Page 95 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

Swallowing down the fear, and bile, rising in my throat, I nock another arrow. When I go to aim at the next wolf, yellow eyes stare back at me, causing me to momentarily freeze. Exhaling a shaky breath, I force myself to release the arrow, watching as it sinks into the center of the wolf’s forehead.

Two down, two to go.

Without taking my eyes off our pursuers, I shout, “Don’t stop! Just tell me if I need to leave any of them alive!”

“No,” Mariane snarls, tightening the grip she has on the front of my belt. “Their corpses will send a clear enough message.”

While I ready yet another arrow, Stephan barks a laugh. “That they will.” I’m grateful for the hold on my belt when I’m nearly unseated as Adaman suddenly leaps over a fallen log. “Sorry, Vannaria! Didn’t see that one!”

“It’s alright!” I shake my head and quickly readjust myself.

Once I’m no longer in danger of falling to my death, I release the bowstring. Another yelp, another lifeless corpse falling to the forest floor.

One wolf left. The one I’d purposely saved for last. My stomach roils violently and my hands are shaking so badly I’m barely able to pull a fresh arrow from my quiver. One last wolf... With shining black fur and piercing golden eyes.

Muscle memory takes over. Tears burn my eyes, but I ignore them, nocking the arrow with practiced ease. I lift the bow. Channel a bit of magic into it, just to be sure. And then…

I choke back a sob as the arrow pierces its chest.

My only consolation is that the body of a man is now lying face down in the dirt, not a woman. If it had been…

“Stop the horses!” I call out, my voice trembling.

As soon as Adaman slows to a trot, I leap off his back. Dropping my bow to the ground, I stumble toward a nearby tree, where I immediately proceed to lose the contents of my stomach. While I continue to vomit, an arm wraps around my waist and a familiar hand pulls my braid over my shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “It…”

“I know.” A metal flask appears in my periphery. “It’s rum. I stole it from Stephan last night.”

My fingers are still shaky as they wrap around the offered flask. “Thank you.”

“No. Thank you.” Mariane presses her body against my back. “If it weren’t for you… If you hadn’t heard them sneaking up on us… Thank the gods you’re an elf.”

An unexpected chuckle slips past my lips. “Indeed. These ears have saved us more times than I can count.” My gaze drifts over my shoulder to where our mount is patiently waiting for us. “Although I’m pretty sure Adaman would’ve told us they were there, if I hadn't noticed them first. He’s ridiculously perceptive for a horse.”

Giggling softly, she brushes her thumb across my cheek, wiping away a tear I hadn't even realized I’d shed. “Makes sense, considering you both have long ears.”

“Fair point.”

Her brief laughter trails off and her brows furrow in sympathy. “Are you alright now, or do you need a bit more time?”

“I’m alright. Just need to wash away the taste of vomit first.” Pulling away from her, I take a sip of the rum and swirl it around in my mouth before spitting it back out. “Remind me to ask Stephan if he has more alcohol next time we stop. I’m afraid I’ll likely be needing quite a lot when we get to Zaris.”

“Oh? Why is that?” I disguise my wince by lifting the flask back to my lips and drinking deeply from it. She frowns, clearly noticing my attempt at deflection. “Vannaria. What’s in Zaris?”

Letting out a pained sigh, I avert my gaze and mumble, “Just more painful childhood memories. Nothing that will pose any added danger to our plans, as far as I’m aware.”

Mariane steps forward, wrapping her arms back around my waist. “As if I care about any added danger. I care about you.”

“Please…” I lean my head against her shoulder. “I’d really rather not talk about it now. But, I will say that it’s where I met Slivo. Perhaps those memories will be enough to…” I trail off as the very memories I’d been hoping to avoid flash in our mind.

Hands grabbing hold of our arms and legs. A black out hood. Rope cutting into our skin. A loud splash.

*Godsdammit Vann!* Rayne snaps, her voice filled with pain and terror both. *Quit fucking thinking about that shit! Fuck!*

“I’m sorry, Rayne,” I whisper, momentarily forgetting to respond internally.

Clearly having heard me, Mariane sucks in a breath. “Vannaria, I understand you don’t want to talk about it. But… Is Zaris where you drowned?”