffering the fate I’d hoped to save her from. I clench my jaw, and it’s not until the shifter is on the ground unconscious next to Dante that I lift to my feet. Alaric still hasn’t moved from his spot against the cell bars.

The guards turn their gazes to me, and I give them an emotionless smile. “My turn.”

Chapter

Six

~ Princess Blake ~

The guards march me back to my room, and by the time they leave, locking the door behind them, some of my energy has returned and I can connect with Shade again. I rush over to her cage.“Tell me you’re all right.”

She comes closer to the bars of the cage, her black feathers still ruffled and sticking out at odd angles.“I am,”she replies, though I can tell she’s rattled as I smooth her feathers.

I swallow down the lump in my throat as my body trembles with anger. I hate this. I hatethem.My body still feels drained, almost like I’ve been drugged, and I curse the king. For the first time in years, I feel weak, and it’s fucking terrifying.I think of Dad’s rules for demon royalty. “Rule number one, never show weakness,” I mutter, and I feel like such a joke right now. Closing my eyes, I lean against the cage as my head swims.

“What did he do to you?”Shade asks.

Blowing out a breath, I fight against the sudden bout of nausea that grips me. “I’ve never felt anything like it,”I reply.“I feel…wrong.”

“We need to get out of here, Blake. This place… These people… It’s all wrong here.”

I take another deep breath and wait until the pounding in my head starts to subside. Slowly, more of my energy is returning, and I force my eyes open. This isn’t me. Whatever this King Celzar is trying to turn me into, it’s not going to happen.And he’s not getting Shade either.

My gaze falls to the metal chair before the dresser, and I walk over, flipping the chair upside down. When Sassia had been doing my makeup, I’d felt there was something off. Now, I find the wobbly chair leg and start working on the loose bolt. Gritting my teeth, I work at twisting the small bit of metal free, not caring when my fingers are raw and bloody. Thankfully, my body still heals despite the cuff, though it’s working at a slower rate.Come on, dammit.My grip feels pathetic, but I keep at it, wiping away my blood so the steel isn’t so slippery.

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