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

Watching people die a slow, painful death wasn’t pleasant for those who didn’t age. I’d watched countless others die of old age, rotting from the inside out. Complicating matters, I’d cursed her line long ago. They were all born cursed, and they’d died that way, too.

The curse made it easier for me to find them and their coven when they were reborn. However, this time there wouldn’t be a rebirth because their death was final because of Lena’s action and becoming immortal.

I’d ensured that her family had a quick and painless death by allowing demons to consume their souls. They had felt nothing from the moment the demons inhabited their bodies. It had been simple and easy, providing the best possible outcome for them.

Death enjoyed giving pain when he and his reapers collected a soul owed to him. I’d prevented that, which was a miracle, considering everything happening at that time. That was my kindness, and she’d forgive me, eventually. She had to. We had a child together who waited for us to return to him.

Reaching into my pocket, I turned the knob on the toy, imagining her squirming in my bed. My dick twitched, excited about how ready and needy she’d be when I returned. Lena was wild when she was pissed off, and it made her unpredictable. I smiled, lifting my attention back to Spyder as I pushed the small remote back in my pocket.

“Tell me, brother. Is she on your bed crying out your name in anger or pleasure?” Spyder asked, steepling his fingers in front of his mouth.

“Both. I don’t half-ass anything with Lena. What did you discover at the address I sent you to check out?” I inquired, changing the subject.

“Exactly what you thought it was. The Unseelie prison is contaminating this world and remaking what it was missing. My guess, Faery claimed Asher for the light heir, and in doing so, the balance between dark and light fae became too unbalanced. Faery does not know what the darker portion of its world is creating. Ryder sent word that Zahruk is having issues, having sprouted huge black wings seemingly overnight.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “He’s the new King of the Horde, so wings aren’t unexpected.”

“I thought that, too, but they’re not like Ryder’s. He is worried about his brother because those wings look more Unseelie than that of the horde. Zahruk touched that shit inside the alley, which means that Faery may have claimed him to become an Unseelie prince. Interesting fact? Lena held hands with Zahruk and had that substance on her as well.”

“That’s a fucking problem,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes on Spyder as I exhaled. “Why would she touch him?”

“Stop being a jealous asshole. Zahruk helped Lena off the ground, where they’d been knocked back. Alden was there too, but he hasn’t shown signs of being affected by the substance. The Guild has gone on lockdown, but the word from inside the guild is that shit is going wrong. I sent Devlin in to see what he could discover, but they’re locked in the shelter. My fear is this. With only a few of the original Unseelie and Seelie free and accepted by the fae, is Faery creating more to replace the ones that it lost? Or are there other beings that escaped when Synthia freed Malachi, producing an army of new fae princes?”

“Bloody hell, that would be a fucking mess.” I exhaled, lifting my glass to my lips, downing the whiskey.

“Exactly.” Spyder sat back in the chair, shaking his head. “I’ve already sent word to Ryder and Syn, explaining the situation. I’m guessing that when Synthia opened the gates to that prison, the Seelie weren’t down there alone. Each world within Faery has to have a balance, just like every world outside of it. If I’m the other caste of fae inside that prison, and I’m pissed off, I want revenge for being left behind. Only I don’t have anyone remaining to direct that anger at, so I aim it at the only thing left.”

“Danu’s daughter,” I snorted, leaning against the desk, watching the shadows that twisted around Spyder. “And she’s untouchable with Ryder at her side.”

“So if you can’t get to her, who do you go after?” he countered, smirking.

“You take her most prized possession,” I answered offhandedly, hating the pathetic games that creatures played. I reached into my pocket, turning the device up to max, peering at the clock. “That’s only if there were Unseelie still alive within the prison when it was opened. A newly born prince wouldn’t be upset enough to walk into the palace and capture the princess. He wouldn’t have the balls to do it, taunting them after the fact. That would suggest that Kahleena is being held inside the Unseelie prison, and something as old as Ryder himself has his daughter.”

“Who is still young and naïve and shouldn’t even be out of diapers yet, technically.”

“You saw her, asshole. She’s beautiful and all woman. She aged within the City of the Gods. She’s not a child, and he won’t treat her as such.”

“Ryder and Synthia are going to murder whoever took her,” Spyder chuckled.

“If they find him,” I returned before peeking back at the clock.

Lena had been in my bed for five hours, unable to remove the device I’d pushed into her tight channel. I needed her to know she couldn’t escape me. The idea of her leaving and ending up in Lucifer’s hands made my stomach churn. I knew what he would do to her. He was a selfish prick, and he would punish her. The last woman he’d reprimanded spent days on a stage, being tortured by demons until she’d finally succumbed to the wounds they’d inflicted.