Page 206 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

“Easier said than done. I’ve tried. That’s why my clothes are missing now.”

Monty let out a sigh of exasperation and amusement. It almost felt like old times.

Except I was still naked, we were still separated, and I was fucking clueless.

“Allow me to offer guidance?” the demon on the floor asked.

“What’s your name?” I asked. He wasn’t giving me dangerous vibes. He was reserved and quiet, if nothing else.

“Elkan, former adviser to Hel,” he said with a slight bow. It seemed to exhaust him and I wondered exactly how long he was stuck in here. Anger flared to life again. Hel was a true villain. “I was turned into a bodyguard, and I have a feeling you know the rest.”

“I do,” I confirmed as Monty continued to hold me in place, one large hand covering my breasts, the other my exposed pussy. “What can you tell me about this magic? I’m all ears.”

“It’s more than just simplydoingit. Power is not something you can grasp and hold. Nor is it a weapon to be wielded. You have to put your emotion behind it until it’s second nature, draw it into yourself and shape it to your will. Hel wasn’t a human when she arrived, but she was a novice at this, too.”

“That would explain how I got here,” I said. “Failing at materializing clothes on myself was pissing me off.”

“It doesn’t have to be anger,” he said gently. It was strange to have a demon be so calm and kind. He was fatherly in his own way.

“Alright,” I hedged as I closed my eyes, thinking of how relieved I was when I saw Monty. The moment I had that emotion, I held onto it, letting it fill my mind and soul. Whenit felt like it wasn’t going to simply slip away, I imagined my favorite outfit on and the weight of it pressed against my skin.

An excited gasp escaped as I pulled away from Monty’s hold and examined myself. Pride flared to life within me and I felt Drake poking at me through the connection. I tried to send reassurance back but who knows if it worked.

“Well done, My Queen,” Elkan praised with a fanged smile. He was adorable in his own way and about as un-alphalike as possible. I hoped Drake gave him a chance. We could really use him in this war.

“Try something else,” Monty encouraged, his sharp tone snapping me back to reality.

He probably meant something simple, easy, but that really wasn’t my style. I’d not been held by my demon in far too long.

This time I used the frustration and fear that Hel forced me to bear. Fear that Dark Haven had fallen, that I’d lost more people I loved. Worry about Hiro and Roman. Relief at finding Drake and now Monty. It was a storm of emotions but they flowed through me in a strange, fluid way, like they were now an additional part of my being.

My fingers wrapped around the bars and I channeled all of those emotions into picturing no barrier between us.

One second I was holding onto cold, rough metal, the next I was clenching my fists around air.

My eyes popped open as the bars literally melted before my eyes, falling to the ground in a black pool.

There was no time to celebrate or even pull in a breath before Monty had me wrapped in his arms.

Instead of relief or contentment, fear struck through me.

Something was wrong.

He didn’t feel likemyMonty. There were no shadows, no power, no presence. It was as if the demon commander was a shell of his former self.

“What happened to you?” I asked him as I shoved him back. The fact he actually tumbled nearly stole the breath from my lungs.

“She took my shadows,” he admitted. The vulnerability there didn’t belong, and I added yet another reason to hate her to my ever-growing list.

“Well, then, I’ll just have to give them back, won’t I?” I growled.

“We have to get out of here first,” Elkan said with a hint of urgency. “This entire floor is blocked for us. I don’t think you’ll be able to take us out.”

“Then we walk out,” I shot back, dissolving his bars as well before turning and heading down the walkway. It took a second to realize I didn't have to channel that emotion this time, it was simply there. A part of me, just like Valgri promised.

I made it no more than a few feet before I froze. My eyes caught on the decrepit demons and gargoyles behind the bars. “What about them?”

“Harlow,” Monty warned. “We can’t save everyone.”

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