Land of Monsters (Savage Lands #8)

Chapter 1

Raven Haley Scarlet Dragen… I am the daughter of Queen Kennedy and Lorcan Dragen.”

I trudged through the snow, my breath resounding in my ears as the freezing night sheared my lungs. Deadweight dangled in my arms, my own energy hanging by a thread. It was her heartbeat, her warmth, that pushed me to keep going, to get us to safety.

Snapping my gaze from side to side, I tried to see through the encroaching darkness, plucking out the danger that could still be looming around, lying in wait for us.

Or maybe what I was carrying was the most dangerous thing of all.

“I’m a dark dweller… and a Druid. Not just a Druid but a natural obscurer.”

Alarm pricked up my neck at the rustling of brush behind me. I waited for men to step out of the forest, their bullets finding us in the night, the Russian Mafia coming to finish the job. Instead, a chilling chorus of howls from hungry wolves sang. Fear thumped a pulse in my neck. They could smell the blood covering us, wetting their palates.

Drained of magic, Raven curled into my chest. After her confession, whatever strength she had left gave out. Her system shut down and she fell to the rocky earth, her body going into healing mode. My body was close to blacking out, working hard to try and heal the bullet wound in my gut, but holding Raven ripped it open, causing fresh blood to trickle out, draining me of more energy than I was taking in from nature.

A low growl carried on the wind, chilling my blood and shoving out any thought except survival. I came to a stumbling stop, fear gripping my heart, when a deep snarl came from the darkness in front of us. More sounded from each side, the wolves circling their prey. In the dead of a cold, harsh winter, in an unforgiving land, food was scarce. And we were wounded and weak.

Over a dozen eyes reflected in the night, moving closer and closer. Various threatening sounds vibrated through the air, the wolves communicating with each other, ready for the alpha to give the attack call. Breath caught in my throat, my muscles locking as more of them inched closer. If I moved suddenly, they would strike.

Peering down at Raven’s pallid face, I swallowed back my trepidation. Black blood was dried under her eyes, nose, and mouth, making her appear more threatening than the things hunting us. Yet there was something delicate about her as well, so vulnerable, creating a frantic need to protect her. My gun was empty, my energy waning, but I would at least die trying to fight, trying to save her.

Going against my instincts, I slowly lowered her down onto the snow, my hand sliding back to the pickaxe on my backpack, anger curling my lips.

Twelve massive gray wolves surrounded us like a noose, teeth bared and snarling. When the Otherworld and Earth meshed, the magic had transformed native animals. It had made them bigger. Stronger.

And they were hungry.

Stepping over Raven, I spun around, trying to keep eyes on each of them, but there were too many to keep in my sight. My back was always turned to a few. The moment I turned to one side, leaving myself unguarded, I presented them with an opening.

A growl shuddered up the back of my neck as I veered around, swinging the pick, the tip colliding with the wolf’s paws. It tumbled back into the snow, a yip echoing in the air like a cry of war, summoning the troops.

They came at me with relentless precision, eager to take down their prey. Swinging the pick and scattering a few back, I kicked out, my boot cracking against a wolf’s ribs while two more leaped for me, their teeth bared, saliva dripping from their mouths.

My howl of pain rang out when incisors sank into my arm. Swinging my weapon again, I nicked the one digging into my arm, prying it from me like a crowbar.

My attention was contained to one, leaving me wide open to the rest. Teeth snapped down on my calf, pain exploding into my nerves as the alpha shook his head, tearing through the muscle. My leg gave out, my body dropping to the ground. Once I was down, I knew it was over.

Another one went for my side when I tried to push back up, sinking its mouth into the open wound in my gut. A cry ripped from my throat as I tried to shove it off, pain causing me to tumble fully to the ground. I was dead. It was only minutes before they would tear into me, feasting on my flesh.

Raven would die here too, her family never knowing what happened to her. She would never have a full life… all because she followed me.

Get up. Get up now! Protect her! my brain ordered. My head lifted, my eyes squinting through the flakes of snow, spotting her body barely inches from mine. “Raven…” Her name was a rough whisper.

A wolf darted in for her, nipping at her arm, investigating the life left under the skin.

