Darian and Asher entered the crypt after Lyr and Soren, and I stepped through after Raine, my eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light as the torches along one wall flared to life. Locke came in behind us, closing the door after him, and we began making our way down the stone steps.
A faint rasping sounded from somewhere in the darkness, and I cocked my head, my ears morphing and becoming pointed as I listened with my wolf hearing.
“What is it?” Locke asked from behind me.
I listened for a moment longer, before answering in a low growl, “Breathing.”
“Maybe Vasken’s asleep?” Raine whispered optimistically, though her heart was pounding faster than normal.
I breathed in her scent to calm my inner wolf. The fact that she’d turned into a monster hadn’t changed the bond that was between us, and the need to protect her made me want to shift and tear out the chimera’s throat before he could get to her.
We reached the landing of the crypt without incident and entered a wide circular space. In the middle of the stone floor, a large tomb rested silently, the stone devoid of any markings or etchings to identify who lay within. Around the crypt, tall stone pillars stood like looming guardians, and darkness led into a series of tunnels. A musky, feline scent lingered in the air, and at the base of the tomb, the bones of animals had been piled up.
Lyr touched what appeared to be the skull of a rabbit lightly with her boot.
“He left the crypt to hunt,” Soren commented as he went to stand beside her. “At least he didn’t starve.”
Lifting her chin, Lyr turned her attention to the tomb, and her eyes filled with hatred. “King Adrien’s in there,” she said coldly, and I continued to scan the area, watching for any sign of movement around us.
Raine walked around the tomb, inspecting the stone structure. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Locke confirmed before Lyr could speak. Undoubtedly, my vampire brother could hear the king’s faint heartbeat through the stone, just as I could. To know for certain that the king was still alive filled me with rage. He didn’t deserve to live. I reminded myself that we would be delivering him to the fae, and hopefully, they would bestow upon him the punishment that he deserved.
Asher sheathed his axes and moved closer to the tomb. Running his finger along the lid, he lifted his hand to peer at the layer of dirt before wiping the dust onto his pants. “All right, well how about we get this asshole out of here before the beast wakes up, shall we?”
I voiced my agreement. I could still hear steady breathing coming from somewhere down one of the tunnels to our left, meaning the chimera was likely still asleep and hadn’t awoken the moment we’d entered the crypt. If we were lucky, as the years passed it was possible the creature had entered some kind of hibernation slumber, and we might be able to remove King Adrien without being detected. For his sake, I fucking hoped so.
Asher widened his stance and gripped the tomb, and Soren, Locke, Darian, and I did the same.
Raine went to join us, but Lyr stopped her. “Well, now, let’s not deprive them of their chance to show off,” she said sweetly to my Mahare, and Raine stifled a laugh as Asher winked at her and flexed his muscles. Darian’s lips twitched upward at the demon, and Locke seemed too preoccupied to give a shit.
“It’ll take some effort detaching it from the base, but after that we should be all good to go,” Soren instructed as he adjusted his grip on the stone. “On the count of three. One… Two…Three.”
Grunting, I lifted the stone, my fingers slipping slightly as I tried to keep hold of the fucking thing. The stone held fast at the base, but then a crack sounded as the stone crumbled, and the tomb came free. Carefully, we lowered the tomb to a spot on the floor a few feet to the left.
“That wasn’ so hard,” Asher said with a grin, rubbing his hands together to get rid of the dust.
Lyr rolled her eyes, but she gave us an appreciative smile. “Well, that’s the hard bit done. Now let’s get it back to camp.”
“Is he…” Raine began and trailed off thoughtfully. “I mean, is the king awake in there?”
“No clue,” Lyr answered casually. “He was when we shoved him in there.”
Raine made a horrified face that the fucker definitely did not deserve, and Darian gave her a reassuring smile. “I would suspect that after so many years trapped in there, he would have entered a weakened state where he is no longer completely conscious.”
Raine still looked way too sympathetic for the king who was responsible for destroying our world. “He doesn’t need your kindness,” I growled, pulling her attention to me. “If you knew all he did, you’d see this was mercy compared to what he deserved.”
She swallowed, her eyes filling with understanding. If I’d had my way, I would have ended him myself. “Why didn’t you take his life?” I asked Lyr and Soren seriously. “When you had him in a vulnerable position.”
“Unlike the gargoyles whose skin and wings only have a thin layer of stone,” Soren began, “King Adrien is completely made of nearly impenetrable stone. We tried to kill him multiple times before we came up with this plan. If there was any other way—”
Soren was cut off as a roar shook the crypt, the sound echoing off the walls and stinging my sensitive ears.
“Fuckin’ devil’s awake,” Asher cursed, grabbing his axes and moving closer to Raine.
Claws sprung from Locke’s fingers as his eyes turned onyx black, and Darian pulled three stars from the belt across his chest. Soren flapped his wings before folding them again and pulling the sword from the scabbard at his side. The five of us circled Raine and Lyr, who pulled out their own weapons and stared down each of the tunnels.
“Remember Vasken is a friend,” Lyr said as she gripped her knives tighter. “Subdue him, but don’t kill him.”
