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Annalise

I am no longer the innocent girl I once was. I am a woman now. I’ve suffered and mourned. And I’ve lost the people who were most important to my life. I’ve had to make my way in a world that doesn’t care about who gets trampled during its existence. After the horrible past I was forced to endure, I have survived and created a new life for myself and for my son.

I tilt my head toward the sky, enjoying the perfect weather. Spring is in full bloom. Spring was my favorite time of year when I was a child. My father would take me with him to find herbs for his shop. We would spend hours harvesting the fresh blooms, and to celebrate, he would make a spiced soup for dinner. In this foreign land, I see none of the herbs I grew up eating. Even the flowers Dimitri would bring me as a sign of his affection don’t grow here. This land is unfamiliar to me. Nevertheless, I have learned and adapted. I have become my own woman—someone who my son can rely on and learn from.

It’s been a little over a year since I left the world of the beasts behind. I have been lucky enough that the world I left behind has remained on the other side of the ocean. No one here knows about the wrath of the king of beasts. Nor do they know of the war waged between hunters and beasts, a war that destroyed villages and families. This world is a peaceful one with a monarch who remains hidden behind their walls, content to have their people live in peace.

All they know is the peace their monarch has given them.

But I do notice the faces of the refugees that made it this far. I see the haunted expressions that arise when they think no one is looking. They are like me, wearing a facade of happiness when really they are looking over their shoulder, waiting for their deepest nightmare to come back and snatch them away from their new reality.

And I am the same.

As far as I know, Cyrus is dead. He was killed in battle with a weapon curated for him like every other beast weapon. I watched it take his father’s life. I have no reason to believe it didn’t end Cyrus’s as well. In the aftermath, hunters and humanity began to right the wrongs of the beast society.

But that was a story told by a boy on the docks. It could be true, and it could have been grossly misconstrued by the time it reached his ears. No matter the truth, I spend every day looking over my shoulder just in case. I pray that it is true. I pray that Cyrus is dead. I don’t know what would become of me and my son if Cyrus were somehow alive and discovered we now share a child together. From the moment I arrived, I never planned to go through with my pregnancy. It was the product of a life of pain and suffering, and the blood of my unborn child was the same blood of the creatures who ruined my life. But my child’s innocence called to me. I couldn’t punish him in the way his father punished humanity. And with Cyrus out of the picture, my son will never have to know how he came to be. He won’t even know that he isn’t human. I will never allow it.

“Excuse me.”

I’m pulled out of my thoughts as a customer appears at my stand. I’ve never seen him before, but that isn’t what puts me on high alert. His clothing isn’t from this area. It’s a much higher quality than the surrounding individuals. And while his eyes don’t quite resemble a beast’s, the strange hue of blue throws me for a second.

“Yes, can I help you?” I ask, giving him a soft smile to mask my fear.

I spend most of my days carefully studying faces. The day I see new faces or foreign clothing, I leave immediately. I can’t chance Cyrus finding me if he’s alive. I would rather start over a million times than be caught by him if that’s the case. And what’s worse, I wouldn’t put it past him to put a bounty on my head. That is, if he didn’t exploit mine and Dimtri’s past. The naivete I once had is long gone. I know that if Cyrus got Dimitri involved, he would know exactly where to look and hunt me down for his king.

I stand to go in search of the herbs the stranger asked for. As I look, I gently press the trinket around my throat closer to my skin. I’ve learned how to properly use it since leaving Cyrus’s kingdom. And while I haven’t had formal training, I’ve learned the basics of using a weapon, especially with a trinket, to add to my strength. I won’t be as helpless as I once was. Now that I have a child to look after, I won’t be going down without a fight.

Once I gather the proper herbs, the stranger and I exchange a few more words and money before he finally leaves my stall. As he walks away, I continue to watch him and the direction he takes. He isn’t from this area, nor is he a commoner. He could be just passing through, and he could have been sent to me specifically. It’s exhausting, constantly being on edge. But it’s necessary to survive. Hopefully, in a few years, I will be able to relax, but judging from that brief encounter, it won’t be happening anytime soon.

The day passes without incident, but I still remain on high alert. The presence of that stranger has me more anxious than I’ve been in a while. I want more than anything to pack up my stand early and leave, but I know that if I am somehow being watched, they will realize I am aware something’s off and possibly attack sooner. It’s a risk I can’t take, no matter how desperate I am.

As the sun finally sets, I make my way out of town towards my small home. I chuckle to myself as I think of the word. I haven’t had a proper home since Cyrus removed my father from my life. In everyone else’s eyes, Paul was just a man who raised me. But in my eyes, he will always be my father. He didn’t want my past to define me. He wanted to shield me from the nasty world that I came from. My past is a complicated one, but I refuse to let it define who I am becoming. It is something my son and I share. Our path to existence is riddled with the pain and suffering of others. But it won’t define us. I won’t let it.