“No!” My voice was hoarse. Digging my fingers into the ground, I crawled to her. “Stay away from her!” I tried to cover her with my body as another one moved in. A growl vibrated the ground. Wrapping around her as much as I could, I waited for the end. I no longer felt teeth sink into me, my mind numbing the pain.

The air crackled with another threatening snarl. It was so deep I felt it wrap around my spine, boring into my gut. It took me a moment to realize the vibration was coming from under me.

Raven shoved herself up, her throat rumbling with a deadly threat. Black fur pushed out from her skin, the structure of her face changing slightly, her teeth pointed daggers. Deep crimson eyes flamed through the darkness.

“No.” Raven’s growl danced over the snow, razors bursting from her vertebra, her claws sharpening.

The pack stopped, one of them whining as it sniffed the air, sensing the danger. A change in prey and hunter. The alpha pranced, looking like it wanted to move in again, but wary of her. It understood she was the true alpha here. The one they should fear.

“Mine!” A roar rattled the air like an earthquake, her body lunging forward, her clawed fingers swiping out, nicking the muzzle of one.

Yips squealed in the air, the pack baying as if they had all been wounded before retreating into the forest. Their cries continued as they fled, growing fainter in the distance.

Her back to me, Raven heaved a heavy breath, the dark dweller retreating, leaving the petite girl standing there. Her clothes torn, her back curved over, her long hair tumbling in her face.

“Raven…” Her name was little more than a wheeze as I tried to sit up.

It was another few beats before she turned her head to me, blood trickling from her nose, the fire in her eyes draining back to green, revealing the girl underneath the beast.

“Ash.” She mouthed my name before she dropped, landing hard on the icy ground.

Painful grunts spit through my lips as I shoved myself up onto my feet. With a groan, I grabbed the pick from the snowbank and hobbled over to her, my blood marking the ice like a connect-the-dots puzzle. Her knotted strands fanned out over the snow, her body arched like a Michelangelo painting, dying the landscape a rich red and black with her own blood.

My body screamed in agony, but I turned off my brain. Running off sheer will, I scooped her up in my arms.

Fresh black blood dampened the crusted stuff under her nose and eyes. Her skin was so pale I leaned my head against her chest to make sure her heart was still beating.

“Don’t die on me,” I demanded. “Not now, not after all this.”

I was struggling to stay upright, dizzy from the pain and loss of blood. I had to get us out of the elements, away from the threat of more animals, the Russians, or even hypothermia. Raven was already trembling, her lips turning bluish.

Shuffling forward, I staggered toward the boarded-up stone ticket booth. The woodshed next to it was long depleted of kindling. The snow began falling heavier, freezing on my eyelashes, my breath billowing in front of my face. Placing Raven down again, my numb hands struggled to grip the handle of the pick. It weighed heavily in my palm as I hacked off the lock, clenching my teeth against the vibration as metal hit metal. The door swung open to a small hut that was dark and freezing, not much better than outside. At least it was some protection.

Zeroing all my energy into lifting her, I stumbled into the space. The only things left inside were a stool, an old calendar from before the Fae War, some maps of the cave and surrounding area, an outdated ticket machine, and a ratty rug in the middle. Placing Raven down on the carpet, I slammed the door behind us, putting us in almost complete darkness.

Fatigue was taking over, and I knew I couldn’t stay up and guard. We were protected from the wolves but couldn’t stop the Russians from finding us. Hoping they wouldn’t notice the busted lock if they came by, I collapsed next to Raven as throbbing bile bubbled up my throat. I needed to rest. Heal.

The moment I laid down next to her, Raven’s body jerked and trembled violently against mine.

“Raven?” I reached over, my fingers brushing over her skin. I was freezing, but her skin was ice. “Raven!” I gripped onto her, her body shaking so badly it was like she was convulsing. I couldn’t make her out clearly in the darkness, but I knew hypothermia was setting in. She was already weak and vulnerable, but protecting me, saving my life, tipped her over. She had no immunity against the cold, not while her system was fighting to regain any strength from what happened in the caves. Shifting again when her shields were down was like setting a newborn in a snowbank for hours. She couldn’t fight that too.

Small, pained cries gurgled in her throat.

“Fuck.” She needed heat. And there was only one way to achieve it in a freezing hut with no source of outside warmth.

