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

Ristan paused at the foot of the stairs, looking toward the guild library. No one spoke, and the sadness that filled the air was thick enough to make you choke. He stepped back without warning, and Synthia reached for his arm, preventing him from escaping.

“Too many fucking ghosts down here, Flower,” Ristan uttered softly, his voice cracking. “I’ll go help above. I can’t be down here right now.”

“I understand,” she replied, nodding her head. “I’m sure they can use some assistance, or will once we figure out what we’re dealing with down here.”

He vanished from sight, and a silent look passed between Synthia and Ryder while Zahruk replaced Ristan in the lead. Swords with jagged edges covered the blades he held, pulsing with power, causing the furies within me to acknowledge them. They hummed like they were singing a song that tethered a thread inside of me.

Zahruk’s head tilted slightly left, and his gaze narrowed on me as if he sensed my interest. When he moved closer, his mouth opened, and a shrill scream erupted from his throat. Lucian stepped next to me, awarding Zahruk with a warning glare. He shook his light brown hair, dispelling whatever the hell had just come over him.

Zahruk opened his mouth to speak again, but something else answered him. The sound was like nails over a chalkboard and grating enough to make ears actually bleed. Several more shrilling cries filled the lower level, coming from multiple directions.

“That’s not a good sign.” I slid my gaze over the furthest corners of the library. “We’re being watched.”

“Obviously,” Spyder chuckled. “I think we need to work on your skills, Kitty. We’ve been under surveillance since the moment we entered this building.”

“I’m new at this shit, asshole,” I shot back, searching for whatever was observing us.

We started forward to the source of the erratic heartbeats, each one of us hugging the shelves while we moved through the darkness. The fluorescent lights buzzed, making so much noise that it sounded like we were in the midst of filming some low-budget horror show from the eighties.

I followed behind the others, peeking between shelves until something caught my attention on the floor. Swallowing down the fear etching up through my system, I grabbed Lucian’s arm, stopping him from following everyone else.

There was a winged beast in the middle of the aisle, watching us through dark obsidian eyes. The immense creature was kneeling, shoulders hunched as its wings slowly rose, aiming toward us where we stood motionless, staring it down. Its mouth opened, releasing a scream that had me clapping my hands over my ears. Then, just as quickly as it started, it ended. The aisle was vacant. The winged creature had vanished, and we looked around frantically, trying to find it again.

“Where the fuck did it go?” I asked, directing the question at everyone.

Spinning in a tight circle, I gasped as the lights extinguished, bathing the room in darkness. I grabbed onto Lucian, turning to where I felt shadows wrapping around me as the screaming from the other room turned to a slurping noise.

I closed my eyes, allowing the furies to fix my sight, knowing when I opened them, I’d be able to see again.

We entered the chamber off of the library and paused.

“Holy shit,” Synthia whispered, echoing my thoughts.

In the far corner were more winged creatures that spun on us, abandoning the women on the floor who stared sightlessly at the ceiling. They looked just like the one we’d seen in the other room. Their huge silver wings expanded with claw-like tips, and dark glyphs painted their flesh, pulsing as if alive.

“Oh my gods,” I whispered as the middle one moved closer to us.

The creature slithered toward us, its gaze holding mine as it opened its mouth, hissing. Tears burned my eyes as I shook my head. He hadn’t wanted to be immortal. Alden had chosen his path and planned to die as a mortal, yet here he was, a full Unseelie prince with wings and all.

“How the hell did this happen?” Synthia whispered, her words coming out choked as she spoke them.

“Why is he not like Zahruk?” Erie asked, turning her gaze toward Zahruk, who shrugged.

Ryder grunted, pushing his fingers through his dark hair, shaking his head. “Zahruk is fae already. Alden was human. They’re not the same species. Humans that change—they have to go through the transformations that the breed suffers. My guess is, Alden is in transition. It seems that the Unseelie prison claimed him as one of their princes.”

Alden looked majestic. His salt and pepper hair was thicker, darker. Light gray eyes switched from blue to obsidian sheen as he studied us. His brands were silver and black, and his large wings appeared soft and beautiful. His mouthful of serrated teeth, on the other hand, didn’t look gentle in the least.

The other creatures beside Alden turned their heads, listening to something. Ryder’s eyes swung to the doorway. Before anyone could prevent it, the newly created Unseelie shot toward us as Ryder swore vehemently. Just as they would have slammed directly into us, all the Unseelie vanished.

“Jesus, fuck!” I shouted, shock and adrenaline flowing through me.

“Where the hell did they just go?” Synthia demanded, rushing into the vacant library.

“Someone called them, and they chose to answer that call,” Ryder informed coolly. “They’ve decided on a king, or they’ve chosen to serve the existing one. Only a king can summon princes.”