Read Online The Cage King by Danielle Monsch - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Danielle Monsch
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crazed love of death.
Something clamped down on her upper arm – large, with a grip that hurt. “Get off!” Her fist came up to hit at whatever had her. “Get off me!”
“What are you doing here?” He caught her fist, blocking her with less energy than she would use to swat a fly. Bad, but… Her pulse slowed and comprehension flowed through her. He was a guard who caught her breaking rules, not a servant to that madness. And he was human , large and mean in that generic way all the guards around here were, as if they’d been selected for that exact reason.
Her pulse normalized, and as she came back to herself and the evil faded, now something from this guard teased her senses, beat against her skull. He wasn’t connected to what she had just felt, but this guard was innate, and she didn’t recognize this power.
Did Beylor know? Was the guard selected because of that, or did he hide it from his employer?
She had to get away and regroup, with the least amount of trouble possible. Clearing her throat, she went for a tone of Tiffany oblivious. “I was trying to find my boyfriend.”
No, he didn’t buy that at all, as his fingers gripped even tighter. “You don’t seem in too much of a hurry to find him.”
She jerked once, twice, finally free though very aware it was because he allowed it. If oblivious didn’t work, time for attitude. “The set-up is interesting! No law against looking, and don’t fucking touch me again if you don’t want the Cage King crawling all over your ass for manhandling his woman!”
The look in his eyes was dissecting her, trying to decide her place here. She couldn’t do anything else but go all in, and she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, pure put upon.
He blinked, those eyes too sharp in his big dumb face. After a few breaths of stand-off, he waved someone else over. After the prompt appearance of another guard, he said, “Here, whatever we say is law is law, and the law is you stay in the main house with the women. Got it?”
“Got it,” she said, putting as much pouting attitude into the words as possible.
The other guard motioned her to start towards the house, and she turned and began walking. It was a minute before the guard at her side spoke. “I would’ve thought Fallon would send someone sneakier.”
Nalah would have tripped if his hand didn’t come out and stabilize her. Before she could look at him, he spoke again. “Keep looking straight ahead. You already brought enough attention to yourself.”
Damn! Here was her contact, and she hadn’t checked him out earlier, too intent on looking at her tormentor. “You’re acting as a guard?”
“Low-level, mostly patrols of the ground, meaning I keep an eye on the women and the house.” Which was perfect for their needs. Had he requested that, or had the Guild known exactly how to position him to get him into the right spot? “I wasn’t expecting you to make a scene.”
“It was necessary for me to get out to do my job. And I’m sorry, but if Fallon told you about me, she must have brought up my distinct lack of sneaking ability. I’m doing my best.”
“She did. I was hoping she was underselling you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
The sigh was more felt than heard. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll work around it, as long as you can find the artifact.”
“That I can do. Do you know where it is?”
Another set of guards was walking toward them and her contact shut up until they were well out of earshot. “Beylor always has multiple safes in his home. How close do you need to be to feel where the artifact is?”
The last time she had held her mother’s ring, it was like it started singing to her the moment she entered headquarters, the sound as welcome to her as her mother’s laughter. “Normally, entering the house I could lead you to it, but I don’t know how being in a blackout zone will affect my range.”
“Then I’ll need to scout and find where the safes are. We’re
Something clamped down on her upper arm – large, with a grip that hurt. “Get off!” Her fist came up to hit at whatever had her. “Get off me!”
“What are you doing here?” He caught her fist, blocking her with less energy than she would use to swat a fly. Bad, but… Her pulse slowed and comprehension flowed through her. He was a guard who caught her breaking rules, not a servant to that madness. And he was human , large and mean in that generic way all the guards around here were, as if they’d been selected for that exact reason.
Her pulse normalized, and as she came back to herself and the evil faded, now something from this guard teased her senses, beat against her skull. He wasn’t connected to what she had just felt, but this guard was innate, and she didn’t recognize this power.
Did Beylor know? Was the guard selected because of that, or did he hide it from his employer?
She had to get away and regroup, with the least amount of trouble possible. Clearing her throat, she went for a tone of Tiffany oblivious. “I was trying to find my boyfriend.”
No, he didn’t buy that at all, as his fingers gripped even tighter. “You don’t seem in too much of a hurry to find him.”
She jerked once, twice, finally free though very aware it was because he allowed it. If oblivious didn’t work, time for attitude. “The set-up is interesting! No law against looking, and don’t fucking touch me again if you don’t want the Cage King crawling all over your ass for manhandling his woman!”
The look in his eyes was dissecting her, trying to decide her place here. She couldn’t do anything else but go all in, and she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, pure put upon.
He blinked, those eyes too sharp in his big dumb face. After a few breaths of stand-off, he waved someone else over. After the prompt appearance of another guard, he said, “Here, whatever we say is law is law, and the law is you stay in the main house with the women. Got it?”
“Got it,” she said, putting as much pouting attitude into the words as possible.
The other guard motioned her to start towards the house, and she turned and began walking. It was a minute before the guard at her side spoke. “I would’ve thought Fallon would send someone sneakier.”
Nalah would have tripped if his hand didn’t come out and stabilize her. Before she could look at him, he spoke again. “Keep looking straight ahead. You already brought enough attention to yourself.”
Damn! Here was her contact, and she hadn’t checked him out earlier, too intent on looking at her tormentor. “You’re acting as a guard?”
“Low-level, mostly patrols of the ground, meaning I keep an eye on the women and the house.” Which was perfect for their needs. Had he requested that, or had the Guild known exactly how to position him to get him into the right spot? “I wasn’t expecting you to make a scene.”
“It was necessary for me to get out to do my job. And I’m sorry, but if Fallon told you about me, she must have brought up my distinct lack of sneaking ability. I’m doing my best.”
“She did. I was hoping she was underselling you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
The sigh was more felt than heard. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll work around it, as long as you can find the artifact.”
“That I can do. Do you know where it is?”
Another set of guards was walking toward them and her contact shut up until they were well out of earshot. “Beylor always has multiple safes in his home. How close do you need to be to feel where the artifact is?”
The last time she had held her mother’s ring, it was like it started singing to her the moment she entered headquarters, the sound as welcome to her as her mother’s laughter. “Normally, entering the house I could lead you to it, but I don’t know how being in a blackout zone will affect my range.”
“Then I’ll need to scout and find where the safes are. We’re
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