Of all the redheads in the world.
It’s that one.
Willow snarls at me, shifting before my very eyes, and I skid across the usually dry soil, trying to brace and ground myself all at once, but it’s futile. My balance is gone, and with the chaos around me, there’s no stopping it.
Her paws hit my chest as she leaps through the air, knocking me clean off my feet. My breath is lodged in my lungs as my pulse rings in my ears, butmy body refuses to give up, arms fighting and swinging.
It feels effortless when I connect, slamming my fist into her ribs, managing to knock her off me and rolling us both to the side.
A scream rings out in the distance, but I’m too locked in to be able to tear my gaze away. Before I can get the upper hand, she snaps and snarls, saliva touching my skin, and I try not to puke as her teeth graze my cheek.
Finally managing to suck in a breath, I slam my hands against her chest, her fur slipping beneath my fingers, but it’s enough.
I gasp, my magic coiling through me as I take.
Freely.
Desperately.
Earnestly.
I won’t stop. I can’t.
Even though she’s above me, I manage to leverage my feet, planting them flat on the ground beneath me, offering me a balance as I take some more.
It’s one thing to see the life leave a person, but a wolf? I don’t know if I will recover from it.
Even if it is Willow.
Her eyes sink into her skull, her fur turning gray as she shrinks above me.
The feel of her magic inside of me starts to burn, my hands turning to claws as I she turns to dead weight above me. My palms fall away from her, lying limp at my sides as I try to catch my breath, the sounds of fear, victory, and all-out rage swirling around me.
Disoriented, I heave in a breath and shove her off me, scrambling in the soil, struggling to get back on my feet. I stumble, but a hand lands on my arm, keeping me upright before I fall flat on my face. With bleary eyes, my gaze connects with my father.
“It's okay, Elodie,” he breathes. “You’re okay, but it’s not enough. We’re struggling. Thorne said something about taking down The Vale. That you would know where to go?”
I blink at him, watching his magic swirl around us protectively as I try to piece together what he’s saying. Inhaling sharply once again, I slowly piece together what he’s referring to, and my eyes dart around in search of Thorne.
He’s a few meters away, smoke surrounding him as he tries to shield Ocean, who is writhing on the floor in pain, blood pouring from her nose, and I choke on a sob.
“We must put an end to this once and for all, Elodie. Whatever it takes,” he adds, and I nod in agreement, even though his voice is barely more than a whisper. “We will hold them off. You need to do whatever you need to do,” he reiterates, and I nod again, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I take a backward step.
Frustration and fear burn deep inside of me as I move toward the bare trees that will lead me to the back side of Institute One, but I’m quickly distracted halfway there when I hear a screech of pain, only to find my mother hovering over Anya, serving her the same justice I just gave her daughter.
It makes me pause, leaving me desperate to be a part of the carnage, shed blood with those I care for in fear of them dying while I’m absent, but Thorne and my father are right, everything must fall.
I move faster than fast with Willow’s magic coursing through my veins. It takes everything I have to fight against the desire to shift as I hurry through the bushes of Institute Thirteen. They quickly meld into those that surround Institute One, and I arrive unscathed.
I startle when the institute comes into view and it’s barren. Don’t they realize we know? Surelysomeone has noticed a missing mermaid that likes to drown people…
It’s too good to be true.
I still risk it, hurrying down both flights of stairs as fast as I can. It’s only when I reach the steel door at the bottom that I realize my error.
The last time we were here, Ocean did some quirky magic trick that I don’t have the facilities to replicate. I slam my palms against the barrier in frustration, rearing back when it creeks open. Blinking in disbelief, I step into the familiar space, my chest tight with uncertainty.
My heart thunders in my chest as I gape at the space, unaware of what I'm supposed to do now. All I know is whatever Thorne is referring to is supposed to be here. How I make that happen, I don’t know.
