Page 27 of The Wolf and the Chimera (The Witch and the Cowboy #3)

Elle

The shower’s water scalded my skin, but I was grateful for the burn. It masked the mortification that still heated my face.

I couldn’t believe how I had thrown myself at Ryder, but after the way he had looked at me in the arena—with pride, not worry—something in me had craved him in a way I had never wanted anything.

Was Ryder right?

Was this craving the result of my animal form and my human form finally being one?

I rubbed my tired face and groaned.

Tomorrow, I decided. I’ll figure it out tomorrow.

Now, I only had to stay in the shower long enough until I was certain Ryder had fallen asleep.

His rejection wasn't what drove me to hide. I had felt and seen and smelled exactly how much he wanted me, and my desire had matched his own. I truly wasn't sure how he had stopped.

What stopped me from facing him was that he was right.

Though my powers were free here, I had never been more out of control.

When my skin pruned and the water became lukewarm, I clambered over the white lip of the tub and wrapped myself in a plush towel from under the sink.

Sitting atop the glittering, black quartz countertop was a neatly folded stack of linen that I hadn’t remembered spotting before I had gotten in the shower.

I picked up the fabric and realized there were clasps on it.

“A chiton,” I mused.

Ryder must’ve brought it for me, so quietly I hadn’t heard him enter the bathroom. His thoughtfulness tightened my chest. He had known I wouldn’t want to put my sandy, blood-stained clothes back on and had brought me something clean to sleep in, even after how I had fled from him.

Why give him to me? I asked the universe.

As I struggled to wrap myself in the ancient Greek garment, it was a question that plagued my thoughts. Ryder was fearless and powerful and under that rough-edged exterior, kind.

Why give him someone so lost and scared and vulnerable that she didn’t even understand her own power or inner beast?

From what I had come to understand, mate bonds could not be revoked or changed. Just as I was bound to him, he was bound to me.

The steam cleared, and I glimpsed my reflection in the broad mirror. Dark circles hung under my round eyes, and the chiton drooped over my soft, feminine form.

I couldn’t glimpse the woman I had been in the coliseum—the one Ryder had seen as an equal, instead of a damsel, but I wanted to find her. I needed to find her, not only for him but for myself.

You will, I vowed to my reflection. You will find her, and you will put an end to fate’s twisted games.

?? ?

I ran my fingers across the waist-high, gently swaying grasses and basked in the sun’s warmth. The blue sky and golden plains stretched for miles and miles, interrupted only by the dark-haired witch before me.

Much to Ryder’s annoyance, Circe had appeared in our room before sunrise and instructed me to get dressed. For a moment, my skin had itched with the need to shift, but as soon as I realized we weren’t in danger, the need had evaporated.

It was odd to suddenly share my mind with a beast.

Grateful for the chance to escape Ryder after last night’s incident and the lingering lust from sleeping by his side, I had dressed quickly, and Circe had brought us here. My stomach still churned from the trip.

“Do you know why I’ve brought you here?” Circe asked.

I studied the red dirt mounds, endless skyline, and Baobab trees. My beast prowled under my skin and raised the hair on my neck. Though irritated to be separated from her mate, the creature was intrigued by the new scenery.

“These plains,” I said, “they’re the perfect climate for a lion.”

Circe nodded. “Exactly. Tell me what you smell.”

I took a deep inhale. “Earth? Lots of dirt and grasses—”

“No,” Circe clipped. “Use your other sense of smell.”

I swallowed. “I don’t really know how to shift.”

“You can access your keener senses without shifting,” Circe assured me. “Haven’t you seen your mate do so?”

I nodded and closed my eyes to concentrate, but my chimera disappeared. Searching for a muscle I had never located, I reached for her, but nothing happened. My skin didn’t prickle, my power didn’t heat my veins, and my senses didn’t sharpen. Time stretched, and I grew uneasy.

“It’s not working,” I said and gritted my teeth.

“Just think about what you want,” Circe advised, “and take a deep breath.”

C’mon, I told my inner beast, all I need you to do is smell .

