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“By that,” Flare said, “he means a hundred times.”
Phantom flushed and stared at my quilt.
A tiny little flame lit beneath my breast.How sweet.Phantom always looked out for me, and I adored that about him. I wished he could stay and comfort me, but that was be selfish, and I couldn’t keep him apart from his father for much longer. But first I wanted more answers.
“What about all those affected by the poisoned apples?” I asked.
“Still immobilized until we can source a witch for an antidote,” Phantom explained.
They wouldn’t last any longer than a week without water. What if the witch they brought in wasn’t powerful enough to cure everyone? Would Grimm and Teeny turn to me to use my magic? It had warded off my stepmother’s dark magic in the collar and against her crows. Was that what had cured me from the poison? Not Phantom’s kiss?
The runes on Flare’s collar glinted with malice in the crystal light, reminding me of yet another problem. Two days remained until Shadow and Flare’s collars choked them. A sickening dread captured my gut.
“The good news is,” Flare said, standing straight, “the pup’s father knows how to deactivate our collars. But we need a witch’s help. So when we rescue Shadow, we’re saved.”
How thoughtful of Flare to think that far ahead. But there wasn’t enough time for everyone to rest and launch another rescue operation. Despair was like a blade to my heart.
“Want to come and have an ale and meet my father properly?” Phantom said grimly.
I’d love to, but not right now. My stomach rolled with worry for Shadow, his family, and the rest of the trapped shifters. What had the guards done to him for breaking into the slave camp? Had they killed my lover? At that thought, I couldn’t stomach a thing. I’d probably never eat again.
“No,” I said, pushing off my quilt and getting out of the bed, the floor as cold as my blood. “I need some fresh air.”
I threw on my cape and searched for my mirror, which someone had placed on my side table. With it tucked into my cape, I said, “Thank you. For saving me.”
Phantom gave me a longing look as I left, squeezing past Flare, who ducked his head. I didn’t even care for my safety anymore. He could turn wild and savage me for all I cared. My mind was tormented by the loss of my lover. Shadow was like a shard of glass from my mirror. How could I exist with a piece of me missing? I wasn’t giving up on him just yet. Whether he liked it or not.
I marched out of my chamber, through the maze of corridors that made up the resistance’s headquarters, and out into the night air drifting through the cave’s entrance. There, I stared up at the stars blinking in the sky, wondering if Shadow saw the same thing, whether he was still alive, and if I’d ever see him again.
My dad used to say things always seemed helpless in our darkest moments. Tonight, this had never been more true. Stars, he also said, were luminesce in the ink of the night, guiding us through the darkness. By focusing on that tiny light with all the hope in my heart, I’d make it through the tough times.
Right now, I needed all the hope I could muster. Hope that Shadow was alive. Hope I’d be reunited with him again. Hope whatever he was going through right now wouldn’t change him for the worse. Hope I could free him and the rest of the captive shifters and destroy my stepmother for good.
“Want company, sweetheart?”
Flare’s voice startled me. I hadn’t heard his swift and stealthy approach.
I wanted to say no, tell him to go away and leave me alone to mourn, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. He and Shadow had been friends once, when Flare worked for the farmer. Flare must ache for the loss of his friend, too, especially after being reunited under such unexpected circumstances in the military training camp.
“Sure,” I said with a sweep of my arm.
Flare took the opposite side of the cave, leaning his side against the rock, displaying his ribbed torso. “We’ll get him back,” he said through gritted teeth.
I hoped so with all of my heart because it couldn’t handle any more loss. From what I’d seen of Flare, he’d fight to the death for his friend. For Phantom and me, as well—two people he barely knew and had disliked at first. What did that say about Flare’s character? In that moment, I decided I wanted him by my side on my next mission. I’d ask him to go with me when I went to find Shadow.
How ironic it must have seemed, Flare and I, the last people on Earth to find comfort in one another on such a devastating day. Together, admiring the stars, lost in our thoughts, we found solace in each other’s silence. In that it was all I needed. It gave me faith that this wasn’t the last we’d see of Shadow or the kidnapped shifters. Or the last time we’d face off with my stepmother and her minions.
“I’ve got a plan, you know,” Flare announced, coming closer.
So close, I pressed my back against the wall. Symbols on his collar glowed fiery.
“To free Shadow,” he explained.
What did that have to do with approaching me? His collar had activated his animal side, and he could kill me at any moment. My stomach flipped at the thought.
“What are you doing?” I panted, suddenly very nervous at his proximity and the bright glow in his eyes, which hinted at his imminent transformation. “Your collar.”
“Fuck it,” he said, grabbing me, kissing me hard and rough, but only for a moment before pushing me away.
Smiling that delicious, cheeky smile of his, he jumped back across the rock to his spot opposite me. For a few moments he breathed deeply, tapping the side of his palm on the wall; an action I assumed he performed in an attempt to calm his inner panther.
“Is that it?” I asked, unable to wipe the grin off my face. I touched my lips, which felt swollen from his passionate kiss. “That’s your plan?”
“No…” He rubbed his chin. “I was thinking tomorrow we leave…”
His voice drifted away as I thought of him, reminded of my own darkness, of the risks I took for the things I wanted. Maybe the darkness in Flare, in me, wasn’t so bad. Out of it came hope, a new friendship, the possibility of something more with Flare and I. With this new confidence, I hugged my waist, wondering if Flare’s plan to rescue Shadow aligned with mine. I’d be ready for whatever Flare’s plans were so long as it saved Shadow.
