Page 10

Clarissa

I cried out in alarm and staggered backward as pain radiated up my arm.

Chaz was instantly on his feet, and Lark’s shadows swirled at her hands beside him.

Several patrons nearest our table had noticed the commotion.

Drinks clattered and chairs screeched across the wooden floor, gasps filling the air.

Growling and biting back the sting, I ripped the arrow from my hand. My quick healing was already kicking in, thanks to my Shifter half. Blood trickled slowly from the closing wound as I held my hand as steady as I could, when something stuck at the base of the arrowhead caught my attention.

you can’t run

A small note in a barely legible scrawl, its edges ripped and splattered in my blood.

“You need to get back, Rissa,” Chaz ordered, pulling me away from the window.

I crumpled the note in my uninjured hand and shoved it in my pocket. “I’m fine; it’s already starting to?—”

I heard the soft swoosh of another arrow coming from outside the tavern and called on my Shifter instincts, spinning to catch it .

But before I could, a dark wall of shadows appeared before me, enveloping the oncoming arrow. Lark flicked her wrist, and it clattered to the ground.

Mumblings and quiet screams broke through the laughter and clinking of glasses as more patrons jumped to their feet.

“What was that?”

“Is someone shooting at us?”

“We’re under attack!”

Their questions and exclamations rolled over one another, tension mounting. Chaz pulled me to stand behind a wooden pillar, then glanced back at the window. “I’m going to check the perimeter. I’ll be back.”

I didn’t have time to protest before he vanished into thin air.

“Striders,” I muttered. He was from Celestria and had the ability to transport himself from one place to another faster than I could stop him.

I hated when others were put in danger because of me.

When I couldn’t be the one to take action. If anything happened to my friends?—

Lark wheeled herself to face me. “We need to get you out of here. Now. Those arrows were meant for you . I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming out without more guards!”

I scanned the faces of the patrons scrambling in confusion, flexing my injured hand. I could feel the tissue repairing itself. “These people are frightened, Lark. I can’t leave them when there could be danger nearby.”

She threw her hands in the air. “You are their empress . Don’t give me that provisional period nonsense. You are . If something happens to you, this entire empire devolves into chaos. We’ll send a battalion out once we get back to the palace, and they can watch over the area.”

My lips set into a thin line. “It’s because I’m their empress that I have to stay. I have to keep them calm.”

In the next second, Chaz reappeared at my side. “I couldn’t find anyone. I think they left. There were fresh tracks about fifty yards into the woods.” He pointed out the window toward the trees .

“Stride to the palace, Chaz,” I instructed him. “Get a unit of the Royal Guard and have them sweep the sector. Make sure a couple of them are stationed here and other heavily populated areas in the village.”

“What do you want us to do if we find the shooter?”

“Detain them. We can question them at the palace later.”

He nodded and vanished once more. Turning to the rest of the bar, I cleared my voice and called for their attention.

Slowly, the shouts died down, replaced with murmurings as I dropped my burgundy hood so they were able to see my face.

A hush fell over the crowd. Many of them probably recognized me from my time with the Sentinels, before they knew me as Empress Aris.

I’d worked hard to gain their trust. Their loyalty.

We were one people, fighting for one cause, hoping for one future.

“I understand many of you are frightened,” I started.

“But the shooter is no longer a threat. One of my guards has ensured the immediate area is clear of any danger. We have more soldiers coming to watch over the sector tonight. If you will all please stay here until guards come to do a final search and help you get home safely, I’m sure our friends here will make you comfortable.

” I motioned to the pair of bartenders behind the bar.

“Anything they want is on me. I’ll cover all expenses and any trouble this may cause. ”

Dozens of eyes searched mine, and faces began to slacken in relief. I locked gazes with a young woman in front of me and gave her an encouraging smile. “Nobody has been harmed. I promise, we’ll find whoever?—”

Time stopped.

My nose twitched. I heard the faint rustle of dried grass, the quiet kiss of steel slicing through air. But I wasn’t fast enough.

Another arrow came racing through the window.

The young woman before me furrowed her brow and turned her head.

The arrow planted itself in her throat.

“No!” I screamed, launching myself at her.

The entire bar erupted. Blood gurgled from her neck as her body convulsed and fell to the floor. I hastily scooped her into my arms. Her eyes flickered shut, and unintelligible garbles left her mouth.

My chest heaved. It was too late. I watched, helpless, as her chest rose once more and then sagged. Her eyelids fell shut. Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth, mixing with what already coated her neck and chest.

That arrow was meant for me , and this innocent woman suffered the consequences. Sorrow and rage and regret ripped through me and crashed beneath my skin. She was one of mine . One of my people. I was supposed to keep her safe. I was supposed to provide a better life.

I didn’t realize I was crying until a tear dropped onto her cheek. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, body shaking as I wiped a blood-soaked hand across my face.

