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“Bloody hell.” He thumped a fist on the desk, causing it to crack. With an elegant leap, he soared over the desk while unsheathing his claws. He wasn’t a condottiero, so he needed his partner to turn, but even in his half-beast form, his sheer size and raw power were impressive.
He rushed past me and out of the office, barking orders in a deep, raspy voice. I tried to follow him, but hell, my head burned, and a strange nausea churned my stomach. Nathan must have put something in my tea to make me fall asleep.
In the span of two minutes, the manor was crawling with soldiers, guards, and beasts. Orders were shouted, and searchlights were turned on. Even Miss Hammond was running from one side of the corridor to the other, carrying stacks of papers and shouting people’s names. I ran downstairs and then outside, not knowing what to do. But I couldn’t sit in a corner and wait for the chase to unfold, could I? The nausea churning my stomach eased, thanks to the fresh air. So, I summoned my beast to the fore. She came out reluctantly, perhaps annoyed by me having scolded her.
As I was running along the perimeter in my half-beast form—quite useless if you ask me—Roy’s panther flashed into view through the woods. I sprinted in that direction. If there was someone who could find Nathan, it was him. Other beasts stalked the woods. Their presences weren’t as strong as Roy’s inside me, but my beast sensed them because they were all tense and angry.
The smell of the wet soil filled my nostrils. There was pine resin and mushrooms, and something else metallic and pungent like gunpowder or bleach.
A deafening bang rent the air. Then another. The earth shook. Orange light lit the night with a blaze. I dropped to the ground, covering my head with my arms as debris rained over me. Another bomb went off, causing my ears to ring. When the sound of the blast echoed in the woods, but the shaking had stopped, I lifted my head and gazed around.
The manor was in flames, and a fire was blazing from the other side of the woods. Oh, my goodness. A curtain of smoke spread everywhere, covering the manor and the trees around me. I picked myself up and ran in the direction Roy had taken. Twigs snapped under my feet. Low branches scratched my skin and tugged at my clothes. Bushes of stinging nettles caught the fabric of my trousers.
Roy’s heady scent reached me before I saw him. He was dashing towards me, mighty paws clawing the earth.
“What’s the—”
He pounced and smashed against me, merging with me at the same time. A roar from deep within me heralded the rising of my beast as Roy and I turned into our fawn tiger. We sped up through the woods, our movements in perfect synchronicity. I didn’t have to think about moving in time with him. It just happened. Without hours of training. Without drama.
“Roy, what’s wrong?” I asked, his worry enveloping me.
“Take cover. There’s another bomb,” he said, his words echoing inside my head.
“Another bomb? The manor has been damaged and—”
The explosion blasted from behind us. We leapt towards a group of rocks jutting out of the soil. A warm blast of air shuffled our red and black fur and scorched our skin. We remained hidden behind a boulder, my ears buzzing again. Roy’s presence wrapped me in a safe cocoon as he took the brunt of the impact. When only the peal of the sirens reverberated from the manor, we stood up.
“Are you injured?” Roy asked, his concern seeping into me.
“Not a scratch. Nathan?”
“Gone. He was prepared for a quick escape. He disappeared before I could reach him.”
“How many bombs are there?”
He exhaled. “Who knows?”
His tension and anxiety left a bitter taste in the back of my mouth. He was tired. Exhausted and worried about me. His guard was low, judging from his thoughts swirling close to the surface. Excited by the chase and the fight, his beast sought out mine. The presence I’d felt last time we’d merged came forth. Glimpses of Roy’s past flashed in front of me—him playing soccer with his twin brother; the two of them swimming in a lake, laughing; them sneaking inside a theatre to watch scantily dressed girls dancing on a stage; them lying on the same bed, talking in the darkness; them blowing out the candles on the same cake, a young Ashcombe watching them with approving eyes. Love and happiness burst from those memories. It was a Roy I’d never seen, the one who laughed and played like a normal boy, who loved his brother and would die for him. In another memory, Roy and Lukas were standing, one in front of the other, in the pouring rain, sadness and sorrow—
“Dammit, Kristin.” With a shove, he split us, causing me to fall to the ground. My shoulder burned when it hit a tree root. “Don’t probe me.”
I let out a scoff as I staggered to my feet. “I didn’t do it on purpose. It happened. It’s your beast that shows me things.”
Face blackened by the smoke and skin glistening with sweat, he stood in front of me, panting. “Hell, did I hurt you?”
“Yes.” I snapped, rubbing my shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He touched my sore spot, his fingers gentle. Before I could say anything, he lowered the neckline of my shirt and kissed my shoulder. Instant relief washed over me as his soft lips and warm tongue stroked the sore spot. My breathy moan rang out. Swallowing hard, he adjusted my shirt. “Better?”
I nodded.
“Let’s go back to the manor.”
“Roy—”
“It’s not the right moment, Kristin.”
I scoffed. It was never the right moment for him.
