Page 5 of Mate of a Monster

What…

The demon growls, low and guttural, as if the cavern itself has insulted him.

The thorns unbraid from their columns and come for me in a wave, weaving and threading around my wrists, ankles, and waist, pulling me backward as I claw uselessly at them. They climb my ribs, lace across my throat, thread through my hair and tighten.

“Stop!” I demand, whether at him or at the island I don’t know, but the beast only presses the stone harder against my chest.

Heat spreads through my body, touching every place the vines do as they tighten, drawing me upright until I’m suspended in the air.

I can’t fucking breathe…

Thorns prickle over my flesh, suffocating any chance of my screams being heard as more vines wind around me, tighter and tighter, until nearly every inch of my skin is covered, leaving only my right eye visible.

The demon man tilts his head, watching me, the forbidden gem in his hand now pulsing from shining a light that seems to glow across my entire body.

Heat explodes through my veins and then everything goes black.

…

I fly up from—where the fuck am I?

“You still sleep like shit.”

I swing around, the heaviness leaving my chest the second my eyes land on him.

“Zev!” I scurry off the bed and bounce into his arms.

He catches me, stumbling backward. “Hey, Luda.”

I squeeze him so hard my arms shake. He smells like saltwater and iron, same as always, and the familiarity of it nearly breaks me. Zevryn. My best friend. My only friend, if I’m being honest with myself. Which I often try not to be.

“You’re crushing my ribs,” he wheezes.

“Good.” I don’t let go. “You deserve it.”

He laughs, low and rough, and wraps one arm around my back while the other hand cups the back of my head like I’m something worth protecting. I hate that it makes my throat tight. I pull back before the feeling can settle.

A steel mask covers his face, but I can still see a flash of that sharp jaw, a touch of that crooked nose from the three times I’ve broken it, and those dark eyes that never miss a damn thing.

“What happened to your face?” I trace the metal lines. Despite the fact that I’ve buried this fool more times than anyone else on this island, the thought of someone else hurting him is enough to send me over the edge.

And I’m close enough as it is.

His hand covers mine, thumb circling the base gently before lowering. “Aw, what? You had no problem with my face when your thighs were wrapped around it.”

I sigh. “Zev.” I get the jokes. I appreciate them even, especially right now. If the silence isn’t filled with something then all I’m left with is the memories of him.

And her.

And that night.

“It’s nothing.” He steps back and crosses his arms, scanning me the way he does before a fight. His grin fades. “You look like hell.”

“Charming.” I glance down at myself. My scorched tunic is gone. Someone changed me into a loose black shirt that falls to my thighs.

I freeze. Wait. What?

Memories slam into me. Ilse Kiss. A gem burning against my chest. Thorns crushing the air from my lungs.