Soldiers carry two caskets ahead of me into the Goddess’s temple, but I only keep my eyes fastened on the one that holds the body of the only man I’ve ever loved. The only man I’ve ever kissed, even. I was supposed to marry him today. The wolf in my soul raises her snout to the sky and gives a l
My breath pants from my lips as the wind and darkness rips around us. We only travel for a few terrifying moments before my feet hit hard against stone and light returns to the world, however dim. I groan in horror at what I see – at the black sky that stretches for miles in all directions over t
I jump and blush when the bartender clears his throat, because I’d been so busy staring at the tall, broad-shouldered stranger that I didn’t even notice that the bartender arrived. “All right, little lady,” the bartender says, smirking at me and leaning against the bar. “What’ll it be?” “Um,”
I groan when I wake up in the morning, immediately clutching my pounding head and rolling over in the blankets that are spread beneath me on the bathroom floor. I pant a little, working my sticky tongue in my mouth, desperate for some water – but god, every time I move it’s agony – I moan, disgu
“Who the hell are you!?” I shout, horrified, stumbling back. “I’m – I’m the wolf!” the boy sputters, gesturing at his tall, lanky form which is indeed made up of the same shining blue and white light as the wolf. “You’re a guy!?” I gasp, appalled. “I…yeah?” he responds, giving an awkward sh
And then, to my distinct pleasure, he sighs and turns around. “Good boy,” I murmur, making him laugh and shake his head again as I drop my wedding dress to the ground. The moment I get into the bath, I take a deep breath and duck underneath the steamy water, sinking all the way down to the depth
Anton murmurs. “Whatever this is, you agreed to it – you should have gotten more details.” I glare over my shoulder at Anton and see him obligingly covering his eyes with his hand, intuiting that I’m going to get out. I hesitate for a second because…I mean, his hand is transparent.So, what the hell is covering his eyes going to do?But Anton’s eyes are shut, so I sigh and turn, climbing out of the tub, trusting his intent more than the details of his physical form. “Tricked or not,” Anton sighs, “you’re in a competition to marry a guy and you don’t even know who he is?”I wrap my towel around me as I step out of the tub and knotting it high above my breasts before I reach for another one and start to dry my hair. “But that’s all I’ve got. I mean, you’re dead – doesn’t that give you insider information or something?”“No really,” Anton says, dropping his hand and looking up at me as I continue to towel off. “I think the Goddess kind of…snatched me before I got to wherever dead people
About two hours later – or at least, that’s how long I think it is, I’m not sure I fully understand how time works here yet – I bunch the folds of fabric in my hand to lift my skirts as I climb the stairs towards the palace entrance. Anton trots at my side in his ghostly wolf form, glancing up at me every other second, as anxious as I am.“Well, at least I’ve got a pretty dress,” I mutter, looking down at the sweep of dark fabric that trails behind me. The dress – whoever sent it clearly made it just for me. It closely hugs what curves I have before plunging low on my chest and sweeping out into full flowing skirts that ripple on the marble steps behind me.Anton gives a little huff of agreement and cheerfully snaps at the fabric with his ghostly teeth, making me laugh. He approves of the garment – he made that quite clear with his abundant praise in the room, telling me how much it suits me and sets me off at an advantage.Still, I have to admit that I feel a little underprepared for