AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 5
Bree
He’s dangerous,Bree reminded herself.And he’s full of chaos, just like all the others. He probably thinks Prince Taveon is some kind of hero for capturingme.
Hell, he might even be a supporter of King Midas, which would make him pretty much the exact opposite of the kind of male Bree could ever be attracted to. Still, she kept her eyes on his chiseled jaw, those bright silver eyes, and that body corded with some seriousmuscle.
“Hello, Bree.” He flashed her a smile, one that was almost blinding compared to the one that Taveon rarely showed. “My name is Rafferty, although you may call meRafe.”
“Hello,” she saiddumbly.
He let out a chuckle. “If you are wondering why I am here, I am a shapeshifter. And I have been assigned to train you on how to control the shift and on how to controlyourselfwhen you are in your alternativeform.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “So, you’re aRedcap?”
She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. The Redcap virus had originated from the Dark Fae’s realm after all. Still, she hadn’t expected to encounter any of themhere.
“Oh no. The Redcaps of our realm are not shapeshifters. Our beasts are merely beasts, much like what humans become when they are infected. They begin by being able to transform their bodies, but when the beast finally takes over, they are gone. Only the Light Fae have enough immunity to withstand the venom enough to shift formsindefinitely.”
“Right,” she said slowly. “Because of theStarlight.”
The Starlight flower was a plant only found in the Winter season of Otherworld. It was difficult to find and required trekking through snow-covered mountains in order to find even one flower. If an infected human took the Starlight, they would be saved as long as the disease wasn’t too far along. They would no longer have the beast within them, and their lives could continue on as ifnormal.
Bree had been human when she’d been infected by the beast. And she’d taken the Starlight. But instead of being cured, she had become something else. She had become a fae, one who still held the beast within her, and one who wasn’t controlled by its vicious rage. No one understood why or how it had worked differently on her, but Bree had a sneaking suspicion it was because she hadwantedto become a LightFae.
“Of course. Although if a beast here took the Starlight, I do not believe anything would happen. They are creatures of rage. They are notfae.”
“Some might say that all Dark Fae are creatures of rage, and I can’t see much of a difference myself. Not when you had a King like Midas. And not when your Prince is...well, anasshole.”
Rafferty stared at Bree for a long moment, his glittering silver eyes piercing right into her soul. It made her shiver, in spite of herself. She hated that he could see that this one look of his could get toher.
“I must say that I am surprised the Prince has not better warned you of what might happen if you speak so brazenly in front of the wrongfae.”
Bree shiveredagain.
“You are lucky that I have such a close relationship with the Prince and that I myself find the actions of King Midas and several of his allies to be what you imagine us all to be.” A pause. “But you are likely to lose your luck at some point. King Midas’s supporters slither through this castle still. And they will eat you alive if they hear you say a word against theirKing.”
Bree lifted her chin, keeping her gaze locked tight on his. His words had shaken her, and especially his eyes had made her feel like a trembling mess, but she wouldn’t let him see just how much he’d gotten toher.
“I thought you were here to train me on shapeshifting, not lecture me on courtlymanners.”
His eyes widened at that, and he let out a low chuckle. “Very well. It’s your head on a stake. Notmine.”
“So, what kind of shapeshifter are you anyway?” Bree asked as she eyed up Rafferty once again. She couldn’t help herself. There was something so...mesmerizing about the way he moved. She realized that it was similar to how Norah moved—graceful, like a dancer. Only he radiated a kind of physical power that made him seem far more lethal than that. “Acheetah?”
He grinned. “No, my form is much more useful than that. I shapeshift into araven.”
Bree blinked at him for a moment, thinking he was somehow joking with her, even though he didn’t really seem like the joking type. But he wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t evensmiling.
He couldn’t beserious.
“A raven?” She shook her head, taking a step away from him. “You do realize that I transform into amassive wolf beastwho can rip people to shreds within seconds, right? How can you possibly protect yourself if you’re abird?”
“I have no intention of doing anything of the sort.” He stretched his lips into a wicked smile. “I’ll remain in my fae form while you become the beast. And I can assure you that I am perfectly capable of protecting myself against anythingyoucan throw atme.”
Bree didn’t miss the emphasis he placed on the wordyou. So, he thought she was a weakling who wasn’t a threat. She’d found him attractive at first, but she was starting to get that punching urge she got around thePrince.
“You do realize that I’m notmewhen I become the beast, right? I’m something else. A monster. You can downplay it all you like, but that doesn’t mean I’m not dangerous. I doubt Prince Taveon would have wanted me to come here and train to fight for him if he thought I washarmless.”
