“Oh, you don’t kill the dazra,” Prince Azaren said, looking perplexed. “Their survival is vital to the health of the forest. You avoid them by staying away from their territory. If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in a position where you must move close to their nest, you never look them in the eye. If they cannot see your eyes, they will not attack.”
I gripped Raine tighter in an effort to stop my shaking arm.Fuck,why couldn’t I stop shaking? “Huh,” I commented. “Never would have found that out.”
“More importantly, how poisonous are they?” Darian asked as he stretched out his arms and shook his head as if to clear it.
The prince’s expression grew somber. “The worddazraalso has another meaning: Death to magic.”
I glared at the fae. “Death?”
“Yes, the wording is rather dramatic, isn’t it?” Prince Azaren said with a grin, but he clarified, “The venom from the dazra doesn’t kill their victims, but it suppresses the magic in their bloodstreams. The more venom in your system, the longer it will be until your body can recover and your magic returns. Once you’re stung, you begin to feel the effects almost immediately. My father often uses it on his prisoners.”
“And how long does it take for the venom to leave one’s system?” Locke asked.
Prince Azaren shrugged. “Well, that depends on how much venom was entered into your bloodstream. I know fae who have been stung only once and they recovered within three days.”
“Three days?” I blurted. “We’re not exactly swimming in time.”
“Now do tell me what it is you five are hoping to accomplish here in my world? You say you’re here to find a way to break the curse, but how exactly do you hope to manage such a feat? And where are the books I acquired? I’ve been quite forthcoming with information about the dazra. The least you can do is—”
“Drink,” Locke ordered the fae harshly, and he nodded at Kade, who fished out a canteen of water, undid the lid, and handed it to the prince.
“I really don’t—”
“Now,” Locke snarled, and Prince Azaren blinked and lifted the canteen to his lips, taking a few long drags before Kade grabbed it off him. Kade then fished out a small bundle of bread and held it out.
This time, Locke didn’t need to instruct the fae. Prince Azaren grabbed the bread and tore into it, sighing as he greedily chewed and swallowed it down. “You have no idea how good it is to finally have some food.”
“So that sting on your arm,” Locke began. “Because you’ve been stung by the dazra as well, you’re also losing your power?”
Prince Azaren hesitated before saying slowly, “Indeed. So I would appreciate it if you didn’t keep—”
He didn’t finish. Locke’s fist delivered a sharp blow to the prince’s right temple, and the fae’s eyes rolled to the back of his head before his eyelids fluttered closed and he slumped again in Locke’s hold.
“What are you doing? If you keep knocking him out like that, you’ll give him brain damage,” Raine hissed.
Locke lowered the prince to the stone floor as if the royal was no one of consequence, and he stood, smoothing down the front of his cloak. “You heard what he said. I can already feel myself growing weak. It’ll be too hard to guard the fae if we don’t have our wits about us. He should be thankful I at least let him eat something.”
Raine didn’t respond to that. At first, I thought she simply understood what Locke was getting at, but then I noticed she was staring. Not at Locke or the fae prince but atme.
“Asher,” she breathed as she stared up at me, her fingers curling into my shirt. I already knew I was shaking like a newborn calf taking its first steps, but there was something in the way she said my name that had my heart lurching in my chest. “Y-Your horns. What happened to your horns?” she asked.
Reaching up, I went to run a hand over my horns, only…they weren’t there. “What the fuck?” My fingers dived into my soft, shaggy hair, gliding along my smooth scalp with no trace of bumps or any sign that my horns had once been there. I cursed under my breath, then another thought struck me. I twisted my neck as I peered behind me, but somehow, I already knew what I’d find.Nothing.Where my long, forked tail had once been was nothing but a hole in my pants, and mortifyingly, my damn ass crack was on display.
I let go of Raine and ran my hands down my back and over my ass, still unable to believe it wasn’t there. “My tail,” I mumbled, and my gaze shot to Darian and the others. “It’s…gone.”
Grunting came from my right, and Kade shook his head grimly, something akin to sorrow in his eyes. “I can’t shift. I can’t feel my wolf at all.”
“I can’t change either,” Locke added as he stepped closer to us, claws no longer peeking from his fingers.
A soulful tune filled the air then, and I turned to see Darian singing with a look of concentration on his face.
“You’re tryin’ to use your magic on me, aren’t you?” I said, unable to hide my grin at the look of frustration on his face.
“Why, do you feel like worshipping me?” he asked with amusement.
My grin split wider. “Fuck no.”
Raine’s gaze flicked among the four of us. “When Prince Azaren said we would lose our magic, I hadn’t realized it meant you would become…”
