Revealing the Monster (Playing with Monsters #4) by Amelia Hutchins

“We don’t know, Lena. I haven’t found anything that says the furies ever mated to another being. You claimed me and used the furies to achieve what you wanted. They don’t love or feel that emotion on any level; it’s new for them. You still hold human emotions because I forced the furies to free that part of you.”

“Yeah, I get that feeling when I say something is bad, and they freak out. They enjoy bloodshed and making me ravenous to use you in very bad ways. I also hate that in claiming you, I claimed Spyder. I need to make this right.”

“You’re an enigma to us,” Cupping my cheek, he leaned over and kissed my forehead before striding toward the door. He paused, turning to smirk at me. “I do hope you know what you’re asking of me. I won’t share you again. Not even with Spyder, Magdalena. You’re mine, and you have been since the moment I saw you staring up at the moon, looking so fucking lost that it awoke something within me I didn’t understand. I do now. You were created for me and only me. I’m not a hero, and you know that. You’re not the type of girl who wants a hero. You needed a villain who will destroy worlds for you. Girls like you are a rare breed that needs a monster to play with, revealing the monster within themselves.” Turning the doorknob, Lucian stepped over the threshold and smiled back at me. “I’ll see you out there, gorgeous. This better be some show you’re putting on tonight. My reputation is on the line here.”

“Trust me,” I said softly, smiling with the knowledge of what I’d set up for his opening night.

Was I nervous about running his sex club? Hell yes, but I’d looked at it from a woman’s perspective and then had help from some pretty knowledgeable people on what immortals liked. I had an entire team of dancers specializing in pleasure, and I’d reinforced the plan to shed all inhibitions and let my inner deviant out to play tonight.

I showered quickly, putting my hair into one thick braid that Lucian preferred during our sessions, controlling me inside our bedroom. Sitting in front of the vanity, I slid the thigh-high stockings up my legs, smiling at how they looked with the skull lace tops. Standing, I fixed the layers of lace that crisscrossed over my lower back and hips. The panties I pulled on over my hose were midnight colored, with muted colored skulls on the satin.

My heels were four-inch platforms, making my legs look longer and me taller. I’d need it tonight more than I would have if I’d been sitting on the sidelines, watching. Slipping my dress on, I smirked impishly. I adjusted the top that was all lace, minus the space over both nipples, which had a delicate pattern. Pulling the ruffled skirt down over my rear, I spun around to take in my reflection before adding makeup.

It was a daring outfit, but I’d promised Lucian I’d shed the human part of myself tonight while maintaining the image of still being one. He was pushing me to be a part of his world, and I wanted it with everything within me. I desired to fit in somewhere, and I no longer felt at home here.

I felt needed with Lucian—wanted.

He gave me a blanket of protection that I hadn’t realized was missing until he’d wrapped me up in it. The man was an enigma, or more to the point, he wasn’t even a man. I still could hardly whisper what he was inside my head without shuddering. How many women could say they belonged to something like him, like one hundred percent belonged to him, heart and soul?

We’d created life together; even though we’d lost it, it was ours. We’d made a being, and he’d been such a beautiful thing. My heart clenched, forcing me to dismiss the direction my thoughts were heading before I went too deeply into the depression that came with those memories.

Tonight was about discarding that part of me and taking control of who I had become. I’d become his monster, sleeping with the biggest and baddest being in the universe, and I’d played with his monster too and won. I was Lena freaking Fitzgerald, daughter of the witches this world failed to burn, who were admittedly all dead, minus a few. Frowning, I released the air in my lungs as the thought deflated my ego.

Peering into the mirror, I noticed my blackened eyes, and my spine itched at the reminder of what I was now. I wasn’t a witch any longer. I was a fury, protector to gates and worlds. I was a mythical creature created by a Prince of Hell. I couldn’t afford to look weak anymore or allow anyone to sense weakness within me. They wouldn’t hesitate to use those things against us.

My eyes flicked to the clock before I grabbed the bracelet with the tracker embedded into the trinket, slipping it on as I exited the room. Devlin leaned against the far wall, smiling at me as his soft whiskey gaze slid over my outfit. He snorted, shaking his head while Bane grunted his agreement.

“Poor prick,” Bane stated, unfolding his massive frame to push off the wall.

“Poor us,” Layton argued, his sparkling eyes filling with laughter. “Damn, woman. You plan to start a riot in the club with that get-up?”

“He stuck you guys on babysitting duty, didn’t he?” I exhaled, shaking my head while mentally starting a list of things that could go wrong with Lucian’s men encircling me all night. “Remember, tonight is important to me, too. I am proving my place here among you.”

“Your place is on his dick, and it’s secured. He adores you, little fury.” Devlin stepped closer, holding his elbow out for me to take. “We’re only escorting you to the lower level. You’re on your own once we get inside. Lucian vetted that guest list harder than he’s ever scoured through one before. He only invited trusted clientele and acquaintances to that level of the club tonight.”