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One seems to get the better of him, getting closer than he anticipated. Talons burst through Loric’s fingertips and slash through the air. They burrow deep into the creature's throat as a low, guttural growl leaves his. It draws the attention of all the beasts, allowing Jesper and Faelor a chance to get the upper hand. The noise cuts through me, forcing my spine straight. It’s feral–inhuman–and it narrows down the list of what he could be to one word.Shifter.
He has to be to grow talons like that, but it doesn’t make sense for him to have other gifts too. And his chloroform breath is undeniable andverypotent. Speaking from experience.
Loric bats away one of the creatures, taking a moment to look over the others, protectively. His eyes, or what should be, lock on where Brenn and I stand. Except where the silver rings once surrounded dark pupils, they’re dark like midnight, speckled with silver. And where his cocky, absurdly perfect smile was is now lined with metallic, pointed teeth.
I swallow hard. Definitely shifter, but I’ve never seen one look likethat.
There have been plenty of wolves and hell hounds held in the dungeons, and Asmo has told me enough information to form a bestiary in my head. Yet, nothing comes to mind. What is he, and why is it such a secret?
“You’re most certainlynotfine, Mira. Don’t lose any more digits, please.” Brenn paces on the sidelines with me, but I don’t understand his place.Why isn’t he helping them?Had it been Asmo or anyone else I cared about, I wouldn’t be worried about fingers. I’d be worried about losing them.
“You don’t see me complaining every time I have to take your sock off.” Mira levels him with a glare, spinning with her sword and bringing the blade down hard against the creature’s head. Blood sprays as it drops lifelessly to the ground.
“Sock? Singular?” I ask, which was clearly the wrong thing to do. Brenn snaps his attention to me, his green eyes flaring until I can feel the heat of his anger putrefying the air.
Crimson drips from Mira’s skin as she closes the distance between us. “He only has one.”
Brenn snarls a lip, looking away. “I’m not being hypocritical. I’m just saying it’ll be awfully hard for you to grip my cock with four fingers, won’t it? It’d be the saddest hand job the realm has ever seen.”
“Why don’t you go help her then?” I snap, knowing he has magic. He has to in order to open the tree canopy like he did. He has the ability to help.
“Excuse me? Do I look brawny to you? I’m a thinker, not a sword-swisher.” Brenn rolls his neck, casting a cynical look my way before eyeing the chaos before us. “I have a peg leg, for fate's sake. Maybeyoushould go help.”
Before I can register the fact one of the creatures is bounding toward us, I’m shoved forward. The ground digs into my palms and the vibrations of the creature’s heavy footfalls travel up my arms. I start to push up, but I freeze the moment yellow eyes rush toward me. All I can do is throw my hands out as I tumble onto my back and large jaws half the size of my body open up above me. I gasp in air, arms recoiling over my face in a weakattempt to protect my head as rows of serrated teeth come for me.
Brenn didn’t just shove me, he pushed me into the path of certain death.
Power surges inside of me, a spark of energy igniting from deep within. It pulses through my veins, filling me with an otherworldly strength. Without conscious thought, dark wisps of magic burst from my hands, snaking through the air. They slam into the never cat, and it flies through the air with a deafening roar. Its thick body collides into a nearby tree with a sickening thud. The creature barely has time to slip to the ground before deflating and crumbling to ash.
My heart seems to cease beating, the air no longer pumping in and out of my lungs. The world around me spirals as the darkness closes in on my vision. I fight to stay awake, to stay alive, but the pull is relentless and unyielding. Somehow, I know this is it. The end.
Chapter 9
Calamity's Other Half
Isit up from the ground, not caring that the leaves are stuck into my long white hair. It’s not often that I get to be in control, but now seems like the perfect time to be. Calamity and I might share a soul–a body–but the girl doesn’t have what it takes to survive in this world without me. That much is certain, seeing as she nearly let us be gobbled up by some fluff ball with fangs.
Twisting my neck, I take in the forest around us. It’s vastly different from where I usually wake up. There are no white walls, nor is their liquid fire raging through our veins to coax me out, to burn me. I suppose I have the bloody teeth to thank for that, since those beauties are what tore me from the depths of her mind, her fear of the beast having given me control.
The unmistakable feeling of being watched settles in, like a single bead of water trailing down my spine. I glance behind me, spotting the white-haired prick peeking out from behind a tree trunk. His eyes are wide like an owl, his jaw hanging open with awe.
Baring my elongated fangs, I let out a deep growl that echoes in my throat. The man’s eyes flash in a fluorescent purple as his creature peers out at me, heeding my wordless command to show itself. Lifting my hands, I wiggle my fingers, eyeing the dark, obsidian talons pushing through the tips of them. My tongue toys with the points of my incisors, and slips over the smaller two on either side of them.
So, I can half-shift on my own. And here I thought the only way for that to happen is with the king electrocuting me.
I shove up from the ground, stalking toward the white-haired man. “You pushed her. You wanted us dead.” My voice sounds like Calamity’s when we speak, but she won’t remember this. She never does.
Brenn… His name is Brenn,I say to myself, eating up the ground in seconds. Brenn doesn’t move, only twists as I round the tree trunk he’s hiding behind until his back is pressed against the bark.
“You… You’re a…” he stammers, swallowing hard enough that the knot in his throat bobs.
“Save your flattery. Considering I can taste the fear wafting off of you, I trust you won’t be doing something stupid again. Yes?”
Brenn’s face blanches as he nods. “You have white hair… And your eyes…”
Shaking my head, I drag in a deep breath. “Did you not hear me? Now isn’t the time for compliments, sheep. Go find your shepard. Perhaps he has your balls, too.” Snorting, I dust my hands on Calamity’s dress and step away from Brenn. The girl has to get better clothes. These won’t do against the elements, and they certainly won’t hold up on our journey. I won’t be surprised if all that’s left are scraps by the time we get out of Solaria.
The clang of metal on bone draws my attention back to the fight. The others are still wrestling the never cats, their facestwisted in determination as they land blow after blow. Though the cats have the advantage in sheer size alone, and it’ll take more than the pointy toothpicks aimed their way to scare them off, they don’t seem to be looking to kill.Interesting.
