Page 13 of Monsters in My Bed
Something cold and ugly twists in my stomach at her words. “Rox…I’m so sorry. It tears me apart to know what that asshole did to you. Whatever your decision, I support you.”
Roxy’s body was used against her will and this ultimately is her choice, but I don't want the resentment that she feels toward the False King to spill over to a child. Her baby’s blameless, no matter what they might be born from.
“Can I hold one of the babies?”
I nod, beckoning at Osz. Taking my daughter, I tuck her into the crook of Roxy’s arm. Then I settle next to her before reaching for my son. Vizruk and Osz walk away whispering with Rastorj, no doubt plotting what to do with Roxy, regardless of what she thinks. Rastorj will do anything to protect his mate, no matter whose baby she carries. My foot jiggles as I rock my son back and forth. He slumbers away, but I can’t sit still.
“What's wrong?”
I glance at Roxy, surprised she even recognizes my anxiety, given her own worries. Then again, she was always a selfless friend, looking out for others before herself.
“I'm worried about my trium trapped on Earth, how Xho, Nerazi, and Seriq are doing. And I’m terrified for Mark. He's out there right now fighting The Fallacious.”
Roxy levels me with her steady gaze. “He can handle himself. This is his destiny—what he has to do.”
I roll my shoulders back at these words, the tension building in the base of my neck. If everything is a matter of destiny…
“Roxy, what do you know about the prophecy?”
She shrugs, glancing away. “I really don't know much, aside from the Pharos is a beacon of light and the secret weapon to end the tyranny of this land.”
Her words aren't really anything new, but I stew at the part about a secret weapon—a light to end the tyranny.Something inside of me wakes up at the thought, and when I look down at my hands, they glow faintly. I gasp, curling them into the baby, not wanting Roxy to see, but she's still looking the other way.
“Rox, do you mind if I set my son down next to you? I'm going to go talk to my mates for a second.”
She looks back at me, adjusting my daughter to one side. “Here, I can hold them both. You don't have to set him down.”
“Are you sure? They're a lot…I think.”
She chuckles thinly. “They seem pretty quiet right now, but I’m sure they’ll grow into a handful. But for now, they're definitely not too much.”
I smile, helping to position both babies before I sneak toward the front door. When I’m sure Roxy is fully occupied by the two little bundles of joy, I slip out into the hidden tunnels and speed away. My mates will be furious, but I realized what they weren’t telling me about the prophecy. The Pharos is the light—but that lightisthe secret weapon needed to defeat Zuriv. The sinqol pools infused me with its power.
And I’m going to use it to avenge my best friend.
six
MARK
Blooddripsdownmyclaws and mingles with my father’s. It's a novelty to experience pain in this body, so far from the sensations in my human form. What once would’ve crippled me now gives me strength. Every gash, every puncture, every tear spurs me on further, feeding into the festering hatred boiling inside of me.
Does my father not know what I am made of? How I was formed—bornfrom his cruelty, the product of his loins and his ambitious nature.And he’s just delusional enough as his name implies to think that he can beat me.
I’ll admit I’m new to this world—to this side of me—but the monster’s always been there, waiting to claw itself out. I've spent years tamping down the pent-up rage, and now, it has the perfect outlet. I pour all of that hatred into fighting my father, this false king who thinks he can hurt Alexis.
My mate.
It's strange to think of her in that way, but my monster knows it's true. She's always called to us, and this other side of me was drawn to her for this very reason. I would’ve followed her to Hell and back. A snort escapes me—I did follow her to hell—and now I'm battling the very devil himself.
I stand in some Gothic replica of the Colosseum, two monstrous gladiators glaring at one another, waiting for one to strike. My father's glowing blue eyes narrow into slits, and I see him shift. In a blur of movement, he lunges forward. I dance out of the way at the last second, raking my talons along his torso as he passes.
Black droplets of blood splash onto the sandy ground as well as coat my fingers until I can’t even see the purple of the skin beneath it. My father's bellow echoes into the darkness around us, but I ignore him and focus on centering myself. Although I have some scratches, they're nothing compared to what I have done to my opponent, and I plan to dismantle him.
Piece by bloody, grizzly piece.
Then, I will take over his throne and make this dismal place my kingdom and Alexis my queen. A faint smile curls my lips at the thought. My monster loves it. The mayhem. The gore. The victory. The sick fucker wants to roll in the cesspool of negativity, but my human side remains intact, reminding me that I must remember to never lose myself completely to this burning hatred.
It would be so easy, so fucking easy, but I've seen what happens to a monster that sheds any form of humanity. Seriq is that man. Although, humanity isn’t something that I would attribute to him. His actions wounded our mate far more than he realizes—and both of us will have to find a compromise for Alexis’ sake—but that green-eyed asshole is a perfect example of what Idon’twant to become.
