My eyes flutter closed, and there’s a flash of light behind my eyelids as the majority of my memories are stripped from my mind. It feels like the world falls away under my feet, and when I open my eyes again, the world is bright, and I’m standing on a warm, stone pavement. A car honks as it drives by, and it’s so huge, it’s like a mountain of rumbling steel. Why is it so big? Have they always been that massive?
“Stupid bird. Get out of the damn way,” an unkind voice says, and a shiny, black boot comes toward me, slamming into my body.
I’m thrown against a shop window, and pain goes through me as I thud against the glass, sliding back down to the pavement. When I manage to stand again, I stare at my reflection in the window.
A crow peers back at me, its beady eyes intensely analysing me. I move my head, and the crow moves its head, too.
Wait, I’m a crow? Something about the statement doesn’t feel right, but I’m not sure why. I turn my head, inspecting my body. One of my wings is tender, and I tuck my wings in, sitting against the window.
It’s a short while later, when gentle hands are picking me up from the pavement. I squawk, trying to flap my wings and flee, but the figure holds me tighter.
“You poor thing,” a feminine voice croons, and I peer up at a girl with ginger hair and a splattering of freckles on her cheeks.“Don’t worry, little one. I’m Jessie, and I’m going to take care of you.”
The memory abruptly ends, but I’ve seen what I needed. As understanding settles inside me, I feel the curse on me break, the last remnants of the queen’s magic finally leaving me, like a weight has been removed. I might not have understood what had happened back then, but I do now.
In a strange twist of fate, the queen’s curse had saved me. I’d been captured and taken to the cells beneath Shadowbone Academy, but her curse had sent me back to the human realm. Unfortunately, it also stripped my memories and trapped me in the crow form I was in when it happened, but…I never became the spy the cloaked figure wanted me to be.
The relief is crushing, but I don’t have time to focus on it now. It feels like a long time has passed since that memory flashed in my mind, but I’m guessing it’s only been seconds. My eyes shoot open as power floods through me, no longer contained by the magic of the curse.
I never became the spy, and I never broke,I tell myself over and over, feeling oddly proud.Never. And I’m not about to now, either.
Ian’s shadow is still around my throat, but a calm washes over me. Powerful shadows leak from my body, dozens of them flowing from me and climbing over him. They wrap around his blade, curling around his limbs, and he loosens his grip on me, cursing in surprise.
Well, holy hot cakes,I muse to myself.I’m a badass.
I remove his shadow from my neck, and Ian realizes too late that my shadows have pushed him away from the wall. When I release him, his eyes fly wide, and he scrambles for purchase again, but it’s too late. He can’t reach the rocky holds, and he plummets, shouting as he falls to the pit below.
I don’t look down. Not even when I hear the thud as he’s impaled.Oh crap! I killed him!
Above me, his puma animali roars in anger and anguish. Its red eyes fixate on me, and my shadows curl around me protectively. My skin ripples as I consider shifting into a beast that can rival the animali. I might not have used my power much in the past, but instinctively, it’s like I know what I need to do before I’ve even done it. As if now that my mind remembers shifting, my body is able to change at will.Huh. I guess it was never just my vagina that was magical,I muse, remembering how I’d been able to sleep with Raith’s monster.
Ian’s puma roars again, and my smile falls. I don’t want to hurt the animali, but I also don’t want to be torn to pieces.Maybe I can change into some sort of bear? If it realizes it can’t defeat me, maybe it will give up and leave me alone?I hold onto that thought, even though going by the animali’s stare, it’s clear it’s not going to leave until one of us is dead.
The puma takes a step toward me, its mouth open and fangs dripping as it salivates. It’s pretty damn terrifying to look at, and I’m about to change my form when a massive, fiery ball of shadows swoops down from seemingly nowhere. A giant bird latches onto the puma, black fire flickering on its silky wings, and glowing sparks and embers trailing everywhere it moves.
Its sharp talons rake across the puma’s chest, not digging too deep, but enough to draw blood. The large cat cries out, moving back and hissing at the huge bird, baring its fangs.
The puma turns from the creature, like it’s about to start climbing down toward me again, but the bird screeches, attacking the puma until the cat finally cowers on the top of the wall. It lowers its body, folding its ears back as a sign of submission. Shadows appear around the puma, and with a last, lingering look of hatred at me, the puma disappears into the darkness.
I gape at the giant bird perched on the top of the wall. Its long onyx feathers burn with black fire, shadows curling around its body, and its strong, muscular form is similar to that of an eagle. There’s a regal way it holds itself as it stands there, and black fire seems to flicker in its brilliant red eyes. It looks even bigger than Bonfang, and that’s saying something because Knox’s wolf is massive.
Is that a…phoenix?My jaw drops as I think of the fiery mythical bird I’ve read about in multiple books. This creature doesn’t quite look the same as the descriptions, but there’s no denying the resemblance.
The massive bird stares down at me, and I’m transfixed, because somehow, I know this creature is ancient and powerful.
The amphitheater is silent as the creature and I stare at one another.“Mine,”I say in my mind tentatively, somehow knowing deep inside me that this creature is destined to be my bonded.
“Mine,”a familiar velvety voice agrees in my mind, and I realize it’s the same voice I’d heard during the sky attack.
As I hear the word, more power flows into me. A chilling sensation rushes to my toes and fingertips, and I sense as the bond between us snaps into place. Instantly, my senses heighten, my eyesight becoming sharper, and my body feeling more rejuvenated.
I focus my power and my skin ripples, feathers sprouting over my body as my form changes, shrinking until I’m a crow. Then I fly to the top of the wall, perching beside my creature, because there was no way I was climbing up there if I didn’t have to. The queen’s rules specified that no animali could fly while overcoming the obstacles. The rules never said anything about humans flying.Gosh. I missed my wings!I don’t ever want to be stuck in my crow form again, but being able to change at will? Now that, I could get used to. I stretch out my wings, and I rufflemy feathers before tucking my wings in again, then I turn to my creature.
“Took you long enough,”I tease in my head. I’m guessing bonding with a creature is permanent, so if we’re going to coexist, it’s better that the creature understands my sense of humor straight away. I’m relieved when an amused tinkling noise sounds in my head, and I take that as a good sign.
The creature folds her wings behind her.“I was waiting, my bonded.”
“Waiting? For what? For me to almost die again? I left you all the snacks I could.”
