“Hmm… there’s an idea. Am I more likely to get back scratches in my feline form?” He arched a brow at me and my stomach gave a nervous flip. I loved how he teased me. With so much tension between us, so much uncertainty ahead, it was a miracle that he could make me smile.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’ve decided I’m more of a dog person.” It had been meant as a joke, but suddenly there was a lion-shaped elephant in the room.
“Ah… fair enough. Well, I promise to behave myself.” A long silence filled the room as Raf helped me off the floor and into his bed. I crawled under the covers, facing away, as I heard layers of clothing drop to the floor. The bed sagged when he climbed in beside me. I tried to ignore the clean cedar scent that enveloped me.
As I was beginning to drift off, Raf broke the silence. “Did I mention I’ve been working on a wolf form?”
I smiled into my pillow. “Big wet nose? Fluffy tail? I bet you’re adorable.”
The bed rocked with laughter. “Big sharp teeth too. And if you scratchjustthe right spot, I might let you leash me. Fetch a ball… Destroy your enemies.”
I swatted him with my pillow. “Go to bed, you dirty dog.” I didn’t turn to look at him, but I could feel him smiling.
forty-seven
Raf and I fumbled to get our clothes on in the dim light of a dying fire. The cold bit at my nose as he launched us into the air in his pegasus form and we sailed towards the mountains under a blanket of stars.
The first glimmer of dawn nearly brought me to tears with its beauty. Once the sun was peering over the lake, we were already soaring over lilac mountains, surrounded by the most glorious sunrise I’d ever seen. We were in the middle of a peachy pink oil painting, full of colors and textures that I hadn’t known existed until this moment.
As we began to descend, cold wind whipped at my face, making me grateful for the fur-lined coat I was wearing. Even with the ice that ran through my veins, my limbs were numb by the time we landed in a thinning patch of forest.
Rafael was all business, immediately barking orders at me once we’d touched ground. “You can change into your animal form now. We want her spies to tell her you’re on your way—that you’re alone. I’ll shift into a bird and be by your side the entire time. If there’s any hint of danger, I’ll be ready.”
I nodded, trying to find my courage. My body hesitated, still traumatized from the events of yesterday. I took a few deep breaths, closed my eyes, and imagined myself back in the sky with Raf, far from anything that could hurt us.
I blinked and took in my surroundings through the eyes of a unicorn. Rafael had shifted as well and sat high in a tree, tracking me as I began walking towards the witch’s lair. The birds stopped singing as trees grew scarce and a glittering purple cavern came into view.
Sentinels spotted me, standing guard in the depthless black eyes of the skull-shaped rock. As they came down to greet me, I noticed they were different than the last set of men—though they had the same sunken eyes and dull, sagging skin.
My instincts were screaming at me to run, but an even stronger impulse told me tofight. To destroy this place. Dark magic had reigned here long enough.
“She’s ready to see you. Please follow us.” Their hollow voices rang out in unison. I didn’t budge.
They gaped at me, repeating themselves. “You must follow us if you want to see the Oracle.” I stood my ground. They reached out to touch my neck and I reared up, pointing my horn at them in warning.
“What’s your game? Do you wish to see her or not?” They hissed, shielding themselves when my head lowered in their direction.
Out of morbid curiosity, or perhaps some primal instinct, I commanded my magic to break the spell they were under. A white light shot from my horn, hitting one of them square in the chest. I reeled back, surprised at how responsive my magic had been. Pure energy shot from me like a bolt of lightning.
He screamed, shriveling and decaying before my eyes. His sockets caved in first, his nose followed. Fingers turned to bone, then dust. He’d rotted into…nothing. The only trace left of him was a pile of white sand and a few scraps of clothing. I should’ve been appalled, and yet I could almost feel his soul thanking me as it floated away on an invisible wind. Finally free.
“You think destroying my creations will get me to come out? The only thing you’ve succeeded at is making me angry. You shall meet me in my lair ordiewaiting!” The witch’s voice rang out from her sentinel, now retreating back into the cave.
“What a time for experimentation, Goldie.”Raf’s laugh echoed between my ears. He’d told me Fae could speak mind to mind in their animal forms, but I still wasn’t prepared when I heard his silky voice inside my head, like he was whispering in my ear.
I concentrated as I sent my thoughts back to him. “I don’t think we’ll be able to flush her out of her lair. She knows I only have a few more days to visit her before I must pay the cost or die.”
“Let’s at least try to smoke her out. Fire should clear out anything else living in there too.”The last thing I wanted to do was summon fire. I gave a shaky breath and began walking towards the cave entrance.“You’ll want to use your wind magic as well,”he continued.“Fan the flames into the cave as far as you can. Use an ice shield to protect yourself.”
“You’re very bossy.”I resisted looking back at him, but felt his answering grin.
I tried to summon what I knew of fire. It was mesmerizing, unpredictable…dangerous. There were many parallels between the element and the male who wielded it. I opened a small door within my mind that I’d locked all thoughts of Galen in. Compartmentalizing was the only thing keeping me upright, but I had to pull from my knowledge of fire magic.
I was pummeled with pain as I let myself think of him—howeasyI’d made it for him. I’d been a doe-eyed fool caught in his crossfire, forgetting even the most basic of survival lessons.Play with fire, get burned.
I stood paralyzed at the mouth of the cave as feelings of Galen rendered me useless. I aimed my horn at the tunnel, put up a shield of ice, and willed my magic to send out flame. I’d watched Galen do it a thousand times.
The tiniest ember sparked in front of me before sputtering to the ground. The witch’s cackle reverberated through the cave, making me dance like a dressage horse as I resisted the urge to bolt.
