I halted in place and looked down at my hands.
Red. My hands were red. “Oh, no.”
This was dreadful timing. The worst timing.
Then a ferociousroarvibrated inside the castle.
Father cursed again and smacked my Fae-gift’s rump, barking, “Fly, Penelope. Take her to King Athon’s castle. You are faster than Axel, but don’t veer from course.”
Astonishingly, my Fae-gift actually obeyed.
I grabbed onto her mane with my red hands and held on as she raced across the ground and took flight. From the air, I looked down upon my soul mate as he stormed out of the castle’s front doors. With one sniff of the air, he instantly found me. His massive body was painted in orange, black, and white stripes, and his solid black eyes stalked me through the sky.
It was a tiger evaluating its prey.
Then he prowled toward the stables to give chase.
