Page 170 of House of Crimson Cloak and Silver Teeth

“Be careful, Your Highness. It’s dangerous,” Shade says immediately, moving to place himself between her and me.

His hand tightens on his sword. He’s ready to kill me in a heartbeat if I make any move toward the Queen.

“It’s injured and frightened,” she says quietly.

Rhianelle steps around Shade, approaching me with slow and careful steps. She’s not making sudden movements that might startle me. Her hands are visible and empty, showing she’s unarmed.

This is the Queen whose dark patron nearly killed Aurora and me in that garden. Getting close to her is suicide. I should be fleeing, not lying here waiting for her to approach.

I remember that presence behind us in the tree and the child-like voice, the terror that stripped away every defense. What do we have here? A dog and a cat.

The memory of it makes my fur stand on end. I remember the certainty of death.

But my body won’t respond anymore. The wound in my shoulder pulses with heat. My legs tremble from exhaustion and everything hurts too much.

Something in the Wolven half of me recognizes something in her. Queen Rhianelle is not pack but not a threat either.

She is safe. This person won’t hurt me.

My new wolf brain has decided, overriding every reasonable objection.

“Everyone step back,” she orders without raising her voice. “Give us space.”

“Your Highness—” multiple voices protest, guards and Shade speaking over each other in concern. The objections come from all directions. They’re guards citing danger and basic common sense about approaching wounded predators. She’s ignoring them completely.

Rhianelle raises one small hand and silence falls.

“I know how to handle canines,” she says calmly. “My uncle had a dog named Judge. He’s the biggest wolfhound in all of Aelfheim. We were best friends. I’m not afraid of this one.”

She’s lying…

My Wolven ears pick it up clearly. I can sense the subtle tell that accompanies deception. Her heartbeat increases a fraction.

The girl is scared as fuck. But her voice stays steady and her face remains confident. If I weren't stuck in this wolf form, I’d believe her completely. She’s a good liar.

“Everyone back. That’s an order.”

The guards reluctantly retreat.

They step back in unison, giving her the space she demanded. All except Shade, who hovers close enough to intervene if I so much as twitch wrong.

He moves with her, staying within striking distance. His sword is still in its sheath but his hand never leaves the hilt. He locks his attention on me completely. I’ve seen that focus before, directed at targets moments before he killed them. Every muscle in his body is coiled, ready to explode into violence.

Rhianelle kneels just out of lunging distance.

She lowers herself to get closer to my level.

“You’re hurt,” she says softly. “That shoulder needs treatment.”

The garden is quiet except for my labored breathing. Each breath is a struggle, rasping through my throat.

Rhianelle kneels beside me in the dirt, her silver hair falling forward as she examines my infected shoulder. The wound has gone bad. It’s black at the edges, radiating heat that makes my whole body burn.

“How did you even get here?” she murmurs, more to herself than to me.

I want to explain that the blood on my muzzle isn’t all mine. But all I can do is pant, tongue lolling out like a common dog.

“Shade, bring food from the kitchen. And water,” she says without looking back at him, her eyes fixed on me.