After ripping off my jacket and sweater, I fumbled with my pants, kicking off my boots at the same time. My bones cracked as I stripped in the arctic room. “Fuck!” I hissed again. Turning to her, I didn’t hesitate, tugging off her ripped sweater. I rolled her over, undoing her cargo pants. They were damp from the snow, so I struggled to get them down her legs, finally peeling them off along with her boots. Leaving her in just tiny knickers and a sports bra, I lay next to her.

“I need to get you warm.” I spoke more to myself than her, lying behind her and pulling her into my chest, using our discarded clothes as blankets.

Her body jackknifed and shivered, and I tucked in tighter around her, using my body to fully cover hers, pinning her in place. My legs and torso were her blanket.

My backside was freezing, but where my skin touched hers, it started to unthaw, the heat between us melting me into her. It took a while, but slowly, her muscles relaxed under me. Her breath evened out, and her heartbeat returned to normal.

The ground was painfully cold and hard as the wind outside rattled the door, but all I felt was her. Curling around her until there was no separation between us, I dug my head into her hair, letting sleep snatch me from consciousness. Raven’s heartbeat was steady against mine, rocking me like a lullaby into oblivion.

?

Pale light stirred me from a deep slumber. Warmth ignited the front of my body, and I curled into it, wanting to drown in it. A deep-seated comfort I didn’t want to wake from dragged my head deeper into darkness, trying to ignore my body stirring.

But reality flooded in swiftly, reminding me of everything that had happened yesterday. And why my backside was an ice cube while everything else was nestled in heat, my face hiding in her hair, my mouth against the curve of her neck.

Awareness slammed into me when I realized that not only was my dick hard and tucked in Raven’s ass, but my arm was wrapped around her, my hand inside her panties, my fingers cupping her pussy like it was mine. My index finger pushed between her folds, curling inside her.

Holy. Fuck.

Jerking my hand away, I rolled over on my back, feeling her shiver the moment I moved. Scouring my hand over my face and through my hair, I could smell her on my fingers. As if they had been tucked inside her all night, saturated in her juices.

“ Szar ,” I groaned, squeezing my lids together. I needed the icy air to cool me down, to take away this constant need thrumming through me. What was wrong with me? Every time I fell asleep with her, I woke up nuzzled in, touching her, about a hair away from fucking her.

It took just a minute for the temperature to prickle at my skin, forcing my lids open again. I seized another huge inhale and sat up, peering down at my healing wounds. Still red and tender to the touch, they at least had stopped bleeding. They were a touchstone, a reality check to everything that had happened last night. The truth of who she really was.

My gaze flew over to the curled-up figure, her torn jacket and sweater laying over her delicate frame. It was hard to liken this petite, stunning girl to the deadly creature I saw last night.

She saved my life… twice. However, I couldn’t fight the betrayal I felt from her not telling me. From feeling like I was being deceived since day one.

Now I understood it was never the Russians who put the cuff on her wrist to lock away her powers. She had done it herself. To keep her powers in check, hiding them from the world.

There were so many things I missed, not putting the pieces together. Her elegant mannerisms and refined etiquette. The diamond earrings she wore and didn’t even think about them being ostentatious, yet at the same time being so meticulously trained in fighting.

She was a dark dweller—a bloody princess . Her mother was the queen of the entire Unified Nations, a Druid, and could have my head on a spike. Her father was one of the most feared “retired” assassins from the Otherworld and was rumored to still do shady shit for the king.

In a sick twist, I had met her father, Lorcan, already. The year before, when they helped us fight Istvan, though I barely remembered any of them. That night was a haze for me, except for one moment. I didn’t recall much outside of watching Lukas and Kek die.

Sighing, I shoved out my thoughts from burrowing deeper. Exhaustion already sagged my shoulders, my body wanting to go right back to sleep and continue to heal. But we couldn’t. It wouldn’t be long before the Russians came back searching for us. And they would come prepared.

Climbing to my feet, I pulled on my pants, watching her as if she’d rise like some horror movie. The fragile girl was only the shell of what lay inside.

A Natural Obscurer .

“Spread out. Search everywhere.” A thick, muffled voice from outside broke through the silence, seeping through the wood door and jerking me around in terror.

Holy shit.

