“Human,” Locke finished for her, and there was something in his eyes as he said it. It wasn’t concern. No, it was awe.
I could understand the feeling. From the moment my mother started to lose her demon mind, I had wished to be human again. And now here I was, without the features that marked me as a creature of my kind. My arms were no longer shaking, but I didn’t have my usual strength. My body felt feeble and pathetic without my monster strength, but the widest grin split my face. I peered behind me again. “Fuck, you could damn near finger my ass through that hole in my pants,” I joked.
Raine snorted with laughter, and Darian pressed his lips tightly together to suppress his smile.
Kade strode over to Raine and began looking over her body. “How are you feeling?”
She shrugged. “I don’t feel that different but maybe…empty somehow. It’s hard to explain. The pain in my ankle has lessened though.”
“The fae said the effects of the insects’ venom lasts around three days for a fae who’s been stung once. If we’re to assume we react in the same way, that means we’ll be humans for days,” Darian pointed out. “And Raine and I will be without our magic for even longer than the rest of you.”
Kade looked as though he was trying to shift again, and he cursed when nothing happened. “So what do we do now?”
I was glad he asked the question because I was wondering the same thing. I wasn’t looking forward to trekking through a fae forest with my ass on display. I’d already been stung on one ass cheek, and that was through my pants.
Locke’s face was cold again, his expression unreadable as he said, “We’ll rest here for a while, then we’ll head out. We can’t afford to stop for long. Prince Azaren said the dazra won’t attack if we don’t give them eye contact. We’ll have to hope they’ve moved away and don’t spot us, but if they do, we’ll avoid staring them in the eye.”
CHAPTER 6
~ Raine ~
The five of us stood around awkwardly, still reeling from the fact that the dazra had nullified our powers and abilities, and the males around me weren’t…monsters anymore. Well, for a short while, at least. It was hard to wrap my head around. Then again, the wordmonsterdidn’t seem to have the same meaning to me as it once had.
It was odd seeing Asher standing there without horns or his long tail that usually flicked around in the air while he talked, and it was only then that I realized how comfortable I’d become with his appearance. When I’d first met the demon, his horns and tail along with his thick, muscular body and vivid violet eyes had made him appear menacing, but at some point, they’d just become parts of the kindhearted, mischievous male I’d come to enjoy spending time with.
Kade and Darian appeared mostly the same in their human forms, though the colors of their eyes were duller than usual. Locke lingered in the cave, and it was the first time I’d seen him look so unsure of himself. Instead of the confidence and arrogance I’d grown accustomed to with the vampire, there was a fragility about him that made me pause. The urge to go to him pulled at my insides, but when I took a step in his direction, he spun on his heels and disappeared through a tunnel opening at the back of the cave.
Darian moved up beside me, stopping me from going after him. “Let him have a moment to himself. This is…a lot for all of us.”
I stared after the vampire. “But he doesn’t even know what’s in there.”
“Locke might no longer be a vampire, but that doesn’t mean he’s defenseless. I’m sure he’ll signal for us if he needs assistance,” Darian reassured me. “Don’t worry. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”
Right, unless he’s been eaten by a fae cave beast,I wanted to say, but I didn’t. If Locke wanted space, I’d give it to him.
Kade and Asher had moved to relax at a drier spot at the back of the cave, and I followed Darian over to them, dropping down onto the stone, the four of us forming an uneven circle. No one spoke as we sat there, and my mind wandered to how the dazra’s venom had affected me. Mostly, I felt the same, except I had this nagging feeling that I was missing something. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus and find the spark of energy that burned somewhere inside me, but after searching for some time without result, I snapped my eyes open. There was…nothing. Just emptiness and a feeling like there was something I’d forgotten, but I couldn’t quite place what it was.
Darian had been singing for the past few minutes, and I turned to him, quickly enraptured by the soulful tune he sang. The lyrics spoke of a male who followed his lover to the afterlife, but while the words were sorrowful, the melody was lovely. When the cave was silent again, I smiled softly. “That was beautiful.”
Darian lifted my hand and kissed it. “While I lament the loss of my power, it is also freeing to be without it,” he said thoughtfully. “Even when I wasn’t directing my magic at anyone, when I sang, traces of my power would often seep out and affect those around me. To be able to make music without restraint is…a gift.”
A gift?I stared at Darian and found myself wondering what his life must have been like.
“I don’t see what the fuss is ’bout these books,” Asher said, shattering the moment as he slid one of the fae books in front of him and began flipping through the pages. Turning my thoughts from Darian, I leaned over to see Asher was holding another tale written by Sharou Zanae. Who was this author, and were they still alive somewhere in the fae realm?
“Perhaps they have great sentimental value?” Darian suggested as he stifled a yawn.
Kade’s jaw clenched. “I don’t care to learn about the intentions of the fae.”
Ignoring the question, I kept my eyes fixed on the book. A beautiful illustration of a yellow sun surrounded by wispy clouds opened up on the next page, and I shuffled closer to Asher, keen to see more. Like the other book I’d read, the story was written in a strange language, but a translation had been handwritten at the bottom of the page in a script I could understand. Annoyingly, before I could read the last word, Asher went to turn the page. As he did so, he accidentally slid his finger along the page’s edge. “Fuck,” he cursed under his breath, yanking his hand away.
“That’s what you get for trying to turn the page before I’m done,” I quipped at him.
Lifting his finger, Asher stared at the small line of black blood that had begun to well from the cut. Slowly, the droplet of blood grew larger, the wound not healing over. He stuffed his finger into his mouth, sucking away the blood, and used his other hand to turn the page.
I stared at him in disbelief. “Seriously, you were nearly burned to death, but you’re worried about a paper cut?”
“It’s worse than it looks,” he defended. “Everythin’ feels different. Like my whole body is more sensitive. I swear that cut was almost as painful as when you stabbed me in the shoulder. Besides, somethin’ tells me the prince wouldn’t be too impressed if I got blood on his book.”
