Page 109 of Mate of a Monster

But then ever so slowly, heat builds beneath my ribs, spreading outward in waves that roll through my veins. I close my eyes, allowing the small smile that tugs at my lips free.

He’s still here.

My temples throb, the gems flaring, burning hot against my skin. The atmosphere shifts as magic thickens the room.

Power coils upward from my chest, and I lift my gaze to Legend as it rises.

Dark smoke swirls around me, my eyes turning heavy, exposing the age of the magic that resides inside my soul, right where the bond lives.

Legend stills, eyes wide as he watches his Ethos rise to the surface. I feel the moment my eyes change, and his take their place. The beast’s red, unmistakably demonic eyes meeting the man he was created for, the man he belongs to above all else for the very first time.

A kinship of sorts blooms deep within my marrow as recognition roots itself into the man across from me, stealing his breath and bringing a glossy sheen to his big, blue eyes. And in turn my own. I can’t help but feel like I’m witnessing something that should be private, unease clawing at my throat, soothed only by the knowledge that I am giving him something he has clearly been waiting for his whole life.

Proof, that he’s as royal as his name declares him.

Certainty, in case there was even the smallest of doubt, that he has a fated mate and I am it. Our bond giving life to the very beast he’s staring back at.

“What the fuck?” he breathes.

The Nightkin retreats into my chest like smoke being sucked back into a bottle. Every face in the room goes slack with shock.

Legend is silent, staring at me with every emotion in the book written across his face.

It’s too heavy, so I look away, and the beast vibrates in my chest in response, soothing me from the inside out.

“Well,” Sinner drawls, effectively lightening the mood of the room. He leans against the doorframe with that cocky smirk of his. “That was thoroughly fucking terrifying. All hail the Dragon Queen, I suppose.”

“Shut up,” Creed snaps, but his voice is distant, distracted. His eyes go unfocused for a heartbeat, like he’s listening to something the rest of us can’t hear. When they clear, his face has gone pale. “Shit. We have a problem.”

“What now?” Knight demands.

“Arabella’s escaped.” Creed’s hands rake through his hair. “And Valeryth’s ancient wards have been activated. The entire realm is sealed behind a wall of dark water.”

My stomach drops. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means,” Creed continues, his voice tight, “that no one gets in or out. Innocent or guilty. The old magic that built those barriers hasn’t been touched in centuries. We don’t even know who activated them.”

I surge to my feet, my chair scraping against stone. “So, fix it and figure it out.”

“It’s not that simple, Haide. Those wards were designed to protect, and someone has turned them into a weapon. We don’t know if that weapon will detonate if we try to penetrate it and if that happens…”

I sigh, shaking my head. “Boom goes Argent land and all the Argent there with it.”

Creed pinches the bridge of his nose. “And everyone will assume we’re the ones who made the move.”

“Yeah. That’s a fucking mess and a half.” I look to Zev. “We should get some more hours in the training center. See if we can work any magic out of you.”

“He has it.” Silver pipes up for the first time, attention sliding over Zev with a little more than innocent interest. Hmmm. “I felt it when I healed him.”

“Ah, so it was you.” Zev’s lips tip up in a smirk. “I was wondering who left that scent behind, keeping me awake at night.”

Silver’s eyes narrow into a sharp glare, but the color they change gives him away. Double fucking hmmm.

Legend’s laugh is dark. “Speaking of scents. Care to fucking explain why”—he moves forward until he’s right in front of me, taking up space I didn’t give him—“the fuck I can smell him on you, little mate?”

I go to step away, but he catches my wrist, and the bond fucking purrs.

“You don’t get to call me that.” I yank my wrist free. “You lost that right when you chose her.”