Snagging the pick from the spot where it laid next to me all night, I snuck to the door. Built into a mountain, the old ticket booth had two small boarded-up windows on either side of the entrance and one cut out of the door for dealing with customers. The wood covering the ticket window was weathered and warped, allowing me to peek through the gap.

Expecting the Russian Mafia, I caught my breath when I noticed figures dressed in light camouflage tracking down the path, blending in with the snowy terrain, carrying automatic rifles.

Their arms bore a royal insignia patch.

Sonya’s.

My pulse thudded against my neck, and I gripped the handle, like the axe had any chance against their guns. One round would tear through our flesh, cutting our bodies in half in mere seconds.

With everything going on, it hadn’t occurred to me that Iain was still out there hunting us. Stupid. Of course he wouldn’t just let me slip away like that, but the fact they tracked us here? Not good.

My attention jumped over to Raven, out cold, oblivious to the danger lurking up to us. Fae might have a lot more strength, speed, and infinite life compared to humans, but we still had our weaknesses. Those times when we were vulnerable. When we had to shut down and knit ourselves back together, we were at our most defenseless.

At least a dozen various-sized figures crept by the sloped stone incline up to the booth. The heavy snow and years of nature taking over concealed it slightly from the main path. Though I knew it was only a matter of minutes before someone came up here to investigate, finding the door lock busted.

And we had nowhere to go.

One way in and one way out.

Sweat dotted my hairline, and the axe handle was damp under my grip. Holding my breath, I waited. It would just take one to point at the booth and we were dead.

A dozen soldiers slunk by their target on the way to the caves, probably thinking that was where we hid. And in any other circumstances, it would’ve been. Safe from the elements and a lot warmer than out here, it would be a natural place to make camp for the night.

The crack of branches heavy with snow murmured that nature was waking up to an overcast day. I watched the group creep by, still ready to hear one shout out. Every thud of my heart was like a bomb ticking down. Waiting felt like years as I tried to keep my anxiety in check.

Warwick was always the cool one in situations like this, the one who never seemed fazed in life-and-death situations. Maybe because he had died. Brutally. Brexley dragged his soul from the depths and brought him back.

Death was his comrade, not his enemy.

Normally I was collected and calm as well, while Kitty was the one who would be listing all the things that could go wrong.

In the last year, I had lost all fear of death. If anything, I begged for it. Demanded it come and get me. Take me into its dark embrace because nothing could be worse than the hell I was living. But somewhere, something had changed.

The pure, unfiltered fear of them finding us made me dizzy, except I knew it wasn’t in fear of my own death. My gaze was caught by the figure tucked into a tight ball, her body shivering again.

Peering out of the gap, the hum of nature the only thing I could hear, I pushed away from the door, hustling to Raven.

“Hey.” I crouched down, shaking her shoulder. “Wake up.”

She didn’t move.

“Come on.” I jiggled her harder, my nerves still jerking my head back to the door like someone was going to plow through it at any moment. “We have to go.”

A small noise came up her throat, her forehead wrinkling, but she didn’t wake.

“Raven!” I whisper-shouted. Dropping the axe, I slid my hand around her back, trying to sit her up. “Wake up.”

Her lashes fluttered, the crease in her forehead deepening, sleep possessively trying to keep her.

“Wake the hell up, princess ,” I snapped, more anger threading through my tone than I expected.

It was a name Warwick always called Brexley because of the privilege she grew up in, but here, the term wasn’t just a pet name. It was Raven’s actual title. She was an actual princess. Royalty.

Her lids cracked open like the moniker was how she was woken up every day. A frown cut over her features.

“Don’t call me that.” Her voice was barely a whisper, her lids starting to fall again.

“Why? It’s who you are, right? Princess Raven Haley Scarlet Dragen, right?” I snapped out her full name like it was an insult. “And wake up. Sonya’s men are here. We need to leave.”

Her eyes bolted open, and she shot up to sitting. The few damp pieces of clothes covering her fell to her lap, showing she was only in a thin sports bra and knickers. She stared down at herself like she was still trying to figure out where she was and why the hell she was almost naked.

“You were going into hypothermia,” I defensively spit out, standing and stepping into my boots. “I had to get you warm.” I reached down for my sweater, tugging it back on, anger bristling over my shoulders. “Get dressed. We have to leave now !”

