My muscles tensed as I waited for him to strike, and when he reached an arm out, I almost went to kick him in the crotch before I realized he was trying to pass me a bundle of black cloth.A cloak?
“Strip and put this on,” he said coldly. “We leave in five minutes.”
“Strip?” I frowned at the order.Not fucking likely.I didn’t care much about being naked, but I wasn’t about to just strip for him if he was going to bark at me with that attitude.
Realizing I wasn’t going to take the cloak, he dropped it onto the bed beside us. “Yes,” he said bluntly, then he turned away and strode across the room. Pausing before the doorway, he added, “You’ll regret it if you don’t.” And then he disappeared into the common room.
I blew out a shaky breath as I stared at the now empty doorway. The monster was such an infuriating ass. Grabbing the cloak from the bed, I held it up, letting it unfurl and fall to the floor. The soft material was silky between my fingers, and I was surprised at how beautiful the simple garment was.
I wondered why the hell I needed to strip.Uh, because he’s going to torture you. He probably wants more of yourflesh exposed so he can scar you up,my subconscious reasoned, and I grimaced at the thought. For some reason, though, I didn’t think that was the case.Maybe he just wants a nice view?I scoffed at the thought and let out a heavy sigh. Either way, it didn’t matter.You’ll regret it if you don’t,his words echoed in my head. I might not have liked the monster, but I believed him.
Reluctantly, I peeled off my leather outfit until I was standing in only my panties. Pulling on the cloak, I tied it around myself and quickly swept my hair into a ponytail, and strode into the common room. I mentally braced myself for the destruction I was sure I’d see, but when my gaze flicked over the room, my mouth dropped open in surprise. All the broken furniture had been replaced, and everything was almost exactly the way it had been before, aside from a few more scratches on the walls and the odd missing chair or table.
None of the other monsters were around, but Locke was now sitting in his usual spot on a settee, with an empty glass vial grasped in one hand while he drank from another. He didn’t look up as I entered the room.
I remembered Asher saying that Locke would organize for someone to help refurbish the space, and the need to thank the vampire rested on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it down. I wasn’t going to thank that asshole after he’d just been creepily watching me while I slept.
It was then that I noticed he was dressed in black fighting leathers, and a long, curved sword sat in the scabbard at his side. I didn’t bother wasting my time asking where we were going, nor did I ask about the others. After having destroyed the room and the strange moment I’d shared with Asher, I was kind of glad that I didn’t need to face anyone else just yet.
Striding past Locke, I quickly used the water closet, drank a goblet of the pink liquid, and went to the platter of food that was on a low table. Plucking at a strange red fruit, I shoved pieces of it into my mouth. An explosion of sour and sweet danced on my tongue, and I managed a few good mouthfuls before Locke lifted from his chair and pocketed the empty glass vial he was still holding.
“Your five minutes are up. Time to go, beautiful,” he said.
Lockeledusupone tunnel after another, and I almost had to jog to keep up with his long strides. For a long while, the pair of us climbed the mountain in silence, but eventually, he stopped before a narrow iron door and turned to me.
“Time to show us what monster you are, Raine,” he said and pushed open the door.
His words almost sounded like a threat, and for a beat, my legs wouldn’t move, but as sunlight flooded through the open doorway, landing on my face, I scurried forward, desperate for a chance to be outside of the mountain.
Crisp air greeted me as Locke led me onto a small balcony and shut the door behind us. I breathed in deeply and squinted as my eyes adjusted to the light. We were high enough that wisps of clouds floated past, and a chill wind had me clutching at my arms in an effort to keep myself warm, but the rays of light streaming from above had a smile stretching my lips. I hadn’t realized it was still day.
Closing my eyes and tipping my head upward, I relished the feeling of the sunlight on my cheeks. “I didn’t think monsters liked sunlight? Isn’t that why you sleep during the day?” I asked Locke when I finally opened my eyes again.
“It’s not pleasant for vampires, but this way, we shouldn’t be disturbed,” he said, and I noticed the clench of his jaw and the tightness under his eyes.
Not pleasant?What did that mean? And what did he mean about not being disturbed?
“What? Are you planning to push me off the mountain?” I joked.
He didn’t immediately answer me but stepped closer. “Something like that,” he said seriously, and the blood drained from my face.
“Remove the cloak,” he ordered.
“Fuck you,” I retorted. I’d known he was going to do something horrible, but at the thought of being thrown from the mountain, goosebumps prickled over my skin as fear went through me.
He just waited, his black eyes giving nothing away as he stared at me.
Fuck.Gritting my teeth, I kept my gaze on him as I untied the cloak and let it fall to the ground. The moment the cloth was away from me, he moved forward, so I was pressed flush against his chest, and his arms curled around my back.
What the hell?I wiggled against him, trying to push away, but he wouldn’t let me.
“You’re going to want to hold on tight,” he purred in my ear, and I had just enough time to grab onto his shoulders before his huge leathery wings flared out from behind his back, blocking out the sun, and he flapped, launching us into the air.
My stomach lurched as my feet left the ground, and the wind stung my eyes and ears. Cold air sliced through me and my teeth began to chatter as Locke flew us higher and higher, and I cursed him for making me strip. He took us from the mountain and in the opposite direction of the sprawling city of Katakin, over a stretch of bare land until we were above a deep expanse of blue sea and high into the clouds. I realized then what he’d meant about us not being disturbed. He’d brought us out while it was still sunlight so no other monsters would see us.
“Where the hell are you taking us?” I shouted over the wind, but he didn’t respond. Not that he needed to. I already had a pretty good idea.
The asshole wasn’t going to push me from the mountain. He was going to drop me from the sky. Adrenaline spiked through my veins as I panicked, but there was nothing I could do. Not unless I wanted to beg the vampire to take me back to the mountain, and just the idea of begging Locke for anything had my lip curling.
