She opens her mouth with what’s surely a sharp retort ready. But at my words, she freezes and looks down at herself in wonder.
“But—but—” She stares up at me, then down at her body again, confusion replacing anger. “I don’t understand. I look exactly the same.”
When those beautiful eyes return to mine, I allow myself a small, genuine smile. “Did I misunderstand your request? Ibelieved you asked to be healed of your suffering. Not to be made conventionally beautiful for others’ approval.”
Her mouth falls open, and she stammers. “But how can you—Everything’s connected! The bones and the?—”
“According to whom?” I ask gently, crouching down so we’re closer to eye level.
She jerks back, though I suspect it’s from my overwhelmingly wild scent rather than fear.
“Wait here,” I command, though my tone is softer now. “Don’t wander off.”
“What?” she starts. “Where are you?—”
I launch skyward before she can finish, though I don’t travel far. I want to remain visible to her, and her sight should be perfect now, along with everything else I’ve restored within her body.
I’ve brought us to my castle, which sits beside a pristine mountain lake.
The lake has frozen solid for winter, but that’s never stopped me before.
I climb high into the morning sky, then invert and dive with claws extended toward the ice below.
There’s only a moment of sharp impact before I crash through the frozen surface into shockingly cold water.
The divine spark in my chest flares to life, warming me as I spread my wings wide in the crystalline depths. I beat them rhythmically, washing away the accumulated grime from months spent in that bear cave.
I scrub thoroughly—my skin, my mane, even between my feathers—then head back toward the circle of sunlight marking my entry point.
When I explode through the surface with a triumphant bellow, my eyes immediately seek my consort on the shore.
And there she is.
Attempting to flee across the endless snow, moving away from the lake with determined but unsteady steps.
Oh, my brave little consort.
I rumble with something that might be laughter—a sound I haven’t made in centuries. The noise echoes across the water and bounces back from the surrounding mountains. I surge from the freezing lake to retrieve what belongs to me.
Not to punish her for trying to escape.
But to show her that running from me is impossible. And that she’s far safer in my care than alone in this wilderness.
FIVE
HANNAH
I flee.
I don’t give a damn if it doesn’t make logical sense. Every survival instinct I possess is screamingrunso that’s exactly what I’m doing.
There’s pure exhilaration mixed with terror in my legs’ newfound strength. They shouldn’t work this well; they’re the same legs I woke up with yesterday, at least from the outside.
But somehow there’s actual muscle underneath now?—
Or maybe it’s just raw adrenaline at seeing a genuine monster up close. Like those stories about mothers lifting cars off their children through sheer desperation. Yeah, exactly like that.
Because when sunlight broke over the horizon and I saw his face clearly?—
