Page 93 of Beast and Remedy (The Last of the Heirs #2)

Taking Hold

O ur friends and family offer to search the castle, Jules changing and readying to find us should they locate Marian inside while we navigate the woods. Veryon and Hugo agree to monitor the party with Tove’s help to ensure everyone remains preoccupied in our absence.

Splitting up was our best chance of covering more area.

And I couldn’t let anyone near me. Not even Beau, despite how hard he argued against it.

We fought in front of the others, Marcel the one to understand my reasoning, probably from Jules, and convincing Beau I would be more than fine on my own.

I pull up my dress and tie a knot into the side, allowing my legs ample room to move, even with uncomfortable footwear. And the more I walk, the more annoyed I grow with my shoes, eventually discarding them completely.

A small sense of peace washes over me when my feet touch the forest floor, and I inhale the fresh, earthy scent mixing with pine and cedar.

But panic surges across my nerves, and my bloodstream seeps with fear, riling my magic.

My power stirs with each step, sensing the turmoil of my mind and my heart. Needing an escape.

The latter constricts my chest as I heave through the late evening, scanning every tree, every bush, every aspect of the surrounding forest.

I can barely contain the beast within as I hold a lit torch and survey more of the woods for Marian.

Leo and Marcel’s voices carry through the night as they holler her name, and I don’t pick up any sound of Beau or Jerrick near them.

Jules’s cousin has known Beau since a young age, like me. The two men bonded over hunting and ruling, and they use those skills now.

Predators hunting for prey.

Prey I do not wish to see harmed. I can only hope and pray to the Makers Beau or I find her before the King of Palaena does.

I don’t know what powers he possesses, and I don’t trust him as easily as Beau does.

Especially since he threw a dagger at my bear form all those years—

A bush rustles to my left, and I gasp, clutching my chest.

The very person I was dwelling on reveals himself with an arrow drawn.

King Jerrick halts, his ice-cold blue eyes calculating.

My magic thrashes at the threat, pushing against my limbs to change. The burning sensation erupts in my veins, and I clench my muscles, drawing them tight.

No, not now. Don’t shift. Please don’t shift.

“Apologies,” Jerrick says, lowering his bow.

Air returns to my lungs, my gifts cooling as he drops his defense.

He scans our surroundings. “Where did you come from?”

I gesture behind, and he peers past me.

Jerrick takes a slow breath, assessing something before he steadies his bow. “Thank you.” He steps back into the bushes without any other word, leaving me dumbstruck.

That was… odd.

My heartbeat thrums in the quiet, the only noise I hear, and the faint scent of citrus floats on the breeze.

Beau .

Tilting my head up, I cannot resist following the smell, its presence growing more prominent as I drift farther into the woods.

I search for any movement, signs of life, or sounds beyond my own breathing.

The torch light reveals nothing, and the heat of the flame caresses my skin, buzzing in tandem with my power. It scratches underneath my flesh, the impending warning urgent.

But I can’t shift yet. I need to find Marian, get her to the castle, and give her the cure.

Then I can change.

Steeling my focus, I close my eyes and tune out my heartbeat. I listen to the eerie forest, tapping delicately into the magnitude of my magic to guide me toward a trail I could track.

Claws themselves rip apart from my knuckles, power singing.

I bristle as it sweeps up my spine, the heavy weight stealing my breath. Clutching my chest, I fold over, gasping.

I wrestle the force trying to escape, pushing into my own consciousness once more and force my claws to retract.

Shit.

I know I haven’t shifted in a while, but please, Leander, give me a little more time. Please do not curse me. Keep my mind sound and me in control to find my sister—

A hushed voice stops me.

My eyes jolt open, and I spin to the direction of the sound.

Taking another step, and then another, I make out a second voice. Higher. Feminine.

Marian?

I pick up speed, darting through the trees as the noise grows. The distinguishable timbre of Beau calms me as I hear him speaking to my twin. He found her.

Relief swirls in my chest, my body lighter and a soft smile forming—

“You are too late! You can’t help me. Deities, you can’t even help yourself,” Marian says.

My heart stops, and I falter, halting.

I hide behind a bush, unsure of who is armed as I listen carefully.

“Marian, if you’d let me heal you,” Beau pleads. “This is the infection talking.”

Marian cackles, long and dragged out. It’s so wicked it snuffs out my power and lets fear drag me down.

“This is not the infection talking. This is me, removing another stupid monarch who doesn’t deserve their gifts. Another monarch who steals the power instead of sharing it.”

“Marian, what are you—”

THWACK !

