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“Her shock seemed genuine when she turned that rock ceilin’ to sand. She might not even know she’s bonded with us.”
“Either way, we need to check in with the Taratun council soon, or they’ll come looking for her,” said a hard voice. “Warrick—”
“Who the hell are the Taratun?” I hadn’t realized I’d voiced my question out loud until four monsters burst into the room, their hulking bodies looming over the end of the bed and their presence sucking the air out of the room.Well, shit.
“On,” Kade barked, and blue torches high up on the walls flared to life, the glowing light making me wince.
Four gazes bored into mine—black, violet, blue, and gold, their monstrous figures at the end of the bed reminding me of a nightmare I’d once had years ago, shadows of horns, claws, wings, and pointed tails stretching on the wall. Though now, staring at these four, I wasn’t sure if it would be a nightmare or some strange erotic dream.Seriously, Raine? They’re M-O-N-S-T-E-R-S.
But my body wasn’t listening. The same pull I’d been feeling toward Locke, A-Two—I mean Asher,—and Darian, I also now felt for Kade, and with all four of them here, the feeling was so strong it was a small miracle I wasn’t already stalking around the side of the bed toward them. Swallowing hard, I clenched my thighs together under the covers.
Four gazes tracked the slight movement of the blanket, and I had to resist the urge to fan my face.Fuck. Me.
“You’re awake,” Kade said, and I stopped myself from making some snarky comment about the astute assessment.
“Who are the Taratun, and why will they be looking for me?” I said bluntly, desperate to distract them from the fact I was lying on a bed before them. I didn’t see any point in pretending I hadn’t been listening to their conversation. I sat up, and the soft blanket covering me fell to my waist. Instead of my tattered white dress, a fine gray shirt hung loosely to my frame, the material sliding over my skin. “What the hell?” It was more of a question than a curse.
The monsters shared glances with one another, and it was Locke who spoke up, his onyx-colored eyes fixed on me, and his lips twisted into a dark smirk. “Kade didn’t want your…dress ruining his bed. Not with all the blood and…” He trailed off with a wrinkle of his nose, and my cheeks flushed.
I knew my dress had smelled terrible. I’d been wearing the same garment for last few nights, and even with the dunking I’d received with Darian in the water, the dress was disgusting. But I wouldn’t be embarrassed about that. It was their damn fault. No, what bothered me was the idea of all four of them stripping me bare while I was unconscious. I wasn’t shy about them seeing me naked. It was only a body, after all. But the thought of being so vulnerable…
The monsters must have seen the fury building in my gaze as Asher added, “We only changed the dress and cleaned your wound. We didn’t touch anythin’ else.”
Touch anything else.The words lingered, leaving a sour taste on my tongue, but a confusing heat flared low in my belly. The strange desire I had for them grew as I became even more aware of the fact that I was lying half-naked on a bed before four powerful, ridiculously attractive monsters. I narrowed my eyes. I couldn’t be sure Asher was telling the truth, but would it change anything? I was still their prisoner.
“If you wanted me dead you wouldn’t have done…this,” I said, gesturing to my body and the massive bed I was in. “If you’re not going to kill me, the least you can do is give me some answers.” I didn’t expect them to tell me anything useful, but I had to try. “What do you mean, I should have changed by now? Why am I here?”
For a moment, the four males were silent. Hidden messages were shared among their gazes, but then it was Kade who spoke, his voice a low rumble. “No one has gone through the fourth trial without turning. As of now, we’re in uncharted territory.”
My brows slammed down as annoyance tickled my temple. “What does that even mean? I should have turned intowhat?”
Locke smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. The tips of pointed fangs protruded from his cruel lips. “A monster,” he said, and the sharpness in his voice made me shiver.
“You still don’t have the blood of a monster, beautiful,” he continued. “The curse that plagues us should have turned you by now, but here you sit, the blood pumping through your veins still a crimson red. You’re an anomaly in a world ruled by the creatures of the dark.”
“Well, for now, at least,” Kade added.
My brow creased. “The stone turning to sand. But that can’t have been—”
“You,” Asher finished for me. “You’re turnin’ into something. We’re just not sure what yet.”
Me?I thought of the strange energy I’d felt before the rocky slab had turned to sand. I assumed the monsters had just been toying with me, but to hear that it had been me was insane. These monsters were clearly crazier than I thought.
Locke’s dark eyes were serious, pulling my attention back to him. “Thing is, beautiful, people will have questions. If you don’t change soon, this could mean one of two things: either the curse has changed or you’re turning into a monster we haven’t seen since the curse was created. Either way, the Taratun council will take you and will likely run tests on you until they’ve satisfied their curiosity. Who knows what would be left of you then? Trust me when I say that however bad you think it’s been the last few nights, it’s nothing in comparison to how the Taratun would treat you.”
I stared, a chill creeping down my spine as I processed his words. This wasn’t good. Having the curiosity of these four was bad enough. I didn’t want this Taratun to come looking for me. I had to escape before that happened. Despite the bleak news, there was something curious in what they were saying.
“The ones who turn into monsters,” I blurted. “What happens to them?” I didn’t care about me. Getting selected had only ever been about finding Cara, and if what they were saying was true, it meant they did have a purpose for the humans they took from my island.My sister might be alive.Sure, she might have also been a monster, but I wasn’t going to worry about that then.
“Are you even listening, Raine lovely?” Darian said, exasperated. “You haven’t turned into a monster. Not fully. That’s the problem.”
I ignored him. “Do you kill them?” I asked, training my intense gaze on Kade. After the almost-biting-my-vag thing, I felt like he was the one who owed me answers the most.
He held my stare, his golden eyes not leaving mine. “The fate of the newbloods is not our concern right now. What is of concern is how you bonded us.” His face hardened.
My jaw clenched, and I found my fingers automatically searching in the sheets, hoping for some phantom weapon.A monster would sleep with a dagger under his pillow, right? No, just me, then?“How I what?” I said, my heartbeat quickening.
“You should just answer him, lovely,” Darian said, unamused. “He won’t let this go.”
