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

“Hello?” I called, cupping my hands around my mouth to smirk at the loud echo that exploded through the world. “This is unreal,” I admitted, peering down the cliff I’d scaled moments ago. Frowning at the idea of climbing back down, I scanned the ground, learning it was some sort of rock pillar and not a cliff at all. Upon further inspection, I found a silver box sitting in the center.

“What is she doing now?” a disembodied feminine voice whispered.

“I can hear you. Show yourself,” I growled, searching the small area where I stood yet still appearing to be alone.

“Where is he? If she is here, how is he not with her? Did she come—alone?” a male asked, causing me to spin toward his voice.

“This isn’t funny. Show yourself, now,” I ordered, looking around.

“She cannot see us, right? We promised to remain out of sight. He would be so angry if we disobeyed his orders.” The woman sounded thoughtful, but there was actual fear in her voice.

“Either show yourself or get the hell away from me, now,” I seethed, unnerved at the idea of not being able to see a threat this close to me.

“Do you think she came for the babe?” the male asked his female companion.

“What babe? Is Makenna here? Please, she’s in danger.” My voice trembled, causing them to go silent.

“Apparently, she didn’t come for the babe,” the female announced. “We should go, Cain. If he discovers us here close to her, he will consume us again. We’ve seen her beauty and know what drew our king to our new queen. She’s exquisite and perfectly matched to him.”

“Indeed, so she is. Her eyes, though, they’re filled with pain. Can you see it? You would think she’d be more akin to the other’s taste. His shadows would devour her and deliver her from them with his power. I wonder why our king claimed her first since he vowed never again to fall for a mortal.”

“You are indulging in your fantasies again. The Shadow Lord will never cave to your lust, Cain. Really, these delusions you have of him, and your need to continue pandering to gossip is what landed you here in the first place.”

“I’m very aware of how I got here, Catlin,” the male said, both oblivious to my questions as their voices got further away from me by the moment.

Frowning, I turned to the silver box that looked large enough to stand inside. Moving closer, I ran my fingers over the outside, watching as glyphs ignited on the ground around it. Then, stepping into the box, I screamed as it dropped straight down without warning. It halted, and I tripped on my rush to get out of it, staring at it like it was possessed.

“Where the fuck am I?” I asked absently, standing to dust off my dress as I glanced toward the palace.

There was only one way to figure out where the hell I was, and it was by heading to the one place that was sure to have people that weren’t invisible. Walking down the hill, I paused at the entrance to the courtyard, waiting for someone, anyone, to appear and send my ass away or welcome me inside. Neither happened, which led to me to entering like some creep on my tiptoes.

Inside, I struggled to keep my jaw off the ground. There were statues and fountains everywhere I looked, and flowers blossomed as the scenery changed. The day became night, and snow fell from the sky. The gentle fragrance of night blooms and other nocturnal flowers filled the air. I strode toward a glowing bloom, lifting my fingers to brush them over the radiant petals.

Soft music began playing, forcing my attention on a statue that held a harp. I frowned, stepping closer, and saw the strings move with no one touching them. Beside the statue was a pool of gleaming water, and my mouth opened in awe and then snapped it shut. Peering into it, I noticed what looked to be souls swimming in the translucent depths.

Kneeling, I stared into the bottomless pool of souls, leaning forward and reaching out to dip my fingers into the water, but something touched my shoulder. Turning, I searched the vacant courtyard, slowly moving my gaze back to the souls. Finally, I reached into the pool, grabbing one of the wispy souls, and screamed as it burned me.

Cradling my hand against my chest, I stood and gazed around at the ethereal beauty of the place in which I’d found myself. Lucifer had to be fucking with me. He’d always been in the immediate vicinity when I’d arrived in whatever landscape he’d conjured.

He’d never actually put much effort into creating an illusion like this, though. The only place that had ever felt real was his castle, which had sent chills down my spine from the wailing I’d heard in the distance as I’d held Makenna.

Glancing at my fingers, I winced at the red, raw flesh resulting from touching the water. Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth, I looked at the huge, foreboding doors that sat atop an enormous obsidian staircase. Taking in my surroundings, I noted the blanket of snow covering the path into the courtyard and the gate that I hadn’t heard close behind me.

Unlike the other places I’d been to, this one wasn’t sending off warning bells. It felt—right. Good gods, I wasn’t ever going to admit that out loud and hear Lucifer bragging or using it against me when he sucked me into his realm.

Starting for the staircase, I listened to the whispering wings that grew harsher as I got closer. My bare feet moved slowly over the sheer, sleek obsidian stairs. I frowned when I looked down and saw a golden sheen left behind from my steps, like footprints following me. What the hell?