Page 25

Hana

O h my God, I want to scream! And then, I want to sob and wail and curse. I want to beat my fists against Vuk’s rock-hard chest then turn around and throat punch the Ed Sheeran look-alike that keeps grinning at me.

But I don’t. Because acting out won’t change anything.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being an Army brat, when you get delt a shitty hand and things happen you don’t like, you can kick and scream and be bratty, but that’s only going to get your ass whooped.

So instead, you handle the situation with maturity and make the best of it. Often, it’s not as bad as you might have initially thought.

I’m sitting in the back of the cave, on the far side of the hot spring.

I told Vuk and the wizard I needed some time to get a handle on this.

Unfortunately, time is quickly running out.

No one has said so, but somehow I instinctively know I have until the sun rises to get my head on straight.

Thanks to my new lycan-senses I know how close to the horizon the sun is, and it’s coming fast .

I have a feeling this situation isn’t going to fall into the category of not as bad as I think . I’d say there is a good chance things will get much worse before they get better. But what exactly am I going to do about it? Throw a tantrum? Or protect the people I love.

So, I focus on the second part. Not because I’m trying to be a martyr, but because I could never live with myself if I put my family in danger because I was being selfish.

I only wish I had some way to get a letter or a message to them.

To let them know… Know what, I’ll be okay?

Will I be? I have no idea what this new future has in store for me.

What would I say to them if I could? I could tell them not to look for me, but I was last seen being chased by a wolf. There is a mauled billionaire somewhere in the forest that someone is eventually going to find.

Of course, my family and friends are going to think the worst. I wish there was a way I could make this easier for them. The thought of my parents grieving for me, worrying I suffered some horrible death, sends more tears spilling down my cheeks.

Time to get it together, girl. Closing my eyes, I fill my lungs with a deep breath. I hold it for as long as I can before slowly letting it out in a steady stream.

With quick strokes, I wipe the fresh tears from the short fur covering my cheeks, stilling when I catch sight of my unfamiliar hands.

I hold them out in front of me and wonder if I’ll ever get used to having fur and claws?

Being six feet tall isn’t bad, though. Although walking around butt-naked is something I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.

When I asked Vuk about that, he assured me his people wear clothes, and our nakedness is only temporary.

He promised me he'll make sure I’m properly outfitted as soon as we get back to his plane.

I crawl to the edge of the warm spring and look down at my reflection. The first time I saw my reflection was a shock, and I rocked back on my heels and cried. Now I lean in, examining my reflection closely. Hoping it’s the darkness and water distorting my features making me look hideous.

Vuk likes how you look.

Vuk doesn’t get a vote, I snap at my inner voice that’s only trying to be helpful, but is choosing the wrong damn side.

Leaning closer to the water, I examine every inch of my new face.

My hair is still the same, although a wild mess after a night of rough sex and being chased through the forest. My face…

is still my face. My eyes and nose and mouth, all familiar while being slightly different.

My claws are much smaller than Vuks, more feminine, but still deadly. Same with my feet.

“Hana,” Vuk’s voice is soft, yet carries clearly across the cave.

Times up.

I let out a shaky laugh when I realize that not once, while I sat here, did I contemplate what might happen if I didn’t go with Vuk to his home plane.

Because I’ve already made my decision, and it was surprisingly easy.

I needed to… mope about it, I guess. Or maybe I needed some time to mourn my old life.

Pushing myself to my feet, my unhurried strides take me back around to the mouth of the cave where Vuk and Wizard are waiting for me.

“Alright, lass. Are ye ready to go, then?” Wizard asks as I stop beside Vuk.

Looking up at the giant beast beside me, I reach for his hand and thread my fingers between his. “Yeah.”

“Wonderful,” Wizard says with a clap.

There is a flash, and the hunter’s severed head appears, clutched by his hair in Wizard’s fist. His face is twisted with pain, blood dripping to the ground from his neck stub.

“Oh, shit!” I groan as a wave of nausea threatens to choke me. Vuk pulls me against him, shielding my eyes from the grisly sight.

Wizard gives me a sympathetic look. “Sorry. The portal needs blood, and since we don’t have a sacrifice this time, there must be an exchange.” He holds up the head. “He’ll have ta do.”

Wizard turns away from us, waving the arm not holding the severed head as he chants. The words are foreign and creepy, but it’s the way the air around us begins to thicken, sending my hair standing up on end from an unseen energy.

Vuk holds me tight against his chest as Wizard’s voice crescendos and his words come faster. Whipping up an icy wind, stirring dirt and leaves into a cyclone that dances around us. Turning my face into Vuk’s chest, I close my eyes against the swirling grit.

And then all at once it all stops, leaving the forest deathly silent, not even the wind dares make a sound.

Slowly, I peek one eye open, then the other one.

Wizard is nowhere to be seen, but in his place is a swirling portal of blue and black and silver.

I look up at Vuk the same time he looks down at me, and a wordless conversation happens between us.

Are you sure? He asks.

Yes, I’m sure. Is it safe? I reply.

I’ll keep you safe. Whatever it takes. He promises.

Then we’re moving forward, together. Hands clasped tightly. When we are right in front of the portal, something reaches out for us. It grabs us, sucking us inside so fast I don’t even have time to open my mouth to scream.

Then everything goes black.