Page 18 of Mate of a Monster

I cross my arms. “Talk.”

“I said not now!” The air grows humid, the scent of metal and sugar pressing against my chest. Motherfucker is using his magic to get us out.

My back slams into Sinner, who collides with Knight and London, before we’re all tumbling out into the hallway.

“Bro!” I jump up, ready to throw myself at him. But a portal splits through the air and Creed steps right through before it snaps closed behind him.

“What the fuck?”

Sinner pushes to his feet, offering London a hand. “Bet he went back to Rathe U.”

She slaps it away and pushes up from Knight. “Well, someone should. We just took off after the ball. Zeke says it’s not only the students who are asking questions, but now, so are the professors.”

“Zeke,” Sinner snickers, unable to hide his dislike for Magdelena’s little spawn. “Can’t believe we’re using that tool for anything.”

“It’s called fake it with the enemy, Sinner.” London rolls her eyes. “And we can’t be everywhere all the time. Clearly.”

“Just, shut up.” I shake my head. “Why would Creed leave? Why not tell us what he saw?”

“The answer to both those questions is the same.” Knight frowns at the mess Creed made. “He left so he could research in peace.”

“Research what?”

“Whatever he saw in the dragon’s head.” Sinner scans the bookshelf. “He needs proof about whatever threat it was.”

I look to Knight for confirmation, but his features only pull tighter.

Frustration moves me deeper into the room, and I reach for a book in the section he was picking through to try to find a fucking clue, the words Mythical or Majestic imprinted in golden font.

I find a metal spine, but fire erupts through my hands at the touch, and I retract with a hiss.

“Spellbound spine?” Sinner steps up beside me, jaw flexing once. “That’s very fucking cute.”

London sighs, pressing against Knight’s chest. “I’m going to go see if Silver needs any help with the injured, then I’ll check the boundaries.”

Knight nods.

I drop my head back, the sharpness in my chest and ringing in my ears doubling.

“You doing all right?” Sinner asks.

“Fucking fine,” I snap, pulling away when he touches my arm.

I shove past them, storming out of the Archives and down the nearest set of steps that lead toward the back wing of the palace.

The castle shifts around us as we move, the sound of distant alarms finally fading as our guards get shit in order.

Eventually, I’m climbing the tower at the edge of the castle, fist wrapped around stone as old as life.

Dark ridges of Rathe stretch out like the spine of a sleeping beast, and beyond that, if you know where to look and the clouds are just thin enough, you can see the shadowed cut of Darkadia’s border. The home of dragons.

I take a deep breath, feeling the wind pull around me in a scent of ash and sulphur. Footsteps thud against stone as Sinner and Knight close in. Sinner leans against one of the posts, as Knight stands at my left, his arms crossed.

We stare out at the dark hills ahead.

Every few seconds there’s a flash in the distance, flames snapping through dark clouds that send bolts of red streaks through the galaxy above. It’s in synch with the loud clap of violence that shakes loose rock on the ground.

“Something is off,” I tell them. “I don’t know what, but I feel it.” I tap my sternum with my knuckle once.