Page 3 of Ruthless Monsters

She shuffles along her perch, closer to the bars, and I poke my fingers through, stroking her black feathers. “Sorry, girl,” I tell her. “I’ll get us out of this.” Of course, I still have no ideahowI’m actually going to free us, or even where we are. King Celzar said we’re in The Haven, which sounds a little pretentious if you ask me, and it doesn’t actually explain our location. All I know is that we’re not in the allied realms.One problem at a time, Blake. One problem at a damn time.

Turning, I scour the room we’re in. There isn’t much here besides the beautiful wooden dresser on my left with a chair encrusted with crystals, and a narrow door which leads to a simple washroom. I’m busy running through my extremely limited escape options in my mind when the door to my room opens.

Swivelling around, I tense as two guards in royal armor march into the space. Their eyes widen when they take in the destroyed bed and my position in the middle of the room, but they don’t say anything. Like the king, they have a half horse form with wings tucked at their sides, and I wonder what the full extent of their power is. Not that it’s going to stop me. Dropping low into a fighting stance, I mentally prepare myself to fight, but just as I’m about to lunge forward, and most likely get my ass kicked, I notice the female standing behind them. She’s small and thin, and she stands meekly with her head down and one hand wrapped around the handle of a thick silver case. From her size, I’d have thought she was a human if it weren’t for the cuff visible around her ankle. A cuff that looks identical to my own.

“Do your job,” barks one of the guards. “We’ll be outside.” Then, giving me one last wary look, the guards both march out of the room as quickly as they came.

I tilt my head to the side, staring at the female and her silver case. “If you’re here to torture me, you should know I’m not in the mood,” I say, still in a defensive stance. She doesn’t look like much, but I know more than anyone how looks can be deceiving.

It’s not until the room door clicks shut that the female lifts her head. Her gaze travels over the black wings folded behind my back, and then she peers over at the broken bed. I’m sure I’m imagining it, but I swear the hint of a smile teases her lips.

Starting forward, she doesn’t speak as she makes her way to the dresser and places her case down. With a click, she opens the lid and rifles through the contents, taking out colored bottles and brushes, and arranging them in a specific order on the dresser.

I groan, unable to believe what I’m seeing. “You can’t be serious,” I comment, relaxing my stance.

She finally turns to look at me again, her pale blue eyes fixing on my face as she beckons to the chair with slender fingers. “His highness has requested that you be made presentable for the party this evening. Please sit.”

I don’t move because getting ready for a party is the last thing on my list of my priorities. Oh, who am I kidding, it’s not even on the list. I cross my arms in front of my chest, jutting out my hip, but the servant holds my gaze. “If you are not ready by the allocated time, we will both be punished. Please.” She indicates to the chair again. “Sit.”

That softens me up a little, but I still hesitate, and it’s not until Shade squawks that I start moving. “Fine,” I mutter, reassuring myself that if nothing else, I might be able to get information out of the servant while she works.

She styles my hair first, detangling the knots and arranging my black waves into a loose bun with white crystals pinned amongst the strands. When she appears satisfied with my hair, she focuses her attention on my face, adding color to my cheeks and lining my eyes with kohl.

“So…what is this party?” I ask as she brushes powder over my eyes. “Is this something to do with the, uh, wedding?” I’m still in disbelief that King Celzar plans to make me his bride, something that I’m definitelynotgoing to let happen. Just saying the word ‘wedding’ makes me scrunch my face, and the servant clicks her tongue showing her disapproval. I smooth my features, not wanting to piss her off in case it makes her less likely to talk.

When moments pass and she still doesn’t speak, I sigh heavily. “You do realize I could kill you, right? Your king doesn’t care very much for you if he’s willing to leave you in here without the guards.” I expect that to get a reaction, but she doesn’t look fazed by my comment, continuing on with her work. To be honest, I’m a little impressed.

She finishes my face, and I’m about to press her harder for information, when she says softly, “Actually, I’m the one who requested the guards wait outside.” Instant regret flashes on her face the moment the words are out, and she presses her lips tightly together.

My brows lift. “What? Why?”

She gestures for me to look in the mirror again, clearly trying to distract me, but I’m too focused on what she’s said. My only guess to explain her response is that she’s excited she’s able to tend to the new queen-to-be, and she didn’t want the guards hovering over her while she worked. But perhaps, she was supposed to let the guards stay. “You know, I’d make a horrible queen for your kind,” I tell her. “I don’t know what your king has told you, but I’m not meant to be here. I already have my own kingdom to run.”

She goes to fix a stray strand of hair that’s dropped near my eyes, but I jerk my head back.

“Are you listening to a word I’m saying?” I ask her. “This is all a mistake. Whatever this party is. This place.”

Ignoring me, she forgets about the hair and starts packing up her powders, stacking them neatly in her case. I clench my jaw in frustration, and the gleam of something silver in her boot catches my eye. In a swift motion, I lean down, snatching out the small dagger she’d had concealed there, the metal hilt only just visible.

A surprised noise escapes her throat, and there’s expectation in her eyes, like she expects me to drive the dagger into her chest, but I turn from her, slamming the hilt of the blade hard onto my cuff. I’d hoped to weaken the metal. I’d thought perhaps a blade that’s forged in this land might not be affected by the magic. Or maybe, I just wasn’t thinking clearly. Either way, pain races up my body, and I gasp as agony tears through me.

Breathing rapidly, I lift my hand, and the servant must think I’m about to do it again, because her pale blue eyes widen, and her fingers wrap around my wrist, stopping me.

“That won’t work,” she says softly. “Many have tried before you.”

I blink as I absorb her words.Many have tried?“Are you…?” I think about the cuff around her ankle. The one that looks nearly identical to mine. “You’re a prisoner, just as I am, aren’t you?” It’s more of a statement than a question, but she dips her head once.

Her gaze goes follows mine, going to her own cuff. “We didn’t realize what they were at first. But then again, we didn’t realize a lot of things.” She blows out a breath, and I’m still processing this bit of information when she reaches down. By the time I realize what she’s doing, it’s too late to stop her. Appearing from seemingly nowhere, she holds a white crystal in her fingers. Asshe taps the stone against my own cuff, bursts of color appear in the crystal, and I brace waiting for the pain. To my surprise, this time when a jolt shoots up my leg, the feeling is dulled, and the skin under the cuff warms accompanied by a prickling sensation. A faint burst of power goes through me, and I latch onto it, startled when a familiar voice enters my mind.

“Hurt her and you’ll be added to my shit list, right after the king, and the guards outside of this room!”

For a second, I can’t breathe.“Shade?”The word in my head is weak and tentative, but when small beady black eyes find me from across the room, I know she’s heard me. Nothing can stop the smile that spreads across my face.

“Blake? Oh god, Blake, is that you?”Shade flaps her wings in excitement, almost falling off her perch, and relieved laughter bubbles out of my chest.

“Merciful Lady, I’ve missed your voice,”I reply, because finally after hours of having a craptastic time, something good has happened.“Tell me you’re doing okay in there.”

“Better than you by the looks of it,”Shade teases.“Girl, have you seen yourself in the mirror?”

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