Page 86 of King of the Unsightly

A pity party for one when I knew better. Iknewcrying wouldn’t solve any of my problems.

It wouldn’t reverse my despicable choices, and it wouldn’t bring Kaschel or Lucien back.

I squeezed Gren harder and tried to calm down and think of my next course of action. My face was red and puffy as I wiped the tears staining my cheeks.

Gren’s body tensed as I broke away from him. His dark brows creased as he fiddled with the seams on the bottom of his gray shirt.

He looked distraught.

A zap shot through my wrist and shifted to my fingertips.

I looked down at my hand, and the mark Kaschel gave me flared like a flame, the crescent moon glowing silver untila searing sensation assaulted my skin. I winced and threw my hand behind my back, afraid Levisus and Ryas would understand what it meant.

I stood on my tiptoes and whispered into Gren’s ear, “We need to leave.Now.” I leaned back, and he straightened his posture and unwound the tension in his body.

Now his face held a determined glint.

Gren nodded and before I could tell him what I was thinking, he said, “Hold tight.”

He scooped me off my feet and ran for the cliff. I squeaked as he propelled us off the edge.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable plunge to our death. If he could morph back, how would he carry my weight?

Seconds passed, and the wind whipped around us.

I blinked, and Gren’s hair rippled in waves as his matching massive crow wings carried us through the sky. His iridescent feathers shimmered a deep violet when the sun touched them.

I didn’t know how long we soared through the sky, but the cool air lashing at my wounds didn’t do anything except make me quiver in agony.

Gren dipped down, and I clenched my nails into his arms.

It took everything in me not to scream as the ground closed in on us.

A soft thud vibrated off the earth as Gren landed us near a gas station with a Motel Five right behind it.

A familiar aura hung around and it bore a striking resemblance to my apartment complex. All the people hovering by their rusted and chipped-paint vehicles dealing who knows what from the trunks was an uncanny parallel.

“We’re far enough, and the wind should mask our scent.”

“You don’t think they’re right behind us?” I asked in a hushed tone.

Gren held an empty gaze, and I wasn’t sure what he thought.

He sighed. “No. I think they have more important things to worry about.”

Kaschel.Yes. Why would they come after us when they have no idea what happened to him?

“You’re right.” I groaned. I flipped my phone out and the date read Wednesday, October 29th.I snapped my head back to Gren. “We were trapped for three days?”

I didn’t notice until now the dirt clinging to Gren’s shirt and pants, his look of exhaustion, and the heavy bags under his dark eyes.

Gren shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, and the fact I couldn’t get through the barrier ... and I had to wait while you were trapped somewhere with ...him.” He cleared his throat. “The only thing that kept me sane was the fact I knew you were still alive because ... I was still here.” Gren beamed.

I returned his smile, but it was forced, and I probably looked exactly like the three-day-old roadkill a few steps away from us.

I held my phone tightly in my hand and choked on my spit, fully aware of how close we were to facing Valeria.

My hands trembled at the horrifying realization. “It’s ... the red moon tomorrow.”

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