Page 98 of Mate of a Monster

“You should,” he whispers.

The doors burst open in the next breath. His brothers storm in, accompanied by the mage who I’m told started all this shit.

My eyes narrow on the old hag. She tips her head, brows raising expectantly.

But for what?

“Permission, Hellpet.”

Fear grips me from the inside, the bond controlling my emotions, afraid I’ll lose him all over again. But according to Creed, we can’t break the false bond without the one who helped create it.

I give a curt nod, and the mage doesn’t wait for me to change my mind.

Her hands shoot out, whispers chanting from her lips.

Legend spreads his arms out, clearly knowing—and accepting—what’s about to happen. His shoulders shudder as the spell begins its work. The magic flickering across his skin surges once, twice, then it explodes around us with a sharp shriek that has everyone covering their ears. Everyone but me.

I want to feel this.

I need to.

Legend’s eyes roll back as he falls, head striking the floor with a thud that turns my stomach. I don’t allow myself to drop beside him the way every bone in my body demands.

A moment later, the mage lowers her arms.

I step forward and nudge Legend’s chest with the toe of my boot. He rolls onto his side, unconscious, lashes dark against his cheek, and mouth parted slightly. The magic around him trembles faintly, the bond trying to reach for me even while his mind is gone.

My jaw tightens. “It’s done?”

“The forbidden bond is broken; the young king is free.”

“Perform something like this again,” I begin absentmindedly, still focused on Legend’s figure, “on anyone, anywhere, and I will tear your eyes out. Then, I’ll cut your chest open and eat your heart one tiny rotten bite at a time. I don’t care if a God asks you themselves. It will be the last thing you ever do.”

She doesn’t flinch, nodding once before lifting her chin. “An order given by a Drakaryth is one I am bound to follow.”

My brows knit. How does she know that when I only just found out?

Whatever. I don’t fuckin’ care.

Knight wastes no time in dragging her out and tossing her from the room.

“Haide,” London whispers, but I can’t do this right now.

I turn away; each step I take is harder than the last, as if my heart itself is being pulled back.

Fate wants me to cry, but I refuse to do that here.

“He will wake, Hellpet,” the Nightkin warns. “And when he does, he will come for you, full force.”

“Good. I’m overdue for a good kill.”

Chapter Twenty

Legend

I wake with a jolt, throat clenched tight like phantom hands are locked around it.

Air slams into my lungs in a violent rush, and I jerk upright. The stone beneath my palms is cold and solid and real. For a moment, I don’t remember why I’m here. Why my cheek aches. Why my insides feel like they’ve been liquified.