Page 11 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

“Your magic was locked away?” Vannaria’s lips curve into an even deeper frown. “By whom? Why?”

Around the growl beginning to rumble in my chest, I spit, “Why must you ask so many questions? None of them have pleasant answers and I do not wish to–”

“I’m sorry.” My harsh words, along with my anger, annoyingly fizzle out at the seemingly genuine apology. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Mariane. Truly. I only wish to understand, and perhaps to help. If I’m able.”

Letting out yet another sigh, I mutter, “If only you could.” Taking a few steps towards her, I cross my arms, lowering my gaze to the forest floor beneath my still-bare feet. “To answer one of your questions, my father. He’s the one who locked it away.”

“Should I assume he’s also the one responsible for placing the bounty on your head?”

My shoulders lift in a jerky shrug. “I’m not sure, but I assume so. I imagine he didn’t take too kindly to me running away. Although I’m sure the prince didn’t either.” As always, I make sure to inject as much venom into the title as I’m able.

Vannaria's worn leather boots appear in my line of vision without me even being aware she'd dismounted. “May I have your permission to ask one final question?”

Even though every fiber of my being is screaming ‘no’, for some reason my head dips in a nod.

“What did he do to you?”

Chapter Five

Vannaria

When Mariane only shakes her head, I take another careful step closer. “Please, Mariane, I need to know.”

“The prince he…” To my horror, the fiery woman before me chokes on a sob, folding in on herself further. “He didn’t like being told no. And somehow he had convinced the king to let him stay at my father’s estate. Until the wedding.” She takes a shaky breath, her entire body beginning to tremble. “At every opportunity he could, he’d break into my room at night and force himself on me. My father–”

Upon hearing the words I’d feared she would say, I drop the reins I’d still been holding and, without thinking, wrap my arms around her in a tight embrace. At first she understandably stiffens, but then she melts into me, her hands clutching at the worn leather covering my back.

“It’s alright,” I whisper, my lips accidentally brushing against her ear. “You don’t need to say anymore. Not unless you feel the need to.”

A quiet sniffle fills the air, and her soft hair tickles my cheek when she nods. “I do. If it will help convince you not to attempt to take me back, I’ll tell you everything. But please…” She lets out another strangled sob, tightening her grip on my armor. “Please don’t take me back to him.”

While my guts twist into painful knots, I reflexively tighten my own embrace as well. “It’s alright, I won’t force you to return to either of them.” At Mariane’s relieved sigh, I'm barely able to contain a grin as I quickly amend, “We’re going to go back so that you can kill them both.”

She scoffs and I do my best to ignore the way her warm breath washing over my neck nearly makes me shiver. “As much as I’d love to, it’s impossible.” She pulls away just enough to wipe her eyes with the sleeve of her loose shirt. “Not only is the palace heavily guarded, but my father keeps himself surrounded by other wolf shifters, like himself. And without their magic bound, they’re able to access their wolven senses at all times, unlike me.”

Undeterred, I allow myself to grin at her now. “So, what you’re saying is, we’ll need a bit more help.”

Her gaze slowly rises to meet mine and she chuckles softly. “No, I believe what I said was that it was impossible.”

Offering her a sincere smile, I tuck a lock of her long black hair behind her ear. “Based on what I’ve seen so far, I have a hard time believing that anything is impossible for you.”

Another scoff, this time with an added eye roll. “Hardly. And what did I tell you about the flirting? Cut it out.” Her tone hints at her annoyance, yet her pink cheeks lead me to think there’s another reason she dislikes my honeyed words.

*Vann, do tread carefully. Push her too far and we’ll end up with a knife in our belly,* Aren warns. *She’s made it quite clear how she feels about the matter, now let it go.*

At their mental reminder, I take a step back from Mariane and mutter, “Ah, forgive me. Seems I’m already failing miserably in my promise.” Removing the bow from my back, I slip her swords’ scabbard off my shoulders and hold the weapons out to her. “Feel free to stab me the next time I make you uncomfortable.”

Raising her brows in amusement, she accepts the offered blades, her hands no longer noticeably trembling. “Wow. So, I was right, you do have a death wish after all.”

With a snort of laughter, I turn back to the horse and gather up his reins. “Nah. Not really. I have a bit of my own vengeance to seek before I’m ready to pass on from this life.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I nod, still facing away from her. “It is. But unlike you, I’m not sure who all was responsible for my pain.” Clearing my throat, I quietly amend, “Our pain.”

She gently places a hand on my shoulder, the unexpected touch nearly making me flinch. “Do you not remember? In the stories we were told… They said a lot of Fragmented Souls had pieces of their memories missing. Memories of whatever created the fractures within theirself.”

I turn to face her, doing my best to ignore the brief pang of loss I feel when her hand falls away. And the way my eyes begin to burn. “Ah, I almost forgot, you still owe me one of those stories.”