“Get lost,” I call out as softly as possible, flicking my hand at them to leave. “Go away!”
They freeze and just stare at me with empty, dead eyes. Who were these three in their previous lives? Humans? Wolf members?
My men stand on either side of me as the Shadow Monsters slowly turn around and start trekking back down the mountain.
I’m gobsmacked, completely and utterly convinced that didn’t just happen.
“Are you kidding? Did they just listen to your command like you’re their queen?” Lucien gasps.
“I-I t-think so! No, this can’t be right. How?”
“You’ve become the Zombie Queen,” Bardhyl says almost in awe, like he’s proud for me to carry such a title.
I cut him a sharp glare. “Don’t even joke about that. Seriously, that is not a thing, right?”
“We need to keep moving,” Lucien says, taking my hand to join him, but my gaze remains locked on the three Shadow Monsters lurching away from us at my command.
This must be a mistake, a coincidence because they must have smelled blood somewhere close.
My stomach rolls in on itself, and I can’t even convince myself I commanded the Shadow Monsters.
And Bardhyl’s words float over my thoughts, refusing to leave me.
Zombie Queen.
That’s ridiculous. There’s no such thing.
Chapter 8
Meira
We stumble into the cave at the top of the hill, the trees behind us swishing, and coupled with the drumming rain, I can barely hear myself think. So I step deeper inside, scanning the enclosure for Jae.
Lucien and Bardhyl stand alongside me, dripping, their bodies almost blocking out all the light from outside. I move to allow a little illumination to spill into the cave.
Rain drips down my body, leaving small puddles around my feet, and unease settles in my gut.
“Jae!” I call out, even if the cave is small enough that she can’t be hiding anywhere. All I see is the burned-out fire, a small pile of blankets and clothes in the back, and an old glass bottle. She left… again, and I want to scream at her for not waiting for us. Why would she go out in the rain?
“She’s long gone.” Bardhyl states the obvious as he studies the fire. But it’s not him I’m angry at… Maybe anger is the wrong word here. I’m disappointed with Jae.
That’s what floods my veins. I want to protect and help her. I know how hard it is to live alone in the woods. And she doesn’t even have the immunity against the Shadow Monsters like I do.
I look over my shoulder to the heightening storm, the spray of water coming in and coating my face.
“You’re not going out there to search for your friend,” Lucien says, like he can read my mind. Though he’s right, and I tense at the realization. All I can think about is rushing out there to find her.
Foolish. She could be miles away, and I have no clue which direction she headed. I can hazard a guess, but what about Dušan? I won’t abandon him, distracted by something else.
He is what matters right now, his survival, or I may lose him forever.
I sigh and turn away from the entrance, moving deeper into the cave. I ignore my churning gut and decide that I will search for Jae once we rescue Dušan.
“Fire, shelter, and food,” Lucien says, dumping his bag on the stone floor at his feet. “We have it all, so we need to prepare and find something to block out some of the cold wind coming in during the night.” He and Bardhyl get to working on the fire first.
I march to the rear of the cave and paw through the clothes. We’re soaked to the bone and something dry and warm would be perfect. I also grab all the blankets I find, then begin laying them behind the kindled fire. Bardhyl finds broken tree branches in the cave that just keeps on giving and throws them onto the blaze.
I finish laying the third, large blanket over the other two for as much insulation as possible from the freezing stone floor. There should be another blanket in Lucien’s bag, and I have every intention of snuggling up to the men to steal their warmth tonight.
“What’s our plan for rescuing Dušan?” I ask, though I keep speaking, not giving them a chance to respond. “Do we break in at night and go search for him in the dungeon?”
“Something like that,” Lucien answers, while Bardhyl focuses on stacking more wood on the fire.
I blink, staring at both men, knowing them well enough to understand when they are placating me. They never accept things so cavalierly. “I hope you’re not thinking of ditching me and going back on your own?”
They both raise their gazes toward me, revealing their true intentions.
Bastards.
“We are not splitting up. I almost lost you once—not again. I’m tired of being alone and losing everyone I care for. I won’t let you do that to me.” I don’t even know where this came from, but something stings in my chest at how fast I get worked up.
Bardhyl closes the distance between us in two long strides, lays his hand on my cheek, and lifts my head to meet his gaze—beautiful green eyes that appear paler tonight. “We will fight to escape hell itself if it means coming back to you, but we are petrified of something happening to you. Can you understand why we make the decisions we do?”
He leans in closer and whispers, “Losing you will destroy me. And being away from you is the hardest thing. But we won’t put you in danger.” His lips brush against mine, stealing my chance to respond.
I ought to push him away, but instead, I melt against him, cupping his face, and kiss him back. Since Mad attacked us, it’s been a relentless rush to escape, to find my men, to survive. Now, I let myself slow down and pitch closer, our bodies pressed together, our clothes soggy. I don’t care about anything but being with Bardhyl and Lucien. I’ve missed them terribly.
My other man clears his throat near the fire and we pull apart, then glance at Lucien’s unimpressed expression. “While I’d love to join you two, we should find a way to block out some of the wind from the entrance. The cold spilling in here is hellish. Then Meira won’t be so cold when we strip her down.” He raises his eyebrows in my direction and gives me a small nod to indicate it’s happening. His gaze sweeps over me and pauses on my lips before rising back up to my eyes.
The mischief in his gaze is ravenous, and how can I feel anything but pure rapture when a gorgeous man says such things? I lick my lips, swallowing the lump in my throat.
Bardhyl looks at me, nodding. “Be back soon, beautiful.”
Then he whips around and heads right out of the cave with Lucien, both turning left where there had been a cluster of trees, with large branch potential for covering the entrance.
A coldness sweeps inside, sending the fire into a wild flicker, while my skin shivers. I’m soaking wet and I need to get changed before I die from the cold.
Rushing over to the pile of clothes Jae had left in the cave, I grab a small pair of black leggings that have a hole across the knee, and a baggy sweatshirt, both too small to fit the guys. Quickly, I peel my shirt off, the fabric stuck to my skin, so I wrench it off me. The wind coming from behind me sweeps over my bare back, and I tremble. Damn, it’s icy to the touch and my teeth are chattering. Just as fast, I pull down my pants, dropping them in a wet mess with my top.