As we sit in silence, staring into the dancing flames, Seraphina opens her satchel with deliberate care. She pulls out a brown cloth, the edges frayed from wear, and unfolds it with meticulous precision.
“Here.” She leans over, her arm outstretched, and I take her offering. It’s a piece of bread and some dried meat.
“I haven’t eaten in days,” I say, my stomach tightening at the sight of food. “Thank you.” Sera blushes, her cheeks turning a rosy shade as she hands some to Ash.
Out of nowhere, the air is filled with the sound of wings flapping, causing us all to look up from the lulling flames. A murder of crows fills the branches above, their beady eyes glinting in the flickering firelight. They’re in a frenzy, screeching and flapping their wings, as if something has stirred them up.
“They’re creeping me out,” I murmur.
Ash gets to her feet. “I’m going to see if I can spot anything amiss.”
I stand abruptly. “No.”
“Kai, I’ll be fine.”
With a swift movement, she transforms into an owl, gracefully taking flight. I stand there, mouth agape, as she disappears into the night sky.
“Fuck!” I run an agitated hand through my hair.
“She will be fine,” Seraphina whispers.
“I didn’t even know she could shift into an owl,” I snap, kicking some leaves. “I mean, I knew she could take any animal form, but I’ve only seen her wolf.”
“She seems like a woman with many secrets,” Sera says, gazing into the fire.
I stand there with my hands on my hips and stare at the sky, the crows still peering down at us from theirperches.
Agitated, I pace back and forth in front of the fire. I can feel Seraphina’s eyes tracking my movements, her soft sigh barely audible over the crackling of the fire.
“Where is she?” My chest rumbles as I speak.
Seraphina sighs again, poking the fire with a stick. “Sit down.”
My body ripples and I’m done waiting. “I’m going to look for her.”
Suddenly, Seraphina is in front of me, her golden eyes blazing. “You’re not leaving, Kai. I won’t have you abandon me here alone in a place I know nothing of. Ash will return. I have faith she can handle herself. I felt her magic.”
“She is my life!” I snarl, my teeth clenched.
Just as I prepare to shift, a sudden hoot echoes from above, causing the murder of crows to screech and scatter in the wind. A beautiful striped owl swoops down, its wings spread wide, before being engulfed by a swirling vortex of dark magic, and Ash lands a few feet away.
“Hey guys, what’s going on?” she says, looking between Seraphina and me.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I yell.
Seraphina lets out a weary sigh and returns to her seat by the fire.
“What?”
“Ash, you can’t just go off like that,” I snap.
Ash’s brows furrow, her arms tightly folding across her chest, and fire burns behind her eyes—the kind that would send any sane man running for the hills. But call me crazy, I love that fire. It’s a part of who she is, fierce, wild, and unyielding. It’s what drew me to her in the first place, but right now, it’s also what scares the hell out of me.
“Kai, I needed to scout the area,” she retorts, defiance lighting her tone.
“You don’t get it,” I interject, my voice rising. “I saw you so close to death. I can’t do that again. I won’t.”
Her expression shifts, and in the blink of an eye, Ash vanishes, only to reappear behind me. Before I can react, she sweeps my feet out from under me. As I fall, she lunges forward, her knees landing on either side of my waist, pinning me down. The fire in her eyes blazes even hotter—she’s a force of nature, wild and unstoppable.