My tone impelled her into action, but she struggled to put on her icy clothes, her movements sluggish. I still couldn’t feel much magic from her, fatigue and cold slowing her progress.

Impatience had me stomping to her. Leaning over, I took the shredded sweater from her hands and shoved it over her head, my knuckles dragging down the sides of her breasts to her ribs, tugging it in place.

“I can dress myself.”

“Then do it,” I growled and moved away from her.

A shout pierced the air, sending me back to the door, peering through the slight crack in the wood. My breath stuck in my throat. More muffled voices came from up the passage.

They found where the wolves attacked, the signs of struggle, the blood coating the snow. They would realize we either never made it to the caves or were no longer in there and head back this way. The snow overnight might have hidden some of our footsteps up to the ticket booth, but someone would take notice of the disturbance of pristine snow.

I swore under my breath, hearing Raven scrambling behind me, trying to get on her boots, her actions far slower than normal.

“We have to go,” I barked hoarsely, glancing back at her.

A frown marred her expression as she finished tying her bootlaces, fatigue sagging her frame. But she hardened her shoulders and shuffled to me, her skin drawn and pale.

For a second, I could feel a crack in my wall—a need to touch her, pull her into me, make sure she was all right. But I was halted by the memory of how she tore out that man’s throat, her words bursting another man’s brains, her mere existence scaring off a hungry pack of wild wolves.

If anything, I needed protection, and it wasn’t the dark dweller part I was afraid of.

“Stay close,” I uttered, gripping the pick in my hand. Taking a breath, I pulled open the door, peeking out. White robbed the forest of color, leaving only the brown bark of the trees to bleed through the snow. I strained to hear anything but the drips of water dropping from the leaves, the powder buffering the voices from down the road. “Come on.” I trampled down the incline to the path, making sure Raven was behind me before I took off.

Using the footprints in the snow from the soldiers, we retreated down the footpath, passing the sign announcing the closure of the Valea Cetatii Caves, which we crossed less than twelve hours ago. How much had changed since then. The Ash who ran up this hill toward the caves had no idea what was ahead. What he would unshackle.

Ash . She muttered my name with a warning.

“Wha—” I heard the rumbling of a motorcar coming up the hill, my gaze snapping back to the road. The deep vibrations conjured the image of an MTV—Medium Tactical Vehicle—in my brain.

More soldiers were coming.

“Az istenfáját!” Oh, the God’s tree! I mumbled under my breath, my attention zipping around, catching shouts from down the cave path. By the pitch, I knew they had discovered our hideout, the broken lock and muddy footprints on the stone floor. They would beeline this way, hoping we were still within reach.

The frame of the MTV dotted through the line of trees, only a dozen yards away from arriving here. We were trapped on both sides, and going down the hill meant heading right into enemy territory.

We needed a place to hide. Somewhere no one could find us.

Seizing Raven’s hand, I tugged her into the woods behind us. Navigating the steep, rough terrain, deep with untouched snow, felt like slogging through thick tar. “Come on!” I pulled Raven’s arm so hard I was practically dragging her, needing to get us safely away from view.

“Gaseste-i!” Find them! “Trebuie s? fie aproape.” They must be close . The order ricocheted off the canopy of trees, slamming right into my spine, and my nerves buzzed with terror. We were both too fatigued to run fast, to think as clearly as we needed to. Survival was our only goal.

Raven tripped and stumbled, trying to keep up with me. Desperation was bitter on my tongue, and adrenaline pumped through my veins, moving my legs over the terrain, leading us away from peril.

“Where are we going?” Raven finally asked when we were far out of earshot, surrounded only by the sounds of birds and wood creaking under the weight of the snow.

“To the only place I know we’ll be safe.” I turned to look at her.

Raven’s eyes met mine, her throat swallowing as she nodded, lethargy already shaking her muscles. She understood the trek there would be difficult, treacherous, and bone-aching.

Her hand stayed clasped in mine and without the bracelet blocking her powers, blocking me, I realized for the first time how much I could feel her. Like the snow seeping into my clothes, she soaked into my system. Not her emotions or anything, but her presence. Even without her power and magic, I could feel her force. Her aura. The same as I felt the earth and the life around me.

Wildness under a royal mask.

The beast behind the woman.