Page 16

“Good, Jesh,” Namir approved. “Remember, it should be an extension of your own body. See it like a hand, and it’ll move like a hand.”

“It’s not a damn hand,” Jesh growled back.

My lips quirked upward, just a tiny bit.

Maybe Namir’s was, but my magic certainly wasn’t a damn hand.

“The way you see it determines how it makes itself known,” Namir countered. “When it comes to magic, almost everything is in your head.”

“I can’t make myself turn into a damned wolf,” Lavee shot back.

Namir chuckled. “No, you don’t possess enough for that. But you can still do a hell of a lot with what you’ve got.”

Their swords clashed, and their instructions and arguing continued.

Namir’s words stuck with me, though.

See it like a hand, and it’ll move like a hand.

I held my own hand out, and imagined the shadows that leaked from my skin before my wolf took over engulfing it, forming a hand of their own.

Slowly, my shadowy magic slid out of my pores, wrapping around my fingers.

My lips parted when the shadows conformed perfectly to every line of my palm, wrist, and arm, forming a dark gray, misty glove.

Shock tore through me, and the shadows became a knife in my palm. When that shock turned to terror, the power clenched in my chest.

The monster wanted to break out, to break free.

I grabbed my water bottle out of the box and lifted it to my lips, chugging the liquid down in hopes that it’d drown my panic.

It didn’t remove the feeling altogether, but my stress and fear did fade as I drank. Slowly, my shoulders and body began to relax.

I definitely needed to get away from the city, though.

Far, far away.

Making up my mind to leave later that night, after Namir went back to his castle or back to sleep, I grabbed one last handful of dried food before crossing the now-small clearing and slipping back into the tent I’d claimed.

My black dress was ripped and bloody in too many places to bother bringing it along, but if I was living in the forest, I could do so without an overdress. I would find edible plants to keep me alive, hopefully. Hunting animals was something fae only did in the absolute worst of times, and I had no desire to do that. So, edible plants would have to do.

Maybe I could make my way back toward the inn my friends and I were going to meet at. I couldn’t stay there—didn’t have the funds, or the self-control—but being nearby would mean I could find my friends sooner, if they got there earlier than the year we’d planned.

Deciding that was as good a plan as any, I remained in my tent for the rest of the afternoon and evening, snacking slowly on what little food I’d brought back with me.

I heard Namir moving around after he finished training with Jesh and Lavee, and I finally managed to doze off while he was rustling through the food box, eating.

The next timeI woke up, I felt like a few hours had passed. It was the middle of the night, but I’d slept enough through the day that my internal clock was a bit off.

Listening closely, I tried to see if I could hear Namir moving around.

Nothing.

A few more minutes passed while I waited, just to make sure.

I didn’t hear a damn sound.

Right.