On the walk home, I remain attentive to my surroundings. When I approach the bend in the road that leads to my home, I look around once more to ensure no one is following me before making my way down the dirt road. As I come through the brush, my little run-down cottage comes into view. I got lucky finding somewhere far enough from the village that my son could freely experience the outdoors without being scrutinized for his strange features. I note the inside is illuminated as usual as I approach, making my way to the small shed where I store the remaining herbs daily. Once I finish organizing everything, I look towards the front door in confusion. Usually, the woman I hired to watch my son greets me with him before I can enter.

I silently make my way to the front door, pushing it open. “Sonia—“

My voice hitches in my throat, my instincts on high alert as Dimitri looks back at me, not at all surprised to see me walking through the door. His eyes study me as I study him. His hair is longer than it once was, curling away from his face. He looks confident in who he is. His muscular build is lean and showing signs that he is thriving in the new world. My gaze narrows, and I quickly move to the hiding place behind the door where I stashed a sword. As I move, I press the trinket I always wear into my collarbone, ignoring the pain as the needle imbeds in my skin, sending the power of a beast through my bloodstream to give me the ability to fight alongside these creatures.

I aim for Dimitri’s throat as I attack, and he counters at the precise moment my blade would have made contact. The sound of our blades clashing echoes over the small room as we hold one another at a standstill.

“What are you doing here?” I hiss.

Dimitri’s once-warm eyes are cold as he watches me. There is no hesitation in his gaze as he leans into me to speak. “You know why I’m here, Annalise.”

My heart skips a beat as the fear that has lingered at the back of my mind comes barreling to the forefront. I use Dimitri’s weight against him, running my blade along the length of his. I use the force to spin in the opposite direction, aiming my weapon at Dimitri’s head. But once again, he counters. My frustration grows as I am unable to land a blow on him, even with my increased speed and strength. So I use the next opening I see, landing a kick to his chest. The force of my attack sends him stumbling into the wall, and he blocks my attack again, his strength matching my own as we battle it out.

His eyes are calm as he looks at me, and it suddenly occurs to me that he hasn’t bothered fighting back. He’s remaining on the defense, holding me off rather than trying to overtake me.

He’s stalling me.

Suddenly, he uses a burst of strength, pushing me back enough that he can raise his weapon in a gesture of surrender.

“There’s no use fighting me, Anna,” he says.

His words fuel my rage, and I attack, knocking the blade from his hand. I then flatten the sharp edge against his throat until I see blood trickling onto my blade. But Dimitri’s eyes remain focused on mine in determination.

“Don’t call me that,” I growl.

My eyes dart over the room in a panic before landing on the closed bedroom door. The house doesn’t look like there was a sign of struggle. Dimitri must have traveled alone, and my son must be fast asleep in the bedroom. I have to get him out of here and away from Dimitri before it’s too late. But I know that Dimitri’s attempt to stall me can only mean one thing.

Dimitri flinches as I push my blade deeper into his flesh.

“Where is he? Where the fuck is Cyrus?” I scream.

Adrenaline pumps through my veins as fear rushes to the surface when Dimitri doesn’t respond. In the past, it never would have crossed my mind to kill Dimitri. He was my first and only love. He shared in my suffering at the hands of the beasts and the hunters. He was everything to me. But I feel nothing for him now as the fierce need to protect my child fuels my rage.

I rip my weapon away from his throat, smashing the hilt of the sword across his jaw. He barely has time to cry out as I’m back in his face, the sharp blade pressing against his flesh as I look into his eyes.

“I will kill you, Dimitri. I will cut your fucking head from its shoulders if you don’t tell me where the fuck he is!“ I scream.

Dimitri’s eyes shift behind me for an instant, and he lowers his gaze just as I sense the chilling presence looming behind me.

“Oh, Anna… that seems a little dark for you.”

A chill shoots up my spine as my deepest fear emerges from my bedroom, his chilling tone carrying over the room to settle in my bones. My eyes widen, and my knuckles begin to ache from my grip on the weapon. I have yet to turn around to face him, my gaze remaining on Dimitri, who no longer looks at me. I slowly lower my weapon, straightening my spine to plaster on false bravery as I turn just in time to see Cyrus emerging from the bedroom.

It feels impossible to breathe as I take in Cyrus’s menacing form. He towers over me, his powerful physique even more intimidating as he looks down at me. In the past, his hair was always pulled away from his face in a high updo. But now, only a single braid holds it out of his face. A face that is not pleased to see me as that dark gaze roams over my trembling form. The scars he gained years ago add to his sinister aura, wrapping around his body, physically proving that he is impossible to kill.

I shift my attention to the small infant in his arms. Cyrus holds him in one arm, cradling him as if he’s always known him. Our son stirs in his arms, his soft snores pulling Cyrus’s attention, and he gently rocks him in response with a ghost of a smile on his lips. I choke on my own breath, tears streaming down my cheeks as my life falls apart before me.

Cyrus lifts his dark gaze, his eyes sharpening like that of a serpent as he studies me with a cruel smile.

“Are those tears of joy for your king?”