Page 28

REN

A s we make our way through the forest, all I can think about is Rapunzel.

She wants me as much as I desire her.

I know it... I felt it in the way she trembled, in the way she brushed her lips to mine before she stopped herself.

My thoughts turn to Prince Theron and a low growl rumbles in my throat. The mere idea of him touching her… owning a piece of her heart makes me want to rip him to shreds.

I told her I wouldn’t touch her unless she asks, but that doesn’t mean I cannot fight for her. I’ll be damned if I let some worthless Stag Shifter from her past woo her away from me without a challenge.

All is fair in love and war. And this is both.

I’ll carve my place so deep in her heart that it won’t matter if she regains her memories and remembers him.

I’ll prove myself worthy of her, and earn her heart.

And when she chooses me, I’ll burn through every memory of him, replace every whispered word, every stolen touch, until the only name that exists on her lips is mine.

If she truly was his, he obviously didn’t love her enough. Because if he did, she wouldn’t have been locked in that tower, alone. If he truly cared for her, he would have found her… fought for her.

I did.

I’ll prove myself to her... show her that I am the better male. I’ll—

A sharp whistle cuts the air, whizzing past my head, followed by a loud thunk. Bark splinters from the tree next to us as an arrow buries deep into its trunk.

My pulse pounds in my ears. We’re under attack.

“Hold on!” Fierce protectiveness surges through me as I veer to the side, quickening my pace as we race through the woods.

“Ren!”

Hoofbeats thunder behind us, and another arrow whistles through the air. White-hot pain flares as it nicks my ear.

The strong stench of sweat, steel, and horses fills the air. Glancing over my shoulder I notice three men on horseback, but I’m uncertain if they’re bandits or mercenaries sent by the witch.

Panic claws at my throat as I push myself harder. I cannot allow them to catch us.

My stride falters and searing agony tears through my shoulder as an arrow embeds itself deep in my flesh, followed quickly by another that sinks deep into my side.

My legs buckle beneath me, and I slam to the ground.

“Ren!” Rapunzel cries out.

The world spins as I lift my head, the taste of iron and dirt on my tongue.

Heavy bootsteps rush toward us, and I release a deafening roar as three men grab her, ripping her away from my side.

Still in my Fox form, I fight through the pain and force myself to stand. Mustering my strength, I charge one of the men, sending him sprawling to the ground. Wrapping my massive jaw around his arm, I jerk my head and send him flying toward a tree.

He cries out but then falls silent as his body hits the trunk with a sickening crack.

“Ren, look out!” Rapunzel cries out as I start to turn back to face the other two men.

Another arrow pierces my flesh, just below my shoulder, and I collapse to the ground as a fresh wave of agony washes over me.

She raises her hands to call forth her magic. Vines explode from the ground, but they quickly fall away as one of the men tackles her.

Finik leaps from her pocket onto one of the men’s face. He screams and stumbles back, before he grabs Finik and sends him flying toward a nearby tree.

“Finik!” Rapunzel yells a moment before he hits the trunk and drops like a stone to the ground.

Rage blisters through me, my paws clawing into the dirt as I force my battered body back up, my muscles screaming in pain. My shoulder is on fire, my side slick and wet with my own blood, as I flatten my ears and glare at the men.

A deep growl vibrates in my chest. “Let. Her. Go.”

One of the men lunges toward me, sword in hand. Panic fills his eyes as I rip the blade from his grasp, snapping the bones and tissues of his wrist and hand like twigs beneath my powerful jaws.

A terrified scream rips from his throat as I sink my fangs deep into his shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone, twisting viciously and sending him flying back. He slams against a tree with a wet thud, crumpling to the ground in a boneless heap.

Rapunzel is still struggling with the last male. Her hands are bound with rope and she kicks out at him, kneeing him in the stomach. He recovers quickly and lunges for her, but she twists out of his grasp.

I growl and his head snaps to me. He stumbles back from Rapunzel, releasing a terrified cry.

He turns to run, but I swipe out, slicing his side with my razor-sharp claws. He falls to the ground, but quickly pushes himself back up. Pulling a blade from his belt, he charges toward my mate.

Surging toward him, I slam into him from behind and sink my fangs deep into the back of his neck until his spine breaks beneath my powerful jaws with a sharp crack.

Now that all three men are dead, I turn back to Rapunzel.

Breathing heavily, my entire body burns with agonizing pain as I stumble toward her and then collapse to the ground. With the arrows still buried in my flesh, I cannot shift back into my two-legged form.

“Ren.” She frees her wrists and rushes to my side, her eyes wide in concern as they travel over my injuries.

The smell of blood is thick in the air and I can barely keep my eyes open, much less lift my head as darkness swims at the edge of my vision.

“Ren, please,” she sobs as she lifts my head into her lap. Finik chitters nearby and I thank the gods that he seems alright. He nuzzles my wounded foreleg as if trying to encourage me to get up, but I cannot. Everything hurts and I can barely move.

A shadow passes overhead. The scent of damp rock and earth fill my nose as wind buffets against me. I look up as a hulking figure with massive wings descends from the sky. Its taloned feet scrape against the earth as it lands on a boulder beside us.

It’s a Gargoyle. His golden eyes sweep over us, their vertical-slit pupils contracting, his expression unreadable as his tail flicks behind him.

Using the last of my strength, I bare my fangs in a feral snarl and force myself to stand. With my head lowered and my ear flat against my skull, I growl low in warning.

He takes a step closer, his gaze locked onto mine.

Gritting my fangs through the pain, I position myself between him and Rapunzel, my fur bristling as every instinct within flares to life with only one purpose—to protect she who is mine.

“You will not touch her,” I snarl.

“I mean you no harm,” he says, voice low and deep.

I bare my fangs, my vision tunneling in on him.

“Get back,” I demand.

His nostrils flare as his gaze flicks over my bloodied and broken form, the arrows still embedded deep in my flesh.

“My name is Thalric, and I’m not here to hurt you.

” He takes another step forward. “I heard your battle and followed the scent of blood. I came to offer you aid, but”—her jerks his chin toward the dead men—“I can see you already dispatched the vermin who attacked.” His golden eyes meet mine.

“You are gravely injured. If you do not let me help you, you will die.”

I can barely breathe through the pain. Darkness gathers at the edge of my vision and my paws tremble as I struggle to remain upright.

“You must help him,” Rapunzel’s voice quavers behind me. “Please.”

I force my head up, locking eyes with the Gargoyle. “If you dare try to harm her, I’ll—”

“I will not,” he replies firmly. “You have my vow. But if you do not let me help you, I fear you will not live through the night.”

I’m reluctant to trust him, but I don’t have a choice.

“Shift back into your two-legged form,” Thalric orders, “so I may carry you more easily.”

Raw agony rips through me, a white-hot explosion and searing through every nerve and muscle. I’m only halfway through the shift when my body locks up in protest and reverts back to my Fox form. The embedded arrows now hurting even worse as they remain lodged in my flesh.

Thalric mutters a curse under his breath, his wings shifting restlessly as his tail flicks behind him. Before I can even react, he strides forward and picks us both up as if we weigh nothing.

Rapunzel lets out a startled cry, clutching at me.

“I know a healer,” he says, adjusting his grip. “I will take you somewhere safe.”

I snarl weakly, my body failing me, my vision tilting.

“If you harm her, Gargoyle, I will end you,” I rasp. “Even if it’s the last thing I do.”

His lips curve in amusement. “Noted, Fox.”

The world sways and my head falls back as I succumb to the pain, and darkness swallows me whole.