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“She’s fine,” Freya promised. “Every witch is exhausted after her Awakening.”
I nodded, though it felt like far too normal of a response to what had just happened. I’d always feared getting Cadence through human-puberty—I was far from prepared to get her through a witch’s coming-of-age.
“We need to get out of here,” Freya said.
The Master pounded against his trap.
“As badass as it is,” Freya said, “it won’t hold forever.”
With Cadence in my arms, I hurried as fast as I could down the hall to where Arion still impatiently waited. The demon stamped his feet and growled relentlessly.
“How are we going to get across?” I asked. “Arion can’t carry all of us.”
“Not in this form,” Freya answered and sighed. “It’s time to give us all you’ve got, friend. You up for it?”
Arion shook his coat and roared. I didn’t speak familiar, but it sounded like hell yes. That gave me even less confidence in this plan, but given I had nothing else to offer, I couldn’t argue.
Arion roared again, but this time, the challenge transformed into a neighing sound. He stamped his paw, and it shifted into a dark, glossy hoof. His once thick legs slimmed into muscular, refined things. He shook his coat, and it became midnight black. His body conformed into a slightly smaller but no less impressive shape. His neck stretched into a long but proportionate head.
“His other form,” I said, “his most dangerous form is a horse?”
Arion pawed at the ground and glared at me. His forelock moved and revealed a single white star that decorated his masculine face. His eyes remained amber, just like a cat’s. It was freaky as hell, but other than that, he was one beautiful horse. Still, I’d never felt more at ease with him, even in his cat form.
“You’ll see,” Freya promised. A mischievous grin lightened her ash-covered face. “Arion’s going to get us off this goddessforsaken mountain.”
“He can carry all of us?” I questioned.
Did Freya hit her head? The tiger would’ve had a better chance.
Arion snapped at me with his large teeth.
“Okay, okay,” I said. “I believe in you, big guy.”
Arion bowed, and we climbed onboard. Freya sat in the front. We put Cadence—who was still out cold—in between us.
“Hold on tight,” Freya instructed.
I reached around her and grabbed Arion’s mane with both hands, then squeezed his barrel as tightly as I dared with my legs.
He stomped his hoof one more time, then blasted off.
We left my stomach behind us.
Chapter Nineteen
Walker
The world raced by in a blur.
We soared down and up, then down again. Where we’d carefully placed each step on the brittle mountain path, Arion’s hooves flew so quickly over the ground, it never even had time to break away. Maybe it did, but we were too fast to witness it.
I gripped his mane with white knuckles and held on for dear life. I kept my seat planted, which was a challenge. All things considered, Arion was a smooth ride but sitting on his hindquarters nearly threw me off him. His every stride was loftier than anything my quarter horse had ever achieved. Our speed threatened to push both Cadence and me off. I gripped him tighter, despite the cold air that threatened to strip me of warmth and numb me all the way down to my bones.
Cadence’s head lulled to the side, and I worried it might snap, but I couldn’t afford to loosen my grip. I’d broken bones falling off normal horses. I wasn’t sure either of us would survive a tumble off Arion.
We reached the lake in mere seconds, and I prepared myself to go under water. I held in a huge breath and closed my eyes, but a gentle spray was the only water to touch me. I opened my eyes and nearly passed out.
Arion’s hooves raced across the lake—so fast not a single hoof was submerged beneath the water.
