Keira barely registered the shriek behind her as they collided into a frenzy of claws and fangs seeking out the blood running beneath thick pelts. She reveled in the feeling of her fury coursing freely through her. The scent of blood washed away the memories of that wretched place, of her own helplessness. Though she was careful to avoid his cursed bite, she savored pain as Knox’s claws raked into her skin. The sensation was better than the numbness in which she had existed for… she wasn’t even sure how long. Best of all, the potency of her rage was enough to drown out even the heart wrenching betrayal that threatened to overcome her.
They broke apart, flanks heaving, wounds bleeding onto the scuffed wood floor. Knox’s haunches tensed, and Keira bared her fangs, readying for him to pounce, hungry for it. Before he got the chance, Gareth took the opening to plant himself between them.
Knox’s focus shifted targets, and he growled at his new challenger. Keira knew what would happen next. She’d seen it before. Too bad Knox’s wolf had a steeper learning curve. Lilith appeared from behind her brother, locking her arm around his neck and driving the needle into his fur. He collapsed, barely catching himself on his clawed hands as the elixir did its work. Within a moment, he was a man again, an unconscious one.
The room turned to her as her bestial form faded. She could hold it no longer as the surge of adrenaline began to fade.
“I’m going,” Keira growled, looking from Gareth to Rhea, who had come to stand beside him, blocking her way.
“You’re too weak to go alone,” Rhea said firmly. “Recover and plan with us. We can help you.”
Keira snorted, shaking her head against the blackness that was indeed crowding her vision. A tremor went through her muscles. She hated the weakness even as it swelled, growing undeniably within her.
“We’ll do everything we can, Keira,” Florian said from behind her.
Keira’s attention turned. His expression was forcefully calm as Yvette cowered in the corner behind him.
A spark of reason worked through her mind. If Lord Redfield was behind this, if Yvette was trusted enough to know his intentions…. How else could she have known what he’d done with her? Why would she look so afraid of her unless…
“You,” Keira’s voice sliced through the air. “You did this!”
At her will, branches sprouted from the oak paneled wall, twining around Yvette’s frame.
Florian looked back in horror as Yvette struggled against them, shrieking in panic.
“Keira, stop it!” Florian shouted, whirling on her.
“Tell me she didn’t do this to me!” Keira ground out, fighting against her own mind as it threatened to cave to the darkness.
Florian grabbed Keira’s shoulders with a harshness so unlike him, it was almost enough to sway her from her fury. “We never would have found you without her.” He shook her. “Let her go!”
Stubbornness clung to her, despite his rare insistence. Everything she had suffered could be drawn back to this person, and suffer she had. Beaten, humiliated, imprisoned, and all the while, Caspian was slipping away.
When the vines receded, it was not because she had reached a decision. They loosened as the last reserves of her strength faded. No matter how hard Keira fought to stay above the surface, she was falling further within herself. The last thing she knew was Florian’s arms catching her before she hit the floor.
The next time Keira woke, it was dark. The library was lit by a single oil lamp on the desk. A small table had been dragged out beside her with a plate of food and a pitcher of water. Keira looked at it dispassionately. Days ago she would have gorged herself in a heartbeat, probably made herself sick. Now the idea of eating anything made her want to gag.
“It’s not poisoned.”
Keira’s eyes flicked to Yvette, who was sitting in an armchair that had once been by the fireplace but had been repositioned to face her. She froze, fighting between the urge to finish what she’d started and curiosity as to why Yvette would give her the chance.
“A meal might do you good,” she said, “especially if you intend to go on another rampage.
Keira snorted as she lifted herself up on shaking arms. It was almost humorous, the guts it took to taunt her this way, especially after she’d seen what she was capable of.
“Caspian didn’t abandon you,” Yvette said, her tone turning from sarcasm to sincerity.
“He’s marrying her,” Keira countered. Her throat was so dry her voice cracked.
Yvette shook her head. “I’m like you, you know. My magic, it’s not born from nature as yours is, but from the mind. I used it to alter his memory. He thinks you left on your own. He doesn’t know-”
“You did what!” Keira snapped. Caspian thought she had left him? Again? It was like a lance through her heart to imagine the pain he must be in. The torment they had both suffered, and he didn’t even know why. The impulse to wring Yvette’s neck flared once more, but in her wretched state, even her anger was draining.
“Whatever I did, it didn’t stop him from loving you,” Yvette explained. “I know that I… I ruined your happiness, his too. But that’s why I left. I risked everything to be here, to make things right.”
Keira stared her down for a moment more. “It isn’t right until this wedding is put to a stop. If he goes through with it…” his fate would be tied to another, forever.
“It’s in less than two days,” she said, looking her over pointedly.
