Page 4 of Ruthless Monsters

Grinning, I turn my attention to my reflection. My bright pink cheeks and the vibrant color on my eyes is a different look for me, especially accompanied by the white velvet dress I’m wearing, and I know my bestie is never going to let me live it down.

“Glad to have you back,”I say to Shade, and I mean it, too. The hours I just had to endure without her felt like some of the longest in my life. If I have my way, I’ll never let it happen again.

“I can’t take the cuff off,” the servant says, pulling my attention back to her as she pockets the crystal. “But we have found ways to return small traces of our power. If nothing else, but for our own…mental wellbeing. The king shouldn’t be able todetect it, but it’s best to be wary when using your power around him.”

“Thank you,” I say genuinely as I smile at her. “But why did you do that?” In Seral, demons don’t usually go out of their way to help others. Not unless they’re expecting something in return, or unless they’ve been given a specific order to carry out.

Her lips curve upward, and I get the feeling I’m about to discover this servant’s motivations. “You were right, you know,” she says, returning my smile. “You could have killed me. When I was told you were a foreigner, a creature from a demon realm, I knew it was a high possibility.” Her gaze goes again to my wings, and the next time her pale eyes find my face, her gaze is intense. Unsettling. “But it was worth the risk to see.”

I frown. “To see what?”

“To see whether you can finally be the bride we need.”

Ah, so this is all about her wanting me to be their next queen.I shake my head, not liking where the conversation is going. “I’ve already told you, I’m not?—”

“We’re all winged centaurs,” she says, cutting me off. “Most of us have the same powers. Enhanced strength and healing. Super speed, agility, and endurance. Some are able to do more. Or at least, they would be able to if it weren’t for these cuffs.”

“And you can harness the power of crystals?” I ask, thinking of the crystal in her pocket.

“That was a gift,” she replies, not giving anything else away.

“Okay,” I say slowly. “And when you saywe’re all winged centaurs, you’re referring to?”

“My kind and the inhabitants of this place,” she says grimly. “Those who are left, anyway. But we can’t change into our centaur forms with the cuffs blocking our magic,” she adds, indicating to her lack of wings and two legs. “The only ones without cuffs are those favored by the king, or his warriors. He wants his soldiers strong so they can keep everyone else in line.”

“The guards,” I mutter, thinking of their half-animal forms. “So, given your two legs now, does that mean your kind are like shifters? That ordinarily you would be able to change your form at will?”

“Shifters? I’ve never heard of that term before, but yes, normally we can all change forms,” she replies.

I nod my head.Interesting.“Okay, but I’m still not going to be your queen,” I say. “I’m grateful for what you did to my cuff, but I still don’t see?—”

“He’s had many brides over the years,” she forges on. “But none of them survive. When the king proposes marriage, there is no refusing him. Usually, the brides are females of our own kind who he has selected, but sometimes, a female will volunteer. After what we’ve been through, some will do anything to taste the full power of their magic again, even if the moment is fleeting.”

My heart misses a beat as an important part of what she’s just said jumps out at me. “Wait. So King Celzar removes the cuffs from his brides?” I don’t care much for the vows of marriage. For demons, marriage is simply a piece of paper to divide assets. It’s the fated mates bond that holds real meaning. “Okay, so I marry your king, and I get my power back?”

She watches me carefully. “Yes, you’ll get your magic.”

I’m about to celebrate with a fist bump to the air, because I hadn’t thought it would be this easy, when she adds, “And then, you’ll have seconds to kill him before he has you.”

It takes me a moment to realize what she’s said.Seconds?

“I’m sorry, but what the hell did she just say?”Shade squawks in my head, her panic coming through.

“Kill him?” I clarify, darting a glance at the door, because surely, she’s risking death by suggesting this. If someone was saying this about me in Seral, I’d have to make an example of them. A bloody one.

“Yes,” she replies matter-of-factly and, like she didn’t just drop a bombshell, she goes back to packing up her things, carefully placing the different makeup brushes into her case. “That’s if you want to get out of here alive. And just maybe, the rest of us can be freed as well.”

“Well, that’s just great,”I send to Shade.

“And now we know why she helped you,”Shade replies blandly.“She thinks you’re going to save them. She thinks you’ll be the first bride to best the king. I knew she had an ulterior motive.”

“As is tradition,” the servant says, neatly arranging her items, “over the next two days, you will participate in certain activities before the wedding. Once they’re complete, there will be a big wedding ceremony held, with a lot of fanfare, I’m sure. When you say your vows, the king will remove your cuff.”

I shake my head. “But you said I only have seconds. What if it’s not enough time? I don’t even know what the king can do.”

Her lips thin. “It’s all the time you have.”

I frown, thinking about how I still haven’t bonded with my fated mates. “You don’t understand, I’m still not that strong. I’m not thebrideyou’re looking for. Can’t you find someone else? If you know how the king removes the cuffs, let’s find a way to steal whatever it is that he uses before the wedding?”

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