Page 101 of Mate of a Monster

“Legend, you were dying.” Knight’s eyes flash. “Every day she was here, it got worse. You got worse and she grew stronger. What were we supposed to do?! We just lost our father. We were not going to lose you too! We did it for you.”

“Is that what you tell yourself?” I step closer. “That forcing me to let go of the only person who has ever made me feel alive was for my sake?”

“We thought she was sucking the life out of you!”

“And I told you she was my fucking air!” I scream back, voice nearly cracking. “You should have trusted me the way I trusted you when London came along.”

Knight looks away, tension lining his features. “We did what we thought we had to do to save you,” he repeats, though without the same heat.

My fingers dig into the wall, chipping the stone. “You hurt her.”

“I fucking—”

My fist lands before the thought finishes. Cartilage crunches under my knuckles, the shock riding my arm to the shoulder. Knight’s head whips sideways, spit flying, yet he’s already moving, shoulder drilling my gut, driving me spine-first into cold stone.

Air leaves my lungs in a rush.

I barely feel it.

We crash into the table, chairs scattering, wood splitting apart beneath us.

“Enough!”

Sinner hauls us apart, grip iron-tight for someone who usually plays the fool. He shoves Knight backward and plants himself between us, palms raised, expression sharp.

“Whatever you’re feeling right now?” He begins, voice stripped of its usual drawl. “Save it. Both of you.”

Knight spits blood onto the stone floor. “He needed to hear it.”

“He needed to hit something, and you volunteered.” Sinner doesn’t look away from me. “I get it. The bond’s fucking with your head. Everything feels like too much and not enough at the same time. But if you two kill each other, I ain’t about to be left fathering both your fucking mates because you couldn’t pull your shit back in.”

“He has no right to be angry,” I snap.

Sinner rolls his eyes. “He’s angry at himself for interfering with your bond when he knows firsthand how fucking important it is.”

Knight heaves a humorless laugh.

Blood drips from my split lip, but the sting is nothing compared to the bond that keeps pulling even as I try to catch my breath. I need to find her.

But there’s one more royal who needs to bleed first.

“Where is he?” My voice is rough between breaths. “Where’s Creed?”

Neither answer.

But the fucking pity is practically dripping off their face.

“Where.” A step. “Is he?” I repeat, slower this time.

Knight finally meets my eyes, the fight leaving him. Neither of us are too keen on leaving London and Haide to be handled by Sinner, or vice versa.

“He’s with her.”

…

Haide

Creed is upset. No, more than upset, I’m pretty sure he’s crying.