Page 6 of Unraveled (A Kingdom of Beasts and Ruins #1)

The beast’s magic wraps me in a cocoon. Like a bird of prey, he cuts through the air, reaching for me with the sharp talons that must serve for his hands. His arms coil around my body, and he plucks me from the rooftop as if I’m weightless.

“L-let me go!” My tongue feels thick from his magic, the words coming out slow and slurred.

Bullets cut through the sky, and the beast swoops over the edge of the building, his wings tucked close. We plummet through the air, hugging the outside wall.

I can barely breathe.

The cold bites my skin, leaving it numb, as the cobblestone gets closer and closer. I can’t hold on to anything, but my muscles tense as I prepare for impact.

Fuck . I’m going to die on the same street my father did.

The beast spreads his wings, and my body jolts as we level out to soar through the air, only ten feet away from the road below.

“Stop screaming,” he says sharply.

My heart lurches to my ears, and I stare at him, unblinking. Since when can beasts speak?

At the sound of his voice, something pulls in my gut, like a string wrapped around the center of my being, sending molten heat through my veins.

I would recognize the lingering notes of old parchment anywhere. Magic? It has to be, and it burns as much as it feels pleasant, like bathwater that’s a little too hot.

I don’t have the luxury of thinking about it beyond that, not when he is taking me away from Penumbra and the safety of the veil.

Does the high-pitched sound of my screams bother him? I test my tongue on the roof of my mouth. It feels normal and I may be able to form words again.

“What will you do if I don’t stop? Are you going to eat me?” I ask, unable to hide the sarcasm in my tone.

He meets my glare, and everything around me quiets.

But I can’t stop, not even if his magic has taken my limbs hostage. “We both know you’re already planning on doing that, so I’ll scream as much as I please—unless you let me go.”

He tilts his head to the side and lifts a brow. “And if I let you go, little human, will you stop screaming?”

I nod, trying to not let my expression show the spark of hope blooming inside me. Perhaps this beast can be reasoned with.

“I enjoy making deals,” he says, and his lips tilt into a slow, wicked smile. “If I let you go, and you don’t scream, then you will be free.”

Before I can ask him what he means, his arms uncoil from around my body and I drop. A scream rips past my lips, drowning out even the sound of air rushing past as I free-fall.

From the corner of my eye, I spot a blur of darkness trailed by gold. The beast cuts through the night as if he’s made of nothing but shadows and scoops me up before I hit the ground.

Bile burns the back of my throat as I gasp for air. His scent is all around me, earthy, like pine needles and moss. And I hate that I don’t hate it.

“You screamed the entire way,” he declares before clicking his tongue, giving me a clear view of his sharp white teeth. His voice sends shivers down my spine. “Now be quiet.”

I try to push him off. To speak. But every inch of my body is now completely frozen, again.

Shivering in his arms, I take in his features. From the feathers fanning out from the middle of his high cheekbones—iridescent black like spilled oil, stark against his pale skin—to the golden markings, like glowing tattoos, stretching from his eyes down to his jaw.

He flies faster toward the crack I saw him carve in the veil. From here, with the frigid wind burning my ears and the loud beating of his wings, I can’t even hear the bells ringing in the distance.

The red glow of the blood moon shines over the treetops that are the home of the beasts. I’ve never left Penumbra, not even before the veil existed to protect us from them. Though admittedly, I remember little of my youth.

My stomach hardens as I focus back on his face, on his thick lips, trying to find the sharp teeth that will cut through me once we’re clear of the veil. Is he going to devour me while I’m still alive? Beasts have done so to others before.

His canines are slightly elongated but hardly enough to truly tear through me. Perhaps he’s planning to drop me from the sky, like he did before?

He glares at me sideways, surely called by my staring. My blood grows colder.

I turn away. My thoughts race as I study the sprawling city below. If I don’t escape now, I’ll die a horrible death out there like so many others have. But I can’t move to hold on to the beast, much less fight him.

The library comes into view through the thick mist. Its spires stretch toward us. An ember of my power comes to life, simmering underneath my skin. I’m not a helpless damsel; I can wield flames and study magic in languages I don’t know.

I can escape him.

Spells are simple, threads of magic woven together, and I’ve spent years studying them. If I push aside my fear, I could unmake the one paralyzing me.

Some magic threads are the glue that binds more powerful strands together, and that binding can make a weapon. The beast’s spell can’t be that different from what I’ve been training for.

I take a deep breath, ignoring his tightening grip on me. I want to live. And to go back to the library, to the grimoires that feel like home. Minutes separate me from my fate, and I must unravel his spell before he realizes I might know how to break free.

Chasing the magic threads takes much longer than I expected. At first, I feel their humming energy. Then, I chase the pull of his power and the warmth it offers.

When I open my eyes again, the tight threads of red-and-orange magic wrapped tightly around my body are visible to me. From here, the crack in the veil is massive. This beast must be extremely powerful if he could do that on his own.

The air shifts, and suddenly, we’re crossing the city’s edge, moving beyond the threshold and into another realm. A foul stench claws at my senses, the reek of decaying flesh clinging to my nostrils. The veil smells like death.

Nausea builds in my stomach as the forest greets us. The pine trees are eerily beautiful, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The moonlight bathes everything with a touch of red, like the gods are bleeding over the treetops.

A thick white mist covers the ground, and I need to time my escape right if I’m to survive the fall.

My teeth chatter with the cold, calling his gaze back to me and sending a fresh wave of fear through my veins.

“Why are all humans so fragile?” He glowers at me. His lips—strangely human for something so otherworldly—thing slightly as we shift in the air toward the trees, catching the warmer air beneath.

Even in the freezing night, I feel the fire of my anger bloom in my chest once again. Fragile? Sure. And that probably means he considers me harmless as well.

The hum of my amulet reminds me with a small voice who I am. I close my eyes and reach for the threads of his spell. At first they zap me with an intensity I recoil from, and for once, I’m grateful he paralyzed my body so I can’t physically react to the pain.

My skin tingles as my power seeps into my veins, loosening the beast’s grip inch by inch. I hold my breath, fearing he’ll feel my limbs twitch as I regain control.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask.

The beast looks at me like answering would be a waste of the air he breathes.

We descend through the night, the branches of ancient trees brushing under us. Our proximity to the ground makes my heart hammer with hope; it’s now or never.

Summoning every ounce of my latent power, I conjure a fire spell from deep within, feeling the raw energy heat my palms as embers fly from my fingertips.

The beast’s face snaps to my hands. “What are you?—?”

I scream, knowing the sound will be unwelcome, and unleash my flames upon his chest. His brows arch as a strained noise escapes his lips and his arms shift around me, his long talons digging into my flesh.

The smell of singed feathers is strong, and I slam my elbow into his stomach. He curls forward with a gasp and releases me.

I twist in midair, extending my arms as I call forth gusts of wind to buffer my descent. My amulet glows bright red, warm to the touch.

The world spins in a dizzying kaleidoscope of green and black, leaves and twigs snapping around me with each wild turn of my body.

Pain rips through me when the branches scratch and tear my clothes, and I grunt.

With a bone-jarring thud, I crash into a massive branch that knocks the air from my lungs.

It’s wider than me, and its rough bark bites into my skin.

For a precious few seconds, I dangle above the ground, gasping for air and trying to quell the dryness that claws at my throat. Then, with trembling limbs, I climb down the tree’s trunk, glancing to the sky where the beast searches for me.