Page 30 of Ruthless Monsters

Alaric’s nostrils flare. “What have you gotten us into, demon?”

I’m aware the king is probably growing impatient, so I speak up loudly. “Me? We all know this is Lady Fate’s doing. Luckily for you, all we need to do is seal the bond, and I’ll be on my way. I won’t need anything else from you.”

“Seal the bond?” Alaric growls, looking like he wants to wrap his hand around my throat again.

“Yes,” I say with a tight smile. “That wayIcan have my power, and you’ll never have to see me again. I think you’ve made it obvious you don’t want me, and as long as I have my power, I’ll have no use for you.”

“Yourpower?” Nate repeats, his lips twitching.

“Yup,” I say with a nod.

Everyone knows that when fated mates bond, the female gains the most, unlocking the power within her, but the males also gain increased abilities. Everyone knows it, that is, except the Perstalians and King Celzar. At least, I don’t think he does. As far as King Celzar knows, the whole bonding thing is merely a way for me to level up. I failed to mention that my mates and I would also solidify a bond that would tie us for eternity.

“So…” Dante says slowly, “you want us to bond so you can haveyourpower, and then you want nothing more from us? We can leave the prison?”

I honestly have no idea about that last part. When I was convincing the king, my focus was on getting the five of us together. After that, my plan got a little hazy.

Noise blares from a little speaker in the left corner of the room, the king’s voice ringing out. “Bond with my betrothed, and I’ll free you from the mines. You can return to the surface where you can unite with your people.”

It’s obviously a blatant lie, and I’m sure my guys can sense it, too. There’s no way King Celzar is going to allow the others to go back to the surface and blab the location of The Haven.

“Betrothed?” Alaric growls low, his gray eyes shooting to me. “So it’s true?”

I give him a sheepish smile remembering how Shade had said they’d made a mysterious friend in the prison who was divulging information to them. Clearly, he must have told them about the wedding. “Yep. Looks like I’m going to become queen of thisplace,” I explain casually like I’m not basically telling my mates I’m rejecting them and getting hitched with someone else.

Alaric and Prince Callan scowl, while Dante and Nate give me questioning looks.

“Like I said,” I say loudly. “None of you want me, so I may as well unlock my power, and you can be free to do whatever you want back on the surface.”

My mates are still blocking the view of the mirror, and Dante smirks as he steps forward, loosening the knot that’s holding my gown together at the front. His hand slides between the opening of my robe, and he grips my bare waist, leaning in close. “You’re lucky I didn’t try to fuck you the moment you came through that door, princess. He’s not going to believe we don’t want you,” he whispers. “I know you, Blake, and you won’t so easily give up on the demons. So, what’s the real plan?” He moves his hand down, and I shiver as his fingers glide between my legs. He slides a single finger along my center, and I press my lips tightly together to stop my gasp. My mates press in closer, and the room starts to spin again.

“I don’t know,” I admit quietly, even as Dante pulls my robe back enough to press a kiss to my shoulder. “The king is power-hungry, and this is the only way I could think of to get him to bring me to you,” I whisper, hoping King Celzar can’t hear me. “The way I see it, our best option is to fake the bonding ritual, and when the king enters the room, we act quickly to try and take him out, knowing that we might completely fail and doom ourselves in the process.”

Dante’s expression grows thoughtful, and he swipes his finger along my center again, undoubtedly simply because he enjoys torturing me. I curse, but I don’t ask him to stop, because it feels too damn good. “That sounds like a terrible plan, princess,” my demon drawls.

“We can’t bond. It might give the king the power he wants. And this plan has got to be better than you sending Shade blindly into the tunnels,” I whisper. “Which, by the way, if anything bad happens to her, I’ll make you all personally suffer.”

Nate winces. “You know about that, huh?”

I nod. “Now, are we faking it or not?” I ask quietly, and my heart thunders.

“We put on a show for the king,” Prince Callan agrees slowly, though his voice is hard and clinical.

“And we hope your little bird friend pulls through for us in time,” Alaric growls low.

“But do you really think you can fake it, princess?” Dante whispers with a seductive smile. “What does the king think bonding involves? Going by our lack of clothing, I’d say it’s not far from the truth.”

It’s becoming hard to breathe, and I reach down, forcing Dante’s hand to stop moving. “Only that it involves physical intimacy with my mates,” I squeeze out.

Nate grins. “Shouldn’t be too hard to make him think it’s real.”

Prince Callan and Alaric look less enthusiastic about this, but neither of them complain.

“I’ll take one for the team,” Dante says with a sensual smile that makes my insides melt. “The rest can make a show of busying themselves.” He runs his other hand over the silky collar of the robe I’m wearing. “With this, we can make it look like more than it is.”

“Or I could actually make Blake feel somethin’” Nate suggests hopefully, moving even closer. “Without all four of us gettin’ involved, the bond won’t be sealed.”

Holy Lady Fate. I seriously overestimated my willpower.

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