Chris snorted, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Patrick.”Patrick laughed, clapping Chris on the back. “Tell you what,” he said. “When this is all over, we have to have a real drink together. Then we can decide if we’re friends or not.”“Deal,” Chris agreed.
AvaThe gentle purr of the boat’s engine and the lapping of the dark water against the hull were the only sounds breaking the eerie silence of the night. I shivered, drawing Chris’s coat tighter around my shoulders. The air was crisp and breezy tonight, cooler than it had been as of late.“Are you c
“I’ve got eyes all over town,” Patrick explained as he switched between feeds. “Any sign of trouble, and we’ll know about it immediately.”For the next few hours, we took turns watching the feeds, our eyes straining in the dim light of the cave. The town remained quiet, the streets empty save for th
AvaI woke to the soft sound of rustling of fabric and the gentle padding of bare feet on stone. Blinking away the last remnants of sleep, I saw Chris dressing in the dim light of the cave. His muscles rippled beneath his skin as he pulled on his shirt, and I laid there, watching quietly as he dress
When he was done, he turned back to me, his eyes roaming over my form as if committing me to memory.“Put on your nicest dress for the party tonight, okay?” he said, a hint of a smile playing at his lips.I raised an eyebrow as I climbed to my feet, standing on the edge of our bed, my hands on my hi
ChrisLeonard and I shifted back into our human forms as we reached the edge of the warrior camp, the sound of conversation, the snarling of wolves, and the clashing of metal against metal filling our ears. The air smelled like smoke and meat and sweat, a stark contrast from the cool morning breeze.
AvaI crouched low in the underbrush, my heart pounding as I watched the battle unfold. The clash of metal against metal rang out across the field, mingling with the snarls and howls of wolves locked in combat. Some warriors fought in their human forms, wielding spears and swords with deadly precisi
Without hesitation, I threw myself into the fray. Chris’s eyes widened in shock as he saw me, but there was no time for explanations. We fought side by side, our movements somehow perfectly in sync despite never having battled together before.“Ava,” I heard his voice through our Mindlink between at