As power warmed my veins, hope lightened my heart. Smiling softly to myself, I took another deep breath and—

Smelled absolutely nothing more than I had before.

When I opened my eyes, Circe frowned.

“You heightened the wrong sense,” she said. “Your eyes are glowing.”

For a moment, I scanned the horizon. I spotted dust motes dancing on the air and the veins on distant, vividly green leaves. I blinked, and the sharper vision dissipated.

“Aren’t lions supposed to have worse eyesight in the sun than humans?” I asked. “Their night vision is what’s superior.”

Circe nodded, and her voice was hard. “Helios is the one who blessed chimera’s with sharper daytime vision, which is why I wanted you to hone your sense of smell, to better connect with the roots of your animal forms.”

She tapped a manicured finger against her lip. “I suppose, however, we could tap into sight, if that comes easier for you.”

Circe snapped, and the world plunged into darkness. The moon shone through thick clouds, and I could barely make out the details of Circe’s white and golden chiton.

“See,” the witch commanded.

I searched the darkness for the distant tree but found nothing. Again, I strained to use that invisible muscle and called for my inner beast, but nothing happened. A flicker of amusement rolled through me that was not my own.

“I can’t,” I said, “I can’t get it to listen!”

Circe sighed. “ It?”

“My inner…beast,” I said, “my chimera. I think it’s purposefully keeping its powers out of reach.”

“Hmm,” Circe mused. “Maybe the creature needs stronger motivation.”

Suddenly, the witch disappeared. I squinted in the darkness.

“Circe?” I said.

Something pounded against the earth, so powerfully, it shook beneath my feet. I searched for the oncoming adversary but found nothing in the darkness. A trumpet blared, then another echoed it.

Not a trumpet, I realized. An elephant call.

Desperate for its strength and senses, I reached for my chimera. My alarm brought my magic to the surface, and I latched onto the heat coursing through my veins.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by a thick, musky scent that blew from my left. The heightening of my sense lasted only a second, but I didn’t waste time trying to summon it once more.

I ran.

Pumping my arms at my sides, I raced through the thick grass. The elephants’ feet thundered behind me louder and louder.

Not fast enough, I thought, I’m not fast enough.

My heart beat wildly in my chest, and my lungs burned from the force of my inhales, but still, my chimera didn’t stir. As I ran, I reached for it again and again.

Why? I asked it. Why are you going to let us die here?

The creature didn’t answer, but I sensed her retreat deeper into the recesses of my mind. I crested a hill and barely side-stepped its steep face. My ankle twisted in the process, but the pain was overwhelmed by an all-too-familiar sense of helplessness and dread.

Despite the show of dominance in our test, my chimera clearly didn’t care whether I lived or died now. Maybe she didn’t believe Circe would actually let harm befall us, but I didn’t share her faith.

Or maybe saving our life wasn’t good enough motivation for her.

If you ever want to see Ryder again, I thought, now would be a good time to help me get us the hell out of here.

An elephant trumpeted again, so loudly my ears ached from the sound, and my chimera surged into action.

Glorious strength and heat coursed through my veins. My vision sharpened, and I viewed the world with harsh clarity. Instinct guided my steps. I leaped across holes and rocks with swiftness I could never possess as ahuman.

As I hurtled over a fallen branch, the world shifted beneath my feet, and I careened into warm sand.

As the breath was knocked from my lungs, my chimera’s strength disappeared.

Without an ounce of supernatural grace, I rolled across the ground.

When I finally lurched to a stop, I growled at the familiar shadow towering across me.

Spitting sand out of my mouth, I braced my hands on the ground and forced myself onto my feet. Wearing a bemused expression and picking at her perfect nails, Circe stood over me.

“Can you move on to working on your daylight magic,” she drawled, “or do you need to take a break?”

Though she asked it casually, I recognized her question for what it was—another test. The witch had put me through hell and wanted to see if I would resent her for it or rise to the occasion. Judging by the look on her face, she expected me to do the former.

I dusted the sand of my clothes and lifted my chin.

“I don’t need a break,” I said.

The witch flashed a rare, genuine smile.

“Then let us continue,” she declared.