I could feel the beast within me stirring, its primal instincts urging me on, driving me forward in pursuit of my prey.
And then, suddenly, he was there before me, emerging from the darkness like a wraith summoned from the depths of the abyss. His eyes gleamed with malice; his lips twisted into a cruel smile as he brandished the enchanted knife with a flourish, its blade darkened by my blood.
As we stared at each other, a wave of dizziness assaulted me. I wouldn’t last much longer.
But still, I refused to be defeated, refused to let the boy have the satisfaction of seeing me fall. With a roar of defiance, I surged forward once more.
And then, suddenly, it was over. The boy swerved as I came for him, stumbling backward. But what neither of us knew was that he was standing on the edge of a hidden gorge. He gasped, his eyes wide with shock as he teetered on the edge of the chasm that yawned behind him like a hungry maw. With a final cry of desperation, he reached out for purchase, for something, anything, to save him from the abyss.
But it was too late. With a sickening thud, he plummeted into the darkness below, his screams fading into the night as he disappeared from sight forever.
I stood there for a moment, panting heavily as I surveyed the scene before me. Blood dripped from my wounds, staining the forest floor crimson as I struggled to catch my breath. But despite the pain, despite the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm me, I felt a sense of satisfaction coursing through my veins.
My dragon wanted to roar in triumph. Suppressing the urge, I grabbed for the pendant at my neck, the cool metal grounding me as I took a deep, shuddering breath. A moment later, I tookanother long breath, suppressing my animal instincts. I heard a rustling in the trees and whirled. Seranni! She must be looking for me. She crashed into the clearing a moment later, panting in fear. Her eyes were wide, darting this way and that.
“Voren?”
I shook my head. “He…fell.”
She made her way over to me, raking me with her eyes. “You’re hurt.” She reached for me, and though I wanted to flinch away, I let her approach. Closing her eyes, she placed a hand over the wound in my side. She whispered under her breath, and I felt a rush of energy, the wound closing itself, and my pain lessened. She stepped back, swaying a little, and I caught her under the elbow.
“How—?”
Seranni smiled at me proudly. “I healed you.”
I blinked at her before a distant howl in the night broke the silence. Wolves. They must have smelled Voren in the chasm below us.
“We need to get back to the tower.”
Seranni nodded. “If we’re lucky, the townspeople will think Voren eloped.” She made a face. “With me. But if they come looking for him and find him here, they may think his fall was an accident, that he was dodging the wolves.”
“Which is why we need to cover our tracks.” I pointed at our feet. “We can trust the snow to hide our footprints, it’ll snow through the night. But we shouldn’t stay here any longer.”
She nodded, and we began our long, silent trudge to the tower, the snow muffling our footsteps. By the time we reached the door, the tension in my shoulders had eased, but I couldn’t shake the gnawing guilt in my chest.
I had let the beast take over. I had let my anger, my possessiveness, fuel the fight.
Finally, I could see the light that I had left burning in the kitchen. I opened the door for Seranni, and after so long in the oppressive silence of the snowy night, the cheery crackling of the fire startled me.
I was glad I had got the fire going before I left, though Seranni had seemed alright after the fight, now she looked pale and stricken. It seemed like the shock was settling in, finally.
“Here,” I said, grabbing a blanket from her chair and placing it around her shoulders. I had brought it from the other bedroom for her to use while she worked on the mage’s notes. I was glad I had thought of it, the blanket was proving useful now.
As if my gesture had reminded her of her chill, Seranni shivered, and her teeth chattered against each other.
“Here, sit closer to the fire.”
Seranni nodded, her eyes still far away. While she sat at the fire and stared into its depths, I fidgeted with the hem of my sleeve. Seranni was a healer. No doubt she was appalled by my lack of empathy, the ease with which I had dispatched of the man accosting her.
I had scared myself with the blinding rage that had coursed through me at the sight of Seranni’s delicate neck in the blonde bastard’s hands.
My mind churned with questions and regrets, circling back to the same, nagging thought:Did I go too far?
I hadn’t meant for her to see me like that, the beast clawing its way to the surface. I had let my brutality get the better of me. If Seranni wanted to leave, if she was scared of me now…I lickedmy dry lips. I had no right to keep her here with me. If she wanted to leave, I would let her go.
I had wanted toprotecther, not to scare her.
Seranni stirred, breaking me from my spiraling thoughts. She turned to look at me, her expression clearer now. The glassy haze had lifted from her gaze, replaced with something I couldn’t quite name. Gratitude?
