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“We found you the chimera only a week ago,” I said with a frown.
His long fingers placed the bloodied scalpel on the table, and he hummed a happy little tune as he gestured to the mutilated body before him, like he was proud of his work. “As you can see, it didn’t last long. I can only work as fast as the supply.”
My gaze darkened, guilt for the creatures rising again to the surface. “It’s not right. Doing this to them.”
He cocked his head, eyeing me quizzically. “Would you rather we left them out there to ravage the city? Kill our citizens?”
“If we kept them locked up—”
“There aren’t enough rooms in this mountain to keep them all here indefinitely. And if they got out, the consequences would be dire. We need to find a cure, and this is the way to make that happen.”
“You can’t cure a curse,” I said bitterly. “You’ve searched for nearly two centuries. Only the queen could break the curse, and no one’s seen her since she disappeared through that portal two hundred years ago.”
“Well, yes, fae magic is a fickle thing, but I believe anything can be cured. There must be a way to force our bodies to physically change back, and I will find it. To do that, I need to study these new monsters. These animals.” His expression became serious. “Don’t forget my position on the council is the only reason you and your…friendsare able to stay together. Having four monsters of different types together is unnatural, and there are many who detest the idea. It confuses the newbloods.”
I clenched and unclenched my fist at my side, but I didn’t let him goad me into an argument. “We’re busy with the trials. Zacal’s team is on city patrol tonight. Why not get them to bring you something?”
Before I took a breath, Warrick was before me, his face close to mine and his penetrating glare boring into me. Despite being three decades older than me, the male appeared only five years older, with age lines crinkling around his eyes. “The Taratun council lets me operate down here because I get rid of the monsters we can’t control. So far, no one on the council has asked questions, but after all these years, there are some who want the curse to remain. They can’t find out what I’m trying to do. Zacal won’t be able to keep his mouth shut.”
My eye twitched. I could likely take out my father with my vampire body if I wanted—I was one of the few monsters who stood a chance against him—but I wasn’t an animal.If he finds a cure, we could be human again,I reminded myself. Wanting to find a cure was the only thing my father and I agreed on. He was our only hope, and he knew it. I set my jaw and gave a small nod. “Fine. I’ll be back in a few hours. You’d better be ready.”
His face broke into a cruel smile, the eagerness returning to his eyes. “Gosren and I will be waiting.”
CHAPTER 9
~ Locke ~
Istalkedintothecommon room my brothers and I shared, slamming the door behind me, and heading straight for the bottle of alcohol on the high table tucked against the wall. Pouring the clear liquid into a goblet, I lifted the steel cup to my lips. Alcohol did little for me in this cursed monster body, not unless I downed a significant quantity, but I savored the burn as the liquid slid down my throat.
“What did he want?” Kade asked. His alert gaze had been tracking me since I’d entered the room. He finished polishing his long swords and slid them into his leather scabbards.
“Nothing good by the looks of it,” Darian said as he sipped from his own goblet.
“More subjects,” I said darkly. I poured another goblet, not caring when some of the liquid spilled onto the table.
“That vampire goes through bodies faster than Asher and Darian go through females,” Kade growled, his body stilling.
“Hasn’t it only been a week?” Darian questioned. “He can’t need more already. What the devil is he doing with them?”
You don’t want to know.I downed the alcohol from my second goblet and slammed the cup onto the table, making the wood shake from the force, then I turned to the others. “I’m going hunting.”
Kade stood, the wood of the settee creaking at the removal of his weight. “We’ll all go.”
“No. It’s Darian’s trial next. We agreed we’d each carry out a trial, and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Someone should also stay to watch in case anything goes awry while Darian’s with the humans.”
“I’d say I’m sad to be missing the fun, but these humans are rather entertaining,” Darian said with a gleam in his eye.
Kade’s brow creased, and he folded his thick arms over his chest. “Asher can stay with Darian. He’s busy watching over the repairs of the mechanisms and levers at the stone cavern anyway. I’ll join you.”
I gave a curt nod, grateful to have him with me to watch my back. “Zacal’s team are on foot patrol tonight. We’ll have to stay out of their way. Don’t want this taking longer than it needs to.” Bringing Kade with me while Zacal was out wasn’t the best idea, but we’d keep far from them.
“Will Warrick be ready for us when we return?”
I strode to the shelf of weapons and strapped on another belt that I proceeded to fill with steel. “He’s looking forward to it,” I said as I slid another dagger onto my hip.
Kade grunted and strapped his long swords to his back before joining me at the weapons shelf.
I ground my teeth.This better be fucking worth it.“Don’t forget the rope.”
