Page 92 of Princess Redeemed

I am becoming part of it.

My child is becoming part of it.

The path to my destiny begins here.

I close my eyes, breathe deeply.

And when I open them, I see her.The she-wolf.

Her coat is darker than Rogan’s, black as the void between the stars of the night sky.But her eyes—they are nearly golden, and they burn with something more than instinct, more than hunger.

She stands motionless, those amber eyes fixed on me.

A shiver ripples through me.

Sheknowsme.

Not just in this moment, but beyond it—beyond time, beyond memory.

And I sense the demon within her.The evil.The air around her is thick with it, suffocating, charged with something ancient and unspeakable.It seeps from her like venom.

She doesn’t move, but I feel her presence pressing against me, weighing me, judging me.

Does she see what I am?What I will become?What my child will become?

The wind shifts, rustling the trees, and in the silence between heartbeats, I understand.

I’m not meant to run from her.

But I’m also not meant to chase her.

If it’s a battle she wants, she must come to me.

Only then can I face my destiny.

I suck in a breath, gather the energy that Alara taught me to harness.

I’m here, Eris.

Bring it, you demon bitch.

58

Eris’s eyes narrow,and a soft growl rumbles in her throat.The wind picks up, whipping my hair back from my face.I gather my strength and focus on the energy pulsing beneath my skin.

Then the wolf lunges.

She’s fast—faster than any creature I’ve fought.The world slows down as she leaps through the air toward me, teeth bared and golden eyes ablaze.

But I’m ready.

With a swift movement of my hand, I’m able to slow her aggression.

The power starts in my chest—a low, humming vibration, like the strike of a tuning fork against my ribs.The air around me thickens, charged with my invisible force.

My pulse slows, speeds, slows again, caught between two rhythms—the steady twist of my human emotions and the dark pull of my vampire half.They war for dominance, twisting together, coiling deep in my core.They fight for power until they blend together as one.

Then the fire ignites.