Page 104 of The Last Heir of Elsewhere

It was the golden-eyed prince that I loved, the one whose very presence had always been both unsettling and intoxicating. He needed me now, more than ever.

Just as I prepared to unleash another volley of protests, a guttural roar tore through the air, silencing all other sounds. Time and motion seemed to crystallize, the world narrowing down to a single point.

There, amid the chaos of the harbor, the two lions clashed with primal rage. Blood covered the sand, and both beasts seemed to be gravely injured.

From this angle, high above on the ship, it was easier to tell who was whom. Gancanagh was larger, but Bael was far faster and more brutal. As I watched, he danced around his father’s bulk with deadly grace, then struck, sinking his teeth into the king’s jugular.

“Look!” I pointed.

Distracted by the fight, Ambrose’s grip loosened around me. My heart hammered, my breath caught in my throat as Bael tore again and again into Gancanagh’s throat.

The king’s roar turned into a strangled gasp, the sound of tyranny ending with a whimper, and he collapsed onto the sand. With one enormous paw, Bael dragged his claws down the other lions chest, splitting him open to reach his heart.

“Fuck,” Ambrose’s amazed voice cut through the pandemonium, to rise above the crash of the waves and the screams of fleeing townsfolk. “This makes him king!”

I barely heard him. I didn’t care.

With a wrench of my body, I tore myself from Ambrose’s grasp.

I didn’t hear his protestations, nor did I see the shock on the faces around me as I dove headfirst over the railing.

The wind whistled past me, the long fall stealing my breath and making my stomach climb into my throat. I plunged into the icy embrace of the harbor, and the cold rocked me. My legs flailed as I spun beneath the surface. Then, with a splash I resurfaced, gasping for air.

My entire body screamed in pain as I swam frantically toward the shore. Saltwater stung my eyes, blurred my vision, yet I propelled forward, like I were drawn by an invisible string.

As I stumbled onto the rocky beach, coughing the sea from my lungs, I saw him.

Even in his exhaustion, Bael’s cat eyes found mine amidst the chaos. He was still a beast, but I could tell just from the way he looked at me that it was him. I stumbled forward out of the water, and ran to meet him.

In the distance, I thought I could hear Scion’s frantic yell, and the gasps of onlookers as I launched myself at the bloody lion, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Beneath my fingers, his form shimmered and shifted before my eyes. The lion’s mane receded, the tawny fur melted away, until there stood not a beast, but the man.Bewitching. Beguiling. Beloved.

“Don’t cry, little monster,” he croaked.

I only cried harder.

43

LONNIE

ABOARD THE FORESIGHT

The evening was surprisingly warm, the weather pleasant, as we sailed back out of the red waters of Underneath. Out on the dock, Lin shouted orders at the crew, and Riven steered the ship toward home.

Inside, however, we couldn’t hear any of it.

It had been several hours since the fight on the shore, and after proving many times over that I was unharmed, I now found myself back in Ambrose's cabin. The room had always felt small, but now, it seemed impossibly overcrowded. Between Ambrose, Bael and Scion, there was hardly any space left for me. For once, I didn’t mind.

I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that we were all still alive, and the overwhelming feeling of joy drowned out any other emotions.

At least, it did for me. The same could not be said for all of us.

Ambrose and Scion stood on opposite sides of the room, refusing to look at one another. Whatever brief truce they’d shared to reach the ship had evaporated, and the air between them was thick with unspoken animosity. Fortunately, it didn’t matter, as Bael and I seemed to have made a silent agreement to broker the tension.

In any case, we had far more important things to focus on than the feud between the two brothers.

When we’d boarded the ship, Riven had taken charge of my mother, immediately bringing her below deck. She was still alive–for now–but unconscious. If and when she woke up, we were due for a long conversation. However, thinking about it caused me so much anxiety that I’d all but pushed it from my mind for the time being.

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