I cover my mouth as I gasp.

Someone grunts, and the other hisses.

I don’t know who is who.

Tremors rack through my body, my knees wobbling. I reach for my gifts to give me strength, but it’s quiet—silenced by the horror of my loved ones sparring.

Readying my breath, I gather courage before I make my move and break through the clearing, stilling.

Blood fills the air as Beau pulls out the arrow lodged in his arm as Marian launches. They collide and fall, Beau wrestling and evading her attacks, pain evident in his features as my sister’s vicious hysterics grow.

“You’re going to die!” She claws at him and tries to bite him. “Just like Mama.”

Beau freezes, his eyes widening, and Marian knees him in the groin, laughing maniacally. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

He grunts in pain as I drop the torch.

Air rips away from my lungs, my heart racing and my mind screaming at me to breathe.

Beau and Marian meet my gaze, and my sister laughs bitterly. “What? You thought it was someone else?”

I remain quiet.

Unmoving.

Unfeeling.

My vision turns spotty, Marian’s words ringing and echoing in circles around me.

“You killed your own mother? Why?” Beau asks underneath her.

She snarls through a vicious sneer, kneeing Beau again.

He yelps, tortured and stuck, as Marian grabs the bloodied discarded arrow faster than I can follow and shoves it into his shoulder.

She twists it and puts her weight into driving it further into Beau, reveling in his agonized bellow.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Marian asks, her carnivorous scorn turning on me. “Mama always preferred you to me.”

Her brown irises are dark and bloodshot, her breathing long and drawn out. Bubbly saliva creeps out from the corner of her mouth as she licks her lips.

This is the virus. It has to be.

A chilling anguish seeps into my bones, grief rippling through me at her sinister laugh.

Beau’s pained expression remains still, not knowing if she is speaking the truth.

Yet her crazed eyes hold mine, a terrible image— nightmare —as she grins wider. Her mannerisms turn skittish, frantic as she grapples for control.

“Every moment of every day, I wanted her to treat me like she treated you,” she seethes. “We are twins, after all, so I never understood why I felt neglected.”

The infection is killing her. It’s already reached her mind…

I furrow my brows, trying to reason with her. “Mama loved both of us, Mar—”

“She didn’t!” she hisses, pushing the arrow deeper into Beau’s shoulder, nailing him into the ground so he cannot move.

Beau roars, the sound permanently searing in my mind as I scream, “Stop, Marian! PLEASE !”

She holds my stare, her hands remaining on the bolt as Beau thrashes beneath her. “Everyone has always loved you more, Vi. And I never understood why. No matter what I did, no matter what hobbies I pursued because Mama did, or our friends did, our family did, everyone always preferred you .”

Beau’s eyes find mine, remorse and regret lined in them.

My heart caves in before I blink quickly, hardening my gaze on my twin. “You know that’s not true.”

“Oh, but it is! The shadows and whispers confirmed it themselves.” She grimaces, disdain and hatred oozing from the bite in her voice.

“And I thought if we both gained power, the balance would shift. But when I began attempting to learn and prepare for my magic, Mama started casting me aside, refusing to let me see her use her gifts. So, I tracked her down, confronting her before she shifted.”

Shadows and whispers… She mentioned that earlier…

Warning words reverberate through my skull.

Be careful of the shadows.

Is this all a farce?

I glance at Beau, trying to make sense of this, and I immediately regret looking.

He struggles, blood seeping from his injury as he mouths, Get her to talk .

I face my twin, my words stammering in my tightened throat as I piece together the possibility. “Y-Y-You did—”

“I did,” she confirms with more certainty. “And you want to know what she said?”

She sneers. “She told me I didn’t deserve to know. Didn’t deserve to have any knowledge about magic because it wasn’t going to pass down to me, anyway.” She points at me, accusatory. “All because you were born first.”

Vicious cruelty seeps from her lips. “So, I tested her word and acted before she could transform. And as I stood with nothing happening, I knew I was robbed. I didn’t even get a morsel of it. And it was all your fault.”

“My fault?” I startle, my mouth gaping. “You killing Mama is my fault?”

“Did me pushing you off a horse alter your ability to see things clearly, Vi?” she asks with disapproval. “Or was it when I messed up the medicine for that wolf?”

I flinch, and she smiles sardonically, a slow realization settling itself deep in my core.

Did she really start this all ?

Rage, full and heavy, floods my body.

“This whole time—” Beau’s voice cracks, his golden-honey irises locking on mine.

I lift my hand to caution him and keep him from being hurt further.