THIRTY-THREE
Monster Realm Survival Tip #25:
Every misstep has witnesses.
ALISTAIR
Sunlight reflects off the ice, and I squint at the view.
Since moving to the Vegas Fringes, I’ve often missed Britain’s seasons. But after two weeks in this frozen wasteland, I’m desperate for the desert heat.
Ciprian’s black eyes are sharp. His playfulness is gone, and he’s focused on everything but me. My fingers curl, stiff in the cold.
Riven skirts the edge of the forest slowly, pretending neither of us exist. When he stops abruptly, I strain my ears to catch whatever caught his attention.
Something growls in the distance, then I hear arguing.
“They’re closer than I thought,” Riven says. “I want to get a count.”
“Is there a good vantage point nearby?” Ciprian asks. “Somewhere far enough away that they won’t smell us?”
Riven nods and points at a craggy overlook in the distance. It’s about half a mile away, but it looks steep. I keep my reservations to myself and follow the veydra, listening for any sounds besides our crunching footsteps and heavy breathing.
By the time we reach the rock face, it’s clear we’ll have to climb to reach the top.
“This is the quickest way up,” Riven says. “We could go around, but it’s a three-mile walk. We’d be caught by the midday eclipse.”
Ciprian sighs. “Up it is.”
He grips a handhold and begins to climb. My heart races as I track his progress, moving back and forth below him as he searches for the best places to grab on. It’s easily forty feet to the top. If he falls, he could break his spine or worse.
I sigh with relief when he reaches the top, my breath fogging around my face.
“Everything okay?” Riven asks. His strange lips curl as he glances up at Ciprian. “You seem tense.”
My nerves turn to anger in a flash. I pin him to the rock wall and wrap my fingers around his throat. “Listen to me, veydra. If you hurt what’s mine, I’ll find out if you bleed red like the rest of us, and I won’t stop until I spill every drop.”
Riven doesn’t react to the threat. His damn smirk doesn’t even slip. “Just so we’re clear,” he drawls. “Are you claiming them all or only the angel and demon?”
“Touch any of them and find out.” I shove him against the cliff one last time and back away.
“Bravo.” He claps silently. “Very intense. I give it a seven out of ten on the intimidation scale.”
“I despise you,” I seethe.
“I’m not your biggest fan either.” He raises one eyebrow. “You better climb the rock now, Alistair. Your boyfriend is getting worried.”
I glance up. Ciprian’s hair blends in with the snow, but he’s tugging on it, one foot dangling over the edge of the cliff like he’s about to climb down to get me.
I hold my hand up to stop him, then climb, using my vampire speed to reach the top before Riven can consider whether he wants to sabotage my ascent.
“What the fuck was that?” Ciprian demands. “It looked like you two were about to throw down.”
“Nothing; he’s a prick.”
“What did he say?”
I rub my chin and wince at the scratch of stubble. “It wasn’t really what he said...”
