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Especially the prince, as she is his.

In all my years with this twisted creature, I’ve never spoken to him; I was unaware that was even a possibility.

He stalks toward Garrett as he backs away, eyes wide, hands raised as if to show he’s not a threat.

He has no idea what my beast is capable of, or that he doesn’t care if he’s a threat or not; he will kill him.

Hurting him will hurt Serena.I say in a rush, and my beast pauses, considering my words.

With a huff, he stops his advance before shocking the hell out of me and handing the reins back over.

He shifts without a word, the searing pain enough to leave me gasping for air as I once again stand in front of Garrett. Most shifters get used to the shift, and the pain decreases as they bond with their beast. Something I’ve never had because I can count on two hands how many times I’ve shifted in the last five hundred years and still have fingers left over.

“Damn, that hurt,” I pant, bracing my hands on my knees as I try to breathe through it without ending up on my ass.

The book I’d gone back for sits at my feet, and while my beast wasn’t happy to see Garrett, I am.

“I need your help.” I grab the book and flip through it for the information I need, and I’m almost shocked when he moves forward, looking at the book over my shoulder, seemingly ready to help without complaint.

I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life without question or complaint; my life never had purpose… Until I found her, alone in the woods.

I didn’t know it then, but she changed everything, made my life worth living.

I owe her so much. Nothing will ever be enough, but this might be a start.

Death has never scared me. Some nights, I prayed for it, convinced it would be better than the miserable life with my father, but I was wrong. It was all worth it just to know her, even if I don’t feel that any length of time with her will ever be enough.

I might not be afraid of death, but for once, I have a reason to live. She has blue eyes that shine like their own personal stars, skin so creamy white that it looks like a painting from the gods, a body that is soft but strong, and I love the feel of her in my arms.

She is everything.

Garrett and I are quiet as we fly back toward the outermost wall, where the others are still fighting. I can hear it from here, but the need to see her, to see with my own eyes that she’s still standing, pushes me to fly faster.

The moment we clear the second wall, I’m scanning the ground, looking through the destruction of the whole district, which now crawls with chimeras. It’s a miracle they’ve kept it contained for so long. We just need to hold out a little longer to see if they will, in fact, follow us away.

My father is long gone, letting others handle his battles, like always. First it was me, now it’s Lyle. My father is many things, but stupid isn’t one of them, unfortunately, which means he took Theo.

There! In the center of chaos, surrounded by chimeras, she stands unafraid, and I’m left in awe. Everything inside of me screams to go to her, but I know she doesn’t need me; she doesn’t need any of us.

Her shadows have grown since I left. It is no longer just her eyes that are black or the veins that spiderweb from them down her cheeks. Her fingers are long and clawed, black from the tips of her fingers up to her elbow, the dark veins moving up the rest of her arm, over her chest, and up her neck. Pitch-black horns have sprouted from her forehead, at her hairline, curling up and away from her head. But beyond all of that, the most noticeable thing for me is her wings.

They are no longer shadow replicas of mine, though they are incredibly similar. These are larger, almost sweeping the ground and towering over her, and unlike mine, there are no holes.

Before our eyes, she is becoming darkness.

“What’s happening to her?” Garrett asks, and it takes me a moment to remember he’s talking to me.

“I don’t know, but we need to go.” I don’t wait for a response, instead flying toward Serena, gritting my teeth at the desire to reach out and touch her. To scoop her up in my arms and fly away. The only thing that stops me is knowing that’s not what she would want.

“Follow us. Let’s see if we can lead them away from the castle,” I shout as I fly low over her. Serena's head snaps up at the sound of my voice, and I have to swallow around the lump in my throat as a smile curves her lips.

She shoots up into the air, the chimeras seemingly forgotten as they move to their next target.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought something was wrong.” She looks from me to Garrett, her eyes checking to ensure we really are okay.

She should be terrifying like this, or at the very least, no longer adorable. Somehow, that’s just not true, though. Serena is not only still cute, she’s still just as caring.

I return her smile, unable to stop myself. Nothing can make Serena change. She’s just good through and through.