My eyes were drawn forward by someone screaming my name. Thorne burst through the front of the crowd, lunging toward the platform.
I met his blue gaze.
With my final breath, I shifted.
63
Thorne
Nox saw her before I did. In his dragon form, he nose-dived from the north tower to the western grounds where a crowd had formed at the gallows. His feet had barely touched down before I slid from his back and took off at a sprint, my heart flying into my throat.
I’m too late, was all I could think as I shoved through the throng of people.I love her, and I’m too late.
I reached the front and watched her body hang from the rope, her neck bent and her legs flailing. I pushed off the ground with every ounce of strength I possessed, leaping for the raised platform.
She saw me. For a single moment, time halted, and her eyes met mine.
And then she was gone. Replaced by a familiar lithe, furry form as her fox half slipped out of the noose, landed gracefully on the platform, and bounded off to the right with her powerful hind legs.
“Stop her!” my mother screeched. Guards charged after her. I followed, yanking one of them back by their uniform and punching them in the face. Ahead of me, Rose lifted her hand and blew some sort of powder into one of their faces right as Leo dodged two ofthem and knocked out a third. Together, he and I reached for the nearest weapons and chased after Clarissa’s pursuers.
She didn’t even make it to the palace walls before she shifted back into her human form. Whatever had allowed her to shift at the gallows must not have had much power.
But it was enough. She wasalive.
One of the guards closed in on her, but Leo was faster. His tail emerged from beneath his cloak and wrapped around the assailant’s wrist, jerking him backward.
I smirked, but Clarissa screamed. My lips fell in confusion until I looked behind Leo and saw a second guard’s sword raised at his back.
“No!” I cried.
The blade pierced Leo’s shoulder.
I slammed into the guard, and we both fell to the ground as Leo’s knees hit the floor.
“Leo!” Clarissa shrieked.
“Take them to the dungeons,” a cold voice instructed behind me. Mother approached with more men at her side. I grabbed my sword and stood between them and Clarissa, my nostrils flaring.
“No,” another voice said. “You will not lay a finger on them, Azura Reaux.”
Mother’s forehead creased. We both turned to the side to find Isabella Grimaldi striding toward us.
“Bella?” my mother said in surprise.
My mouth fell open. I hadn’t seen Galen’s mother so much asstandon her own in months, yet here she was, charging at us like a bull.
Evadine and Rose appeared behind Isabella. Rose let out a whimper as she rushed to Leo’s side, that pouch of herbs I was so used to seeing on her already open in her hands.
“We need to get him to a healer,” Rose said, ripping part of Leo’s shirt off and pressing it into his shoulder tostem the flow of blood.
“Bella, this fraud killed your son.” My mother ignored Rose and gestured to Clarissa. “His death deserves justice.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Devora sneak across the side of the palace wall. Her eyes stopped on my mother, then trailed over to Clarissa.
“Devora!” Clarissa said. “We need bandages and—and something to clean his wound.” She gripped Leo’s hand. “Please hurry!”
My attention was caught between both Isabella’s confrontation and wanting to be at Clarissa’s side. I started to make my way to Clarissa when Isabella’s next words stopped me in my tracks.
