Page 96 of Thorns of Deceit: The Beast Within

No. This was freedom.

Wasn’t it?

The Gryphon screeched. The sound tore through her mind.

Deafening. Maddening.

Skylar’s body shook. Caught between two worlds.

Human and beast. Sanity and madness. Love and hate.

“I—” her voice cracked. Barely recognizable. “I can’t?—”

Can’t what?

Stop?

Or let go?

The world tilted. Spun.

Faces blurred. Voices distorted.

Only the Gryphon remained clear.

Calling.

Demanding.

Consuming.

Skylar teetered on the edge of oblivion.

One step away from losing herself completely.

From becoming the monster they all feared.

The monster she feared.

“Sky.” Arye’s voice. Soft. Pleading. “Come back to me.”

Back?

Back to what?

To lies? To hiding? To pretending?

Or to love? To family? To hope?

The Gryphon roared.

The world shattered.

And Skylar?—

40

The world crashed back into focus with a dizzying rush. Skylar gasped, lungs burning like she had been drowning. Her vision swam, the room tilting and spinning. The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth, mixing with the acrid stench of smoke and fear that hung heavy in the air.

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