I gently set her down and rose to my feet. My limbs continued to tremble, but not out of grief.

In that moment, I was pure vengeance.

Lark’s features were ashen as she tried to grab my forearm. “Rissa, we must leave. It’s too dangerous for?—”

I tore from her grasp, a snarl building in my throat. My teeth sharpened, and my claws extended. “I’m going after them.”

“ What ? Absolutely not. That is the worst possible?—”

“Get out of my way, Lark,” I said with a growl as I hurled myself toward the window and shifted, glass shattering beneath my paws.

I exploded into the night. Warm air whipped at my fur. Bolting into the thicket of trees outside the bar, I instantly smelled someone. Salty sweat mixed with a hint of steel and moss. But then, the scent changed. From human to… other .

A Shifter.

I let out a raspy bark as I followed the scent.

They were moving quickly to the south. Grass and twigs crunched under my paws as I flexed my legs and put on a burst of speed.

With the villages and nightlife fading behind me, the trees thickened, and the scent of the oncoming shoreline slammed into my senses. They were heading to the water.

I pushed myself faster, muscles straining and groaning with exertion. I was getting closer. I could feel it. Just a little farther?—

There. I caught sight of a tan tail flailing through the underbrush, maybe thirty yards away. They must have sensed me gaining on them. When it turned its cat-like body, bright yellow eyes met mine for a breath before it launched himself up the closest tree.

A cougar Shifter. Male, by the looks of it, and not a particularly large one. No wonder Chaz found his tracks but wasn’t able to see signs of him still at the bar—he’d probably climbed up a tree to hide.

Two could play that game.

My claws sank into the trunk. I propelled myself forward, dodging branches while keeping my eye on the cougar.

He jumped onto a thick bough and slunk along the edge.

Quicker than I thought possible, he sprang to the right and landed on the tree branch next to me.

His lithe body was concealed by foliage, but my fox sight could make out his shape darting around the trunk.

I knew where he was going.

Eyeing the high branch of a tree directly across from him, I scrambled up and onto a bough facing it, my back legs vibrating with force as I sprinted down the narrow offshoot.

The cougar pushed off from his branch, aiming for the one before me.

My paws left the bark, and I soared through the air.

We collided with a crash, our snarls breaking the silence of the night.

His back hit the hard ground first, and he let out a yowl as his back legs came up and pitched me off him.

I skidded across dirt and leaves before catching my balance and hurling myself at him.

He was bigger than me, but only just. I was an abnormally large fox—I took after my mother, who came from a long line of large canine Shifters .

And I’d fought worse than the likes of him.

I swiped at his nose, my claws connecting with skin and dragging until blood seeped beneath his eye. With a high-pitched scream, he reared up on his back legs and slammed a paw into my side, then lurched for my head with his jaw opened wide.

He was strong, but I was quicker. I slipped from his grasp, ignoring the pain shooting up my left side, and tore at his hind leg with my teeth.

With an ironclad grip, I shook my head until he collapsed, his vicious shriek ringing in my ears.

The salty tang of blood coated my tongue as I bit down harder.

Then something sharp sliced through the back of my neck and down my shoulder.

I released him with a yelp and stumbled backward on all fours. That one felt deep. Breathing through the pain and flexing my right paw to make sure nothing was severely damaged, I barely had enough time to guard against his next attack.

He slammed into me and angled his teeth toward my neck. I knocked him back with another swipe to the eye. When he moved to go up on his hind legs again, I used his precarious balance to dive into his unprotected midsection and fling him to the ground.

All I could see was that young woman’s face. All I could hear was her shallow breaths, her gurgled cries. The vision of that arrow flying and lodging into her throat replayed over and over in my mind.

My sharp claws dug into the cougar’s flesh. I ripped skin and muscle from his shoulder, chunks of fur and blood blinding me in my rage.

It was sometimes easier, being in this animal form. Instinct took over, letting me follow my emotions instead of listening to the rational part of my brain. Hunt, protect, defend, kill. If someone hurt what I called mine, they paid the price in blood. That was how these primal urges worked.

And I could see it so clearly. My jaw wrapped around his neck, tearing his throat from his body, claiming my victory. My vengeance.

In the blink of an eye, the cougar shifted with a whimper .

My paws rested atop a pale man covered in dirt and blood, both mine and his. Light brown eyes filled with pain stared up at me, sharpening into resolve as he waited for me to take his life.

His human life.

I let out a growl as I forced my claws to retract and called back my human form. Delicate hands replaced red fur as I circled my fingers around his neck and kept his body pinned to the forest floor.

“ This is mercy,” I hissed, leaning down so my blonde hair fell over my shoulder and spilled onto his chest. “And it’s the last time I’ll give it to you.”

Lifting the back of his head, I slammed it into the ground. His eyes fluttered shut as he passed out.