Page 16 of Monstrous Truths


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I hear a noise and stand upright. I’m not outside. I’m in a fucking tunnel.

Okay, a nice tunnel, but it’s still a tunnel, which means I’m underground, in the dark, with monsters.

I really suck at this.

The light is dimmed to create a softer ambience, but it still allows me to see the marble floor and pale white walls covered in paintings and maps. It’s almost spotless and looks like something from before the war. It’s obvious it’s part of the building above, which has me intrigued, but I spot some open doors and hear snores coming from them, so I slowly slide across the floor, wincing at the squeak of my shoes. I move slower here, and when I reach a door, I hurry past it, not even peering inside.

I don’t want to be caught.

The tunnel seems to go on forever and winds through the earth until I’m lost, but then it turns, and at the end are double doors—double doors that are closed with a monster sitting on the floor beside them, snoring away.

A bin with flames is next to him.

If he’s on watch, he sucks, but it works for me, so I thank a deity I don’t believe in and slowly move past him. At the door, I keep my eyes on him as I open it and slide through.

Biting my lip, I look around and almost groan. I’m in another building. Grumbling to myself, I start to walk, noticing it’s lighter here. Daylight pierces the fog of darkness, and when I step out into another room, I see why. There are skylights above, letting in rays of light. I almost bask in it, knowing that means I’m safe for now.

Until I hear the door opening behind me.

TEN

TALIA

Iwhirl, my mouth dropping open when I see the monster lingering in the darkness beyond the doorway. His usually soft face is hard, his eyes are flashing red, and his hand grips the handle with a strength that dents it as he watches me. The sunlight separates us. He is in the dark, and I am in the light. For a moment, a tangible thread connects us, almost drawing me back to him. It’s that silly thought that has me stumbling back a step, which in turn seems to kick him into action. Slamming the door behind him, he steps into the shadows. His eyes flick to the light coming in, and that’s when I remember what Aria said.

Light hurts them, so they never come out during the day.

I soon realise why when, with gritted teeth and determined, flashing eyes, he steps into a ray of sunshine. He instantly winces, his hands fisting as he takes another deliberate step towards me. At first, nothing happens, and then his skin begins to heat, the evidence obvious as he begins to stagger. Uncertainty gleams in his eyes as his skin begins to blister, but he still pushes forward, a hiss escaping his lips. More and more blisters appear on his skin as he stumbles towards me through the light.

“Cato, no!” I yell, rushing forward in an attempt to stop him before stilling myself. Why am I trying to protect this monster? It doesn’t matter that he was kind to me, that he didn’t hurt me, nor that he looked for my friend. He’s still a monster.

“Talia,” he hisses, his knees almost giving out as a pained moan escapes his lips. “Talia left.”

His voice is garbled, and I slap my hands over my mouth as I watch blood bubble on his lips. “Go back!” I demand, my eyes going to the door that would lead me to freedom. “Cato, go back!”

“Not without—” He coughs and falls to his knees in a ray of sun. “My Talia.”

“Shit, shit, shit,” I mutter, looking from the door to the monster watching me with dark, agony filled eyes. “I hate you right now!” I scream as I rush to him and throw my shoulder under his, trying to heave him up. All I succeed in doing is grunting like a wild animal at the size and weight of him. “Come on then. You need to stand, or I’ll leave.”

That gets him moving. He stumbles to his feet but leans into me, swaying as I drag him towards the door. It’s slow going, and by the time I’m back there, his skin is completely blistered. Throwing open the door, I try to push him inside, but he grabs me tightly, despite the pain he’s in, and pulls me with him as if knowing I plan to run away again.

The monster inside of the door is gone, and Cato leans heavily into the wall, panting as he glares at me. “Could have been hurt,” he rumbles.

“Yeah, yeah, but I wasn’t, and did you honestly just expect me to sit around and wonder when you or you people were going to murder me?” I throw up my hands but rush to him when he starts to slide down the wall. Rolling my eyes, I get us moving again. “Come on, let’s get you back before you melt into a puddle or something.”

“That…doesn’t…happen.” It’s slow going, and he leads me through a side entrance I didn’t see, which takes us straight to his floor. That would have been handy to know before I played hopscotch with monsters downstairs. Once we are back in his lab, I’m sweating like hell and exhausted from helping the big bastard upstairs. He collapses onto the floor, and I hurry to the med kit I found and drop to my knees beside him.

Eyeing the expanse of blisters across his body, I start with somewhere safe—his hands and arms. As I clean them, he doesn’t move or open his eyes.

“You could have been hurt,” he slurs, and my eyes dart to him before focusing on what I’m doing as I search through the box for the cream. His voice comes out stronger with every word though, which is a good sign. “It was stupid, Talia, and you are not stupid. Don’t do that again. Ever.”

I ignore his order and locate the cream. Popping the top and squeezing some onto my finger, I turn and start to slowly massage it into his skin. “Sorry,” I murmur when he jerks away. He slowly settles back, and I begin the arduous task of applying it to his whole body.

As I apply the burn cream, I meet his eyes, which are watching me warmly. The expression is too intense, so I look away.

“Look, I won’t apologise for leaving. I was trying to save myself and my friend, but since it didn’t work and I’m back here again, I can’t keep being scared of you. So why did you save me?” For a moment, I don’t think he will answer, then his hand turns and he cups my own. When I meet his eyes, they are as confused as my own feelings.

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I always act on logic. Every action, thought, or word is carefully thought out, and I know the outcome, but I couldn’t help myself. There was no logic when I first saw you, only this intense need to protect you. When I saw you, something scrambled inside of me, and I had to save you. I don’t believe in fate or destiny, Talia. I am a scientist, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

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