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Thanks. Thanks a lot. Except, Wisp did help remind me that my goal here is to survive, no matter what. I need to remember that, and carry that goal with me everywhere I go.
Feeling better, I turn to head back into town, and my gaze connects with the largest brown bear I've ever seen in my entire life, just thirty feet away from me. We stare at each other for a while, me with my heart in my throat as I remember the bear attack from a few days ago. My scars ache at the thought. I peer down at its paws and my breath leaves my body.
Time ticks by. I don’t move. I try not to breathe. The gigantic bear just continues staring back with bright hazel eyes that seem far too intelligent for any regular bear.
Is this bear a shifter from the same pack that attacked me? I don’t have any weapons on me, and I doubt my magic will be helpful if I have to fight it off, but I’ll damn sure try.
I'm frozen with fear, hoping it doesn't finish the job the first bear started. I’m just as vulnerable as I was the morning of the attack – even more so now that I’m alone out in the woods. No one knows I’m here, and that means no one can come to my rescue.
It stares at me for a bit longer, then, to my relief, it turns and ambles away. I stare at its back as it leaves, not releasing a full breath until it’s gone from sight. Then, I start laughing at myself. It was just a regular bear, not a shifter. It was probably more interested in the fish in the stream than me.
I start to trek back towards the town. The encounter with the bear, terrifying as it was, oddly adds to my newfound resolve. “It was just a bear, Tara. Not every shadow in these woods is out to get you,” I whisper to myself, trying to shake off the lingering fear.
Besides, being sad, angry, or afraid has never helped you in life. Staying positive has.
With those thoughts in my mind, each step I take feels lighter, despite the heavy task ahead.
I let out a sigh, releasing all of the tension and uncertainty I let build up. “I’ll find the cure,” I promise myself, “not just for their approval, but because it’s the right thing to do.”
And doing so will help me to survive in this new world.
As I start to see the outline of the town come into view through the trees, a new sense of purpose fills me. My smile returns, genuine and warm. “Time to face the music, Tara. You’ve got this!”
NINE
Arlys
I stand by my father, King Talon, in the royal chambers, trying to focus on anything but the sick man in front of me. We keep our distance, as per the instructions of the healer, standing far past the foot of his bed, even though we long to come closer.
My gaze moves over the room. It's filled with artifacts and symbols of our pack’s legacy. There are towering shelves with ancient tomes and maps throughout. The air is heavy with the scent of old wood and the weight of history. Drogo and Rinan flank me, their postures rigid, their gazes fixed on the king. The sense of unease is thick. We’re all concerned for our people and the future.
If only all of this didn’t hinge on one beautiful witch.
“Tell me about the girl,” my father says softly, his words so weak that it makes my heart ache.
We exchange glances, and then I speak, choosing my words with care. “She is different than we expected.” I pause, conjuring an image of her. A tiny woman with the innocence of a child and laughter that makes my own heart feel lighter. “She seems more than willing to help us and has been researching in her magical books to find the source of the illness, so she can help cure it.”
My father gives a small smile. “Ah, my son, I fear in trying to make you a good and noble man, I’ve left no room for you to simply be a man.”
His words sting, and I draw myself up taller. I am a man. If the painful erection I’ve woken up with since the first time I met Princess Tara is any indication, I’m a man with base instincts that desperately want to take control. But yes, I know my duty, and my duty comes first, above all else.
He continues, even softer. “Tell me about her as a woman. As your wife. Do you think she’ll make you happy?”
I swallow hard, sensing Drogo beside me, knowing I need to choose my words with care. “You saw her… she’s beautiful. The kind of beauty most men can only dream about being close to. She’s smart too, and witty. And for someone who is amongst her enemies, she doesn’t behave with caution or care. She dances with the children in town. She talks to the people. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was happy to be here.”
Now, my father is smiling widely. “Witches may be our enemy as a people, but there’s no reason individual witches can’t be good. We have vampires amongst our people, humans, and even fae. There are good and bad among them all. It seems your wife may be among the good ones. I’m glad of that. I’ve had such guilt about taking away your chance for a mate.”
“Don’t feel guilty.” He can’t waste his energy on guilt. He needs to focus on staying alive until we can find the cure. “We are happy men, and we’ll have happy lives.”
Even if we don’t intend to stay married to our bride.
Silence stretches between us. His eyes flutter closed, and for a minute, I think he might have fallen asleep. My chest feels tight. My father was always a great man. Big, strong, and powerful. A man filled with intelligence and loyalty to his people. Even when my mother died, he continued to be a good ruler through his grief.
I hope I can be like him, when the time comes.
His hair is thin and gray. There are dark circles beneath his eyes that seem to be a permanent part of him, and his skin hangs off of his bony body. This was not the way he was supposed to go.
Anger blossoms inside of me for the thousandth time. I try to push it down, but it remains. My mother died tragically. A young woman who took an unlucky fall. I mourned her early death. It destroyed something inside of me, even though I was but a boy. How is it fair that I’m going through this again?
