Page 44 of Ruthless Monsters

I breathe in Blake’s alluring scent as she finally relaxes, giving in to sleep.So perfect.It had never felt like this with the others. When I’d bedded demons in Seral, the moment of bliss was fleeting and the emptiness I always felt after the act left me wanting to chase the high again. I wanted to find those brief moments when I could truly feel alive.

But with Blake, just to have her sleeping in my arms fills me with a vast pool of warmth that is deeper than anything I’vefelt. I know she still doesn’t think she can have us. Not in the way she wants. The rumors that circulated after her last lover’s departure have been more damaging than I expected. I breathe in again, thinking about how her scent haunted me for so long. It’s been so long since I first tasted her. Since Blake walked into that dining room and demanded that Kai take her. ThatItake her, and even the magic Luna had placed on me couldn’t stop me from seeing who the princess was. My fated mate. My princess. Mine to bond with.Mine to protect.

But as she was coming apart in my arms an unknown force attacked me. A cold vice clamped around my throat suffocating me, the dark power squeezing my life force, and it wasn’t until I’d turned invisible that I’d managed to slip free of its hold.

Fuck, watching the princess,myprincess, search for the demon she knew as Kai had me wanting to show myself again, but I’d had to break through Luna’s shapeshifting magic to use my own power, and if I revealed my true form I didn’t know how she’d react. I was also certain that someone or something had tried to kill me, and that the source of the magic was close to the princess. So I remained quiet, waiting until the princess left the room before returning to my clan house, and I’ve spent the time since trying to discover where the unknown power had come from.

It was only my lack of restraint that had me violating the rules and bringing humans to my house, and in turn, luring the princess to my home. Each time, I’d hoped she might realize who I was. That somewhere deep down she’d see I was her fated mate, but Kai’s death had made her even more wary, and I still hadn’t discovered where the threat in the palace was originating, so I’d waited.

I think about that night over and over as Blake sleeps, finally getting the rest she needs. Eventually, Alaric, Nate, and Prince Callan slip out with Shade, leaving me to watch her. I knowthey’re going to distract themselves while she sleeps, because though Blake doesn’t seem to believe it, she’s all we think about. My cock has been hard since the moment she entered the room again, and my balls ache just thinking about everything I want to do with her. But she needs her rest, so I don’t move as she sleeps soundly beside me, and the others left. Shade was reluctant, but all I had to do was comment about how upset Blake would be if her mates got themselves into trouble, and the bird was following after them.

I stay beside Blake for hours until she slowly starts to rouse. Yawning, she blinks blearily up at me and stretches.

Smiling, I tuck her hair behind her ear. “Feel better?”

“You’re still here,” she replies, and I frown. I think about all the females and males from my past. I’d always left straight after being with them, and it never occurred to me that I should stay. But with Blake, I never want to leave her side.

“Of course,” I say, admiring her tousled dark hair and puffy cheeks. “Where else would I be?”

She shrugs. “How long was I out?”

“It’s hard to say. Hours, probably.”

“Hours?” Her eyes snap wide, and she peers around the room. “Where are the others?”

“Exploring. You needed sleep, and they needed a distraction,” I drawl.

Her expression flattens. “Exploring? This is because I went out without them, isn’t it?”

I chuckle. “Actually, I’d say it’s because they didn’t know what to do with themselves while you were resting.”

She grows thoughtful, and her gaze goes to the open space that overlooks the rebel city below.

“It’s beautiful down there, you know,” she tells me, and there’s a faraway look in her eyes.

“As beautiful as our depraved city back home?”

“In its own way,” she replies, and then the smile falls from her face. “You know, if the witches attack while we’re gone, Seral might not look the same when we return.”

I think of my clan and my friends. Of Noah and Luna, and the other demons. “King Dalton has stopped the witches before,” I tell her, thinking back to the great war.

Sadness enters her eyes, and her words are soft when she speaks. “He won’t be able to do that this time.”

Her comment surprises me, and I want to ask if this has something to do with the announcement of the king’s unexpected retirement, but now isn’t the time. “Let’s just work on getting out of this place and back to Seral, shall we? If we get out of these cuffs, we can bond, and with the five, uh six, of us having heightened abilities, surely we’ll be able to take on this King Celzar.”

She sighs heavily, rolling onto her back. “I don’t think Prince Callan and Alaric have changed their minds about bonding.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. There’s a difference between words and actions, princess.”

“Well, right now Alaric and Prince Callan’s actions say they’re not sure what they want,” she counters.

My lips twitch, and I comb my fingers through her hair. “The Drozac assassins are taught to live on a diet of hatred and pain, but it’s obvious Alaric’s already coming around. As for the archangel…there’s more to him than he’s letting on. He was just as upset at the idea of being away from you in that prison as the rest of us.”

She raises a brow, clearly not believing a word I’m saying.

“Perhaps if you let us act more like your fated mates,” I drawl, my fingers trailing lower and brushing against the side of her right breast. “I’m more than happy to lead by example.”

Her lips part at my touch, her skin warming in response, and desire ripples through me.

---