60

I was trying to make myself forgotten. As the party raged on, I stayed still, and tucked myself half-behind a statue of a dragon by the entrance.

Her hold was loosening.

I could feel it. It wasn’t intentional—she was just drunk and distracted. Susceptible to the same mistakes that we all made, it seemed.

Adrian, a little unsteady on his feet, approached the dais and offered Corrine his hand with a dramatic, playful bow.

Corinne laughed, though I couldn’t hear it over the din of music and noise, but I could imagine the sound when she threw her head back. She accepted his hand, then drained the rest of her wine and followed him down to the dance floor. He swept her in close, and then I lost sight of them as they disappeared into the raucous crowd.

The music picked up even louder, faster, and cheers erupted as the Fae realized their queen and general were dancing with them.

Then I felt it.

She slipped.

The control dissipated to barely a touch. I turned on my heels and bolted out of the open front doors, as fast as I could, moving quickly and silently over the grounds before anyone could notice I was gone. I didn’t even a risk a glance back at the damaged castle, still brightly lit with Fae power.

The grounds were soft and muddy under my paws as I raced through and toward the tree line. I kept my eyes fixed on the forest, ignoring the piles of bodies rotting in the mutilated garden, and the smell of decay poisoning the crisp night air. It wasn’t until I was under the cover of the trees that I slowed down.

I paused at a clearing in the forest and lifted my nose to the sky. I swiveled my ears, carefully listening for any sign of being followed.

There was nothing. I was alone in the forest. Even the usual rustling of animals in the underbrush was muted, as if the battle had driven all the wildlife from their homes.

I closed my eyes, took a slow breath, and then shifted.

It was a slower process than usual—I struggled to bring forth my human form after so long in my wolf shape, but after a few breaths, I was standing on two bare feet, naked in the middle of the forest. I shook out my hands and stretched my arms overhead, then took a few steps, testing my balance.

“Okay,” I said gently to myself. My voice was scratchy with disuse. “Okay. I’m okay.”

There were no wolves in the palace, other than those left for dead on the grounds. I had to believe that Elias had retreated back to Frasia—the alternative was impossible to imagine.

He had to be in Frasia. He had to be preparing the wolves to return and strike again.

Right?

I took a deep breath of cold night air. I couldn’t think too far ahead. All that mattered right now was that I make it back there alive.

I shifted back into my wolf shape and took off at a run, heading toward town. If I was going to make it to Frasia, I needed supplies. I wasn’t sure if there was anywhere safe I could go—but there was one place I was willing to try.

I made my way through the silent streets of the town outside Shianga. What was once a bustling place had been reduced to a shell of its former self. The streets were empty, and some doors of the taverns and shops stood open, like the residents had left in a desperate hurry. The silence was not the silence of the night, but of absence. It was eerie. I crept through the streets with my ears low. Guilt chewed at me—this was my fault. This trip was supposed to avoid an outcome like this. I’d thought Elias and I were going to make our mark as diplomats, building a new relationship between Frasia and Shianga. I’d accepted Draunar’s terms to avoid a battle like this.

All this suffering. All this death.

Corinne had to pay. I would be sure of that.

I made my way down the familiar narrow alley just off the town square. The blue door of the bookstore still stood, and behind the dusty, dirty window, a light glowed faintly.

I shifted back into my human form. It was easier this time—like now that I needed to be human, it was easier to draw that shape forth. It was almost instinctive, like regaining my balance when I stumbled. Uncaring of my nudity and the dirt on my hands and feet, I knocked rapidly on the door to the shop.

“Gulde!” I called in a low voice. “Gulde, are you in there?”

The door opened a crack. Gulde’s birdlike nose appeared in the visible space, and his small eyes narrowed behind his thick glasses.

“We’re closed,” he hissed, then blinked, eyes widening as he realized who I was. “You—it can’t be. Your Highness?”

“Please,” I said. “I’ve just escaped the Fae, please, I need help.”

Gulde pressed his lips together in a thin line.

“I understand your hesitation,” I said.

“Hesitation?” Gulde snapped. “Your wolves have been slaughtering dragons for weeks.”

“Only after Draunar took me as part of his hoard,” I said. “The Fae queen, too. She’s taken her revenge.”

“I’m aware of that,” Gulde said, then, “You were in his hoard? That’s why the wolves arrived?”

“Please,” I said again. “The queen will realize I’m gone soon. I’ve been her captive. I need to get back to Frasia and fix this.”

Gulde sighed and stepped away from the door, ushering me in. From behind the counter, he pulled a heavy cloak and tossed it to me. Gratefully, I wrapped it around my shoulders and sat in one of the small chairs by his roaring fire.