He chuckled, a deep rumble that filled the night with warmth. “Who said you were sane?”
I laughed too. “Are any of us, really?”
“Fair point, little wolf. Fair point.”
After that, I was too tired for further conversation, so I let my eyes close, allowing consciousness to drift away.
17
Once we crossed over into Trinity, Shadow grew grim, barely taking a second to converse as he pushed us to quicken our pace.
His dark mood had coincided with a very real security presence around us. His sister was paranoid, and it seemed that all the villages close to her compound were on high alert. It got so bad, that around midday, we found ourselves crouched behind rocks, staring down a long line of guards and creatures completely blocking our way through the next town.
“We can’t be detected here,” Shadow said shortly, taking in the line of defense. “If my sister knows my exact location, she’ll have the upper hand, and will come at me with full force.”
“She’s clearly expecting someone,” Angel noted. “Not really a surprise, since the spell on the door was broken.”
“Right,” he confirmed, “but as far as my sister knows, I died long ago when she cast me out. The door could have been opened by any, and this show of power might simply be her way of preparing forwhateveris heading her way. I’m not ready for her to find out it’s me.”
“So how do we get through the guards?” I asked the most important question of the day.
Shadow pointed toward the entrance of the city. “It’s going to require disguises, and the hope that if I shield our energy, no one will really question us, at least not until we’re past the main guard.”
Our only plan did not fill me with confidence, as I snuggled further behind the rocks where we hid. There was no black tar this close to the village, the land around us widespread with golden trees, amber grass, and bright red, daisy-like flowers. They were beautiful but reminded me of blood spatter, and that was an ominous vibe as we tried to figure out our next move.
Angel already had her weapons in hand, and while her expression remained calm, it was the look in her eyes that told me she was slipping into a mental place to which all warriors went before they fought. “Need me to scout ahead?” she asked.
Shadow shook his head. “No more flying. They’ll spot you from a mile away.”
Angel was on her feet in the next instant. “Well, I’m not hiding here in theshadows.” She arched her eyebrow at him, and it was clear that she had just about had enough of our clandestine journey across the realm.
Shadow rumbled, picking up on her choice of words. “Are you calling me a coward?”
She leaned forward. “You’ve waited an eternity for this revenge, and I feel like you could have taken us straight into the compound. Only you’ve chosenthisroute!”
They weren’t exactly shouting, but we were going to draw attention soon if they continued.
“Yes, I’ve had an eternity, and that means I won’t barge into a situation and get us all killed. Every day that I’m here, I grow stronger. Not to mention, the element of surprise is what will give us an advantage.”
Angel bristled. “Excuses, Shadow. With this attitude, you will not best your family. We need the warrior, not the scholar.”
She was being somewhat unfair… Shadow was cautious, and since I was personally not a fan of getting killed before we’d even had a chance to fight, I was all for it. It made sense that with his sister on alert from the doorway opening, he’d be careful in his approach.
“What’s your plan then?” he asked her, and I could feel the heat off his skin. I wasn’t even that close to him, so that meant he was gettingpissed. “We just fight our way through? What about Mera? She’ll be in danger.”
That was the point I realized that he had been extra cautious because of me. The weak link.Fuck.Now I was the pissed off one.
My wolf rose, scratching at my chest. I hadn’t been prepared for her push this time, though, too focused on their fight. When she surged to the surface, a choked howl spilled from my lips… and I was shifting.
Shadow felt the moment the change took hold; he was the shifter god, after all. His flames burst to life as he dove for me, but he was a second too late for the wolf, who was finally free.
Free to frolic in the mists ofherland.
I was shoved so far back that I blacked out and lost consciousness for a brief second, giving her complete control in a way that she’d only had for the first few minutes of our first shift.
There was nothing I could do to stop her as she sprinted right for the guards. She tipped our head back, power threaded through us in a blaze of heat, and it was clear our beast form was on fire, scorch marks scarring the land around us. Not just scorch marks, but the grass was alight, and whatever this flora was made of, it liked to burn, a veritable blaze building behind us.
My wolf didn’t stop, her power overflowing and spilling into the land, so when she howled, it was the same power-filled ballad that had knocked the Torma wolves down the first time I’d used it. The guard came to attention, but it wasn’t me they stared at.
