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

“A case of mistaken identity,” Vlad growled, turning away from us before bottles began exploding behind the bar.

We ducked beneath the counter, staring at one another silently. Slowly, we peeked over the counter to find Vlad staring at us, with the bottles still in place and perfectly fine. Peering down, I eyed a piece of glass that sat on the floor, missed.

“It’s safe, Lena,” Vlad grumbled, returning to wiping down the wooden bar top. “Erie, I wouldn’t be too upset if you placed wards tonight. There’s an abundance of demons fucking up shit outside, and I don’t fancy dealing with them tonight.”

“On it,” she chirped, jumping off the stool and walking to the walls.

I studied Vlad, hating that he was suffering. Obviously, he didn’t plan to elaborate or speak about what just happened. Instead, we sat silently until he pushed a glass toward me, smiling while leaning closer to where I sat.

“What other problems are going on in that pretty head of yours, Lena?” he asked softly, his eerie stare holding mine captive.

I could hear the slurping of blood, the click of fangs, and the pounding of heartbeats coming from within him. Vlad was a problem solver, one who spent most of his time tending bar inside his establishment. He didn’t need to, but I was guessing he did it because it was one hell of a way to gather information on the pulse in the city.

“I feel like I am standing in quicksand. Like the foundation I once stood upon, is crumbling and everything is shaky. I love Lucian. I love him with every part of my being, but he doesn’t tell me how he feels. I don’t know where I stand with him or if I have a place inside his world once this shit with the Hell Gates and Lucifer has ended. I don’t have a game plan for once in my life, and I don’t know what to do.”

“You think Lucian will ever allow you to leave him? When you died, he was helpless for the first time in his entire existence to do anything to save you. That shit does things to a person. He has never faced that type of situation before. Lucian’s never lost control until you. My guess is, you scare him. You’re a weakness his enemies can use against him. Ryder was like that at first, with Synthia. She terrified him. He fell hopelessly in love with her amidst a war, and he feared they would use her against him. She was the one thing he couldn’t live without.”

“Yeah, but its Lucian we’re talking about, Vlad. What could he possibly fear? I am immortal. I already died, and I came back. I don’t need him to tell me he loves me. I just need to hear that I’m more than something he owns or that I am simply his property.”

Vlad snorted, nodding at my wrist. “Do you know what that says?” he asked.

“No,” I admitted. “Lucian placed these words on me tonight in front of the immortals within the lower level.”

“Ask him what it means, Lena. Ask him to explain the meaning in detail and allow him the opportunity to show you who you’re ending up with before you do anything stupid.”

“Like leave after I promised I wouldn’t?” I asked, watching his eyes sliding over my head.

“He left you in the hands of someone capable of protecting you. He had to know there was a strong possibility that Erie would make an escape with you in tow, given half the chance,” he chuckled.

Power rippled through the club, and a shiver rushed down my spine. Erie laughed, clapping beside me while returning to her chair.

“Fred! You didn’t die. Did you miss me?” she asked, which was followed by a masculine baritone that made the furies within me shriek or something. They were making noises I’d never heard them ever make before.

“No, I didn’t miss you at all,” the male grunted. “I did have the most amazing dream. You were disemboweled and torn apart by rabid hellhounds. Pity I woke from it to discover you still breathed the same air as me. I’m going to have to talk to that male you’re bumping pelvises with and give him some pointers on how to end you.”

I turned, staring into startling blue eyes that skimmed over me before coming back abruptly. The male wore a suit, the white cuffs standing out against his olive-colored skin. He had black hair that looked as if it had blue highlights in the dimly lit club. A smile played on his lips while he studied me carefully.

“Hello, my darlings. What a pretty shell you’ve chosen this time,” he purred, which caused the furies to echo the sound, followed by something akin to sighs exploding from all three. His hand lifted, and Erie growled in warning.

Everything inside of me pulsed, and no matter how much I wanted to pull away from this man, I couldn’t. It was as if his touch controlled all of me, or more to the point, the furies. Lust ripped through me, and my body grew heated with need.

A soft moan mingled with a sob, which had my hackles rising, even though I still couldn’t pull myself from him. His gaze held me prisoner, while his touch turned me into someone else, something else. Fear ripped me apart, and the longer he touched me, the more I succumbed to his power.

“Get your hands off of her, Fred. She’s off-limits,” Erie warned with a tone I’d never heard her use before.

“Of course, she is,” Fred chuckled. “She belongs to me and only me now. I created the furies, and whoever they inhabit becomes mine. I dare anyone to intervene against me.”

“Challenge accepted, asshole.” Lucian’s voice exploded into the room as something wet and warm splattered against my face.