Page 23 of Captured By the Monsters
ROWEN
Fury, spurred by jealousy and fear, slammed back into me as I came into the room and saw Sera wrapped around Axton in her sleep. She turned to him, seeking comfort. Envy sizzled in my veins, chased by self-loathing at the sight. My shadows twisted in anxious knots, and my lips—the only corporeal part of me—curled downward in distaste.
Trifectas weren’t resentful of one another. We supported our brethren, just like we supported our mate, but that was before Paratiisi became a desolate wasteland—before we became Specters and questioned everything about our existence. Even with Sera as our mate, there was no guarantee that our Trifecta would stay together.
What if she was like the other human women and just hiding it well?
What if she took her life?
What if she fled from us?
How would we go on when Sylan and Axton were already enamored with her?
Not that I blamed them, but I refused to give my heart to this woman when she most likely was going to crush it. It was in the way she shifted her eyes, tucked her tongue into her cheek, and the general anxiousness about her that spoke of her need to run.
I knew it in my heart—given the first chance, Sera would flee, and it was going to absolutely destroy Axton and Sylan.
That couldn’t happen.
I knew I needed to do everything to convince Sera this was her true home, but I also needed to remain strong for my brothers. It was a conundrum. While I wanted to hold her in my arms and tell her sweet words that would get her to stay, I also couldn’t help but push away from her. This connection we felt to her was too intense for someone we just met. It confirmed how I had felt like the bonds to our chosen were forced by a greater power.
I hated myself for it, though. I wanted to be the one wrapped around Sera as she slept, giving her comfort. Secretly, I wished to give her love and to receive hers, but that wasn’t meant to be for me.
I was going to be the one that kept my Trifecta together by keeping my wits and logic about. I wouldn’t fall under her spell, no matter how tempting.
With a scowl, I turned away, but Sylan floated into my vision. Even though he couldn’t see my face, I felt that he was reading my expression and the meaning behind it. Being bound together as a unit for centuries had allowed us to sense one another’s emotions, even though we no longer could see the physical cues of our bodies or faces.
How long had it been since I’d looked another being in the eyes and they looked into mine?
So long I’d almost forgotten what our kind looked like. A light smirk tipped my lips as I recalled our true forms. Humans called us ‘monsters’—and for good reason.
We were.
But not the monsters Sera thought. Our outside forms might be terrifying, but we were no different from humans. We craved the same things—love, security, and a home.
“Go lie down with them,” Sylan suggested, tugging me from my thoughts, but I just waved a hand dismissively.
“Not tonight, another time,” I lied, knowing damn well that was much too intimate of a position for me to ever be in. That’s how barriers were broken and hearts crushed to dust, and I had no intention of allowing that to happen.
“You hurt her feelings,” Sylan persisted, making my scowl deepen at his accusation. I didn’t want to hurt Sera, but she didn’t understand. Nobody did. “What are you thinking? Open up to me, brother. We can't work together as a team if you don’t let anyone in,” Sylan counseled, but I shrugged him away, floating out of the room that we’d created for our mate.
The true miracle was how we managed to create it, considering the lack of resources in our world, but every Trifecta was allotted minute amounts of energy from the original Queen’s crystal for the sole purpose of creating a haven for our intended mates.
As Specters, we were just ghostly wisps of smoke, but these tendrils were tangible. We could still touch and feel with them, but no one—including ourselves—could see our true form. We were like shadows.
We toiled away in the dirt and grime of the land to carve out a foundation to build around, tying it into the natural hot springs that formed in the area. We knew that humans prized the glittering stones so abundant in Paratiisi and speckled the grotto with their beauty to awe our mate. Now that Sera was here, the time it took felt like it was worth it—everything was worth it for Sera—but it was that exact feeling that had my walls slamming into place. I knew she couldn't give herself over to us—she didn’t trust us any more than I trusted her.
“We need to go before the leaders to be presented,” I announced, knowing this needed to be addressed sooner, rather than later.
At this, Axton sat up, and I realized he had been awake and was listening to every word I said. “No, we can’t go yet!” he hissed, attempting to try not to wake Sera.
She looked so peaceful in his arms. Like she knew she was safe here with us and allowed her worries to melt away, even if for this brief moment.
I jerked my gaze away from them, hating how it had me questioning my stance that quickly. For a second, I questioned whether her own feelings were changing. Would she choose to stay? Would she choose us?
“Why not?” Sylan wondered, echoing my own thoughts. “They’ll be waiting for us, and it’s required.”
Axton shook his head again. “I don't want to go until Sera’s fully marked. It’s too dangerous to go before then, and you know that.”
