Page 54 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

Something nudges me in the back of the shoulder, and I turn to see Slivo standing behind me, holding out a small wooden bowl. “Heres, de pup needs te drink dis. Not sure how well et’ll work fer a wolf but should be enough te heal de most o’ et.”

“Thank you friend, as always, I’m forever in your debt,” I say, taking the bowl from them and holding it up to Mariane’s mouth. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, this will probably taste quite awful.”

Slivo scoffs. “Your Majesty, eh?”

My cheeks begin to heat up as I glance back at them. “Ah. Just a bit of an inside joke.”

“Is that so?” Rosaline asks, stepping up behind Slivo. “Well, I think it’s adorable you have a pet name for your friend.”

Her emphasis on the word “friend” causes my blush to deepen further, my entire face now burning from its intensity. Desperate to avoid both of their knowing looks, I turn back to Mariane and mutter, “It suits her.”

Yellow eyes bore into mine for a moment, then she dips her tongue into the bowl and begins slowly lapping up the tonic inside. I smile softly, doing my best to ignore Rosaline and Slivo’s comments about my fondness for the woman.

*Don’t worry, Vann. Next time Aren’s in control and there’s a potential scuffle, I’ll shove ‘em outta the way and take over instead,* Rayne says, a hard edge to her voice as she makes her presence known. *Can’t be having your girl get hurt, now can we?*

Barely holding myself back from rolling my eyes, I reply, *My girl? She’s a grown woman, Rayne, show her at least a bit of the respect she deserves. But, thank you. I have a feeling that would probably be for the best. We both know how Aren can get a bit…*

*Squeamish? Frozen? Freaked the fuck out?*

*I was going to say overwhelmed, but sure. I suppose those descriptors work as well.*

Slivo taps me on the shoulder, pulling me away from our mental conversation. Clearing their throat, they ask, “Should wes be assumin’ ye ain’t Aren no more?”

I shake my head, eyes not leaving Mariane as she finishes the last of her tonic. “No, I’m not. Did they briefly borrow my face? Or am I still wearing theirs?”

Both Slivo and Rosaline let out nearly identical barks of laughter before the goblin grumbles, “Ye looks like Vann. Guessin’ ye es her too. Aren used yer face te fuck with de scumbag out back.”

“Ah, yes, I am.” Putting down the now empty bowl, I gently run my fingers through the soft fur around Mariane’s neck. “Sorry, I’m still a bit out of it, it seems.”

Rosaline hums. “Understandable. We’ll give you two some privacy now. It was a pleasure meeting you both, feel free to quietly slip out the door when you’re ready to leave.”

Glancing over my shoulder at the closest thing I have to a family, I smile, blinking back tears as I whisper, “It was a pleasure meeting you too, Rosaline. Thank you both again, and I promise we’ll do our best to start visiting more often.”

“Don’ make promises ye might not can keep,” Slivo mumbles, making meaningful eye contact with me before turning and disappearing behind the curtain leading to the kitchens.

Rosaline bends down and gives me a quick hug, then without a word, follows after her parent.

Swallowing down a wave of emotions at the thought that this might be the last time I see my friend, I press my forehead to Mariane’s, her fur tickling my nose. “I’m sorry. It seems that ever since we met we keep ending up in situations where I’m unable to prevent you from being injured.”

Letting out an all too familiar huff, she takes a half-step back, pinning me with her gaze as she lifts her lips in a snarl.

“Yeah, I know.” Chuckling, I reach out and scratch her under the chin, narrowly avoiding getting bitten when she playfully snaps at me. “You can protect yourself just fine without my assistance.”

She nods, then looks pointedly towards the front door of the bakery.

“Message received.” With a sigh, I stand up, my movements a bit awkward due to the bags on each of my hips, as well as the bow I’m only now realizing is looped over my shoulder. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”

When we reach the stables, Adaman and Obsidian greet us with excited whinnies, seemingly no worse for wear after the events that led to the dried blood staining the ground in front of their stalls. Thankfully, there seem to be no more men lurking nearby, but I still make sure to throw the hood of my cloak up over my head before I go about saddling both horses.

As usual, Adaman is completely unbothered by Mariane’s four-legged form, even bending down and nudging her with his nose when she walks up to him. Obsidian, however, gives the wolf the occasional side-eye. I can’t help but laugh when she begins to pout, laying down in the far corner of Adaman’s stall with her head resting on her paws and grumbling to herself.

Once the satchel of supplies Rosaline and Slivo gave us have been carefully strapped to Obsidian’s saddle, I pull Mariane’s swords from our original bag. Unsure how long the woman intends to stay in her wolven body, I tie the straps of her scabbard to the large horse’s saddlehorn, just in case they’re needed before we make camp tonight. I pray they aren’t, knowing Mariane will likely be in no shape to fight once she transforms back. At least not until after her promised massage.

Gathering both sets of reins, I lead both horses out of the stables with a furry Mariane jumping up and trotting after us. Exiting the alley, I take one last look at the front of the bakery, doing my best to commit it to memory. Hoping that we’ll live long enough to see it again.

Taking a deep breath, I turn and begin walking down the road.

The gods seem to have granted us a small bit of mercy, because the edge of Farwen Forest appears right as the sun begins to set.