Alistair and I exchange looks. This is the first time I see genuine, chilling dread in his eyes, much more intense than that time we saw the guards in the marketplace, and in turn it makes my heart go crazy with fear.
Knowing that people are after us is scary, but not knowing what gave our whole operation away is what makes me want to cower in the corner.
The footsteps grow louder, closer. Alistair grabs my hand and steers me along the hall, kicking open the first door we see and rushing inside. There’s a window in this room, and it seems that it’s exactly the thing he’s looking for, because he immediately jumps on the bed and pries the window open before turning back to me.
“Come on,” he urges, beckoning at the window. “Let’s go.”
My panic reaches its peak. “What?”
“Let’s jump through the window.” He pulls me on top of the bed with ease. “Come on.”
I h
My instincts kick in. The moment Alistair takes a step forward, I swerve to the right, hoping to avoid his direct attack. Unfortunately, his reflexes are much sharper, much more accurate than mine. He changes direction seamlessly, meeting me perfectly halfway as I try to get away from him.Now he’s directly in front of me, and I have nowhere to go.“Alistair, calm down,” I say breathlessly. “Please.”He swings his right hand, which is now a fully fledged paw tipped with sharp, pointed nails. This move would have reduced my face into bacon strips, but I manage to duck at the last moment. His paw hits the tree and slashes four deep lines on the bark. The impact is so strong that some of the smaller twigs fall off, causing a shower of leaves and little shrapnel to fall on us like a cascade of rain.I take this as my chance to go around and hide behind a tree, but his heightened senses allow him to track me down. Just as I stay f
Alistair used to run with a pack. He used to have his own family, his real family, yet all he wanted was to give humanity a fair chance to be truly prosperous, for no one to be left behind.Yet the Palace Guards, led by my very own Father and Uncle, attacked them for absolutely no reason. Now alone, Alistair created a group for himself and is vowing to do whatever he can to make his vision a reality.And now here I am, the heir to the throne, working alongside the one who wants to bring down the entire system.The sheer shock of this realization pulls me out of the vision in one go. All sorts of thoughts are swimming inside my head, sometimes making sense but most of the time jumbled. I’m teetering over the edge, rendering me almost sick as the momentary darkness settles in again. Just when I start to think I’ll throw up, I find myself back in the clearing with Alistair in front of me, slowly turning back to his human form before my eyes.He b
"I didn't do anything," I say immediately, which makes Jossie's expression darken even more. "We were just—""Gynith, Briar, please look after Alistair and make sure he doesn't bleed too much in preparation of our journey back to the camp," she commands without looking at them. "Come with me, Lora."She grabs my wrist and leads me to the side of the clearing. Her gaze is so sharp that I just want to cower, to cover my eyes so I won't see her anymore. But of course, she makes it impossible for me not to see. She stands before me, squaring her shoulders as though preparing for a fight."Jossie, I'm so sorry." I bite my lip. "I didn't know it would happen. We were just talking before I went and looked for you and—""Did you find the scroll?" she asks, her tone fairly calm. When I nod, she sighs. "Did it turn out to be fake?"I nod again. "He got mad."“I figured.” She massages her temples. “What did you do?”
I don’t know what came over me. I don’t know what compelled me to kiss Alistair just like that. What I know is that it’s a bad idea that would probably backfire later, but right now I can’t stop. I can’t pull away. The gravitational pull that he has on me is undeniable. The moment my lips touch his, a war in my head begins.But the battle ends right away once he starts kissing me back.The world vanishes, gets reduced into this tiny space between us, right down to the movement of our lips and the warmth of our breaths. I can smell him, the sweet scent of something I can't quite put my finger on. I graze the back of his neck with my palm, my fingers digging into his hair, and he reaches out to cup my face, his thumb resting on my cheekbones. His touch is light, as gentle as the wind and as soft as the traces of water teasing the soil.The flutters in my stomach turn into a full fledged buzz, like a thousand fireflies lighting me up f
The Demika Circus disguise is on. The carriage with its colorful banner is the first in the long lines of small carriages pulled by our strong horses. We’re on the fast track towards Gailis, and even though the journey is long, our crew is pumped with energy.It didn’t take any hard convincing to leave immediately. The moment Briar shared the news, Alistair was on the move, instructing everyone to pack up faster and load the carriages.“About eight miles, and we’ll finally be in Gailis,” Alistair announces, sitting in front of the carriage and steering the horses. He glances at all of us who are inside, flashing a smile. “You guys excited? Because I know I am.”“I would be more excited if we’re on steady ground,” Gynith says, sulking in the corner hugging her knees. Jossie told me that she tends to be sick whenever they’re traveling, and right now her face is in an awful shade of green. “I f
With one last scared look at all of us, Jossie steps forwards and exits the carriage. Then she helps Kalem follow, with Gynith closely behind him. The trumpets continue to pierce the gloomy morning air, making the birds fly and scatter from the trees that surround the road. Briar jumps out of the carriage while Alistair stands by the door with a flinty glare aimed at the approaching Royal Party.And here I am, petrified.“Come on,” Alistair urges even though he himself is reluctant. “Let’s get this over with.”I nod and come with him as he steps out, but I can barely feel my own heart beating. So many thoughts are running in my head. What if they see me? What if they see him? What if we get caught and they find out who I really am?The Royal Party pulls level with us, and in perfect sync, we get to our knees and bow for the King and the Queen. However I sneak a glance up, just to satisfy my longing, just to see my father. And
We’re underwater, yet there’s fire everywhere. On my skin, on my lips, all over my body. And when I feel Alistair’s fingertips brushing the sides of my waist, I almost lose it. I gasp, but his lips close over mine, kissing away the soft sounds and breaths that escape me. A blazing trail is left at the spots he caressed as his hands slide on my back, gently tracing the length of my spine until he cups my bottom and pulls me towards him. I feel something hard and long pressing against me, and a thrill invades my heart when I realize what it is. I bob up from the water, wrapping my arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. I’m drowning in him, slowly losing myself in the warmth of his skin and the firmness of his body. I’m moving with him as he starts to kiss me more urgently, his hands going from slow and gentle to needy and hungry. And as I get submerged in the sensation of him, images start to flash in my head. I see a big black wolf in a f
“Alistair!” His name escapes my lips as I rush to catch him, but gravity gets there ahead of me. He’s splayed on the ground, his eyes shut but his mouth slightly agape, the red gash on his chest still soaking his shirt with blood. The sight of it makes my stomach turn, not out of disgust but of pure, cold fear that engulfs my body in one go. I get to him a millisecond too late, and when I’m finally kneeling by his body, my brain freezes up. What am I supposed to do now? Will I worsen his bleeding if I move him even a little? “Please help him.” I turn to Briar, but he’s already on his way. On the other side of Alistair, Briar kneels, quickly taking Alistair’s arm and draping it around his shoulders. Then, in one go, Briar lifts him up. “Take his other side, Lora. We’re close to the camp anyway.” He’s right. We are close, but every step carrying Alistair’s limp body is complete and utter mental torture. It feels like the camp is still a long way