Page 115 of The Wolf and the Chimera
“We know you snuck out,” Mom said. She quirked a brow. “Did you really think two people with supernatural hearing wouldn’t hear the racket you made?”
I balked, and Dad chuckled. His expression was bittersweet.
“We sort of followed you,” he continued, “but even we didn’t catch whoever stole your pendant.”
“It must’ve fallen off in the sand and been discovered later,” Mom said. She squeezed my shoulder, “which could’ve happened anywhere.”
“It wasn’t my fault?” I whispered.
My parents shook their heads.
“Sweet girl,” she crooned, “don’t you get it? We were meant to care for you all these years, but we were never supposed to stop you from your fate.”
“Though I want to keep you here,” Dad agreed with a frown, “though the last thing I ever wanted was to be ripped from your side, I now know it’s what had to happen. The world needs your light, Elle. Lost pendant or not, it’s your destiny to share it.”
“You must return to the Sovereign,” Circe said. “As soon as Cordelia learns of her court’s retreat, she will send stronger forces. Only the Sovereign will make her hesitate.”
“Why?” Kieran asked. “Why does my father scare her so badly?”
Circe looked at me. “That’s for you to find out, but now, you must go.”
I clutched my parents’ hands. “What will you two do?”
“We’ll help Circe defend her realm,” Mom promised and shot the witch a look. “Staying here is our price to pay for the aid she’s provided you.”
I remembered what Circe had said to me telepathically and pivoted toward the witch.
“You’re keeping them as collateral,” I realized, “so when I defeat the sorceress, I’ll be forced to vouch for the end of your exile to the gods.”
Ryder snarled, and the other wolves echoed his disgust, but Circe’s stoney expression melted into something so sad, she actually looked human.
“Don’t you know what it’s like,” she said, “to want to be free?”
Though her words stirred a kindred sadness in me, I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled my parents into another hugand seared the safety I felt in their arms into my memory.
After a long moment, I willed steel into my veins and pulled away.
“Will I still be connected with my chimera when I go back?” I asked Circe. “Is a half-formed bond enough?”
“I don’t know,” the witch answered honestly.
I wasn’t sure why I asked. With more of the High Witch’s forces coming at any moment, I couldn’t risk my pack by staying, nor could I risk what would happen if Cordelia caught me. I had to trust that once the High Witch’s forces realized I was gone, they would leave Circe’s realm alone.
“If anything happens to them,” I told the witch and glanced at my parents, “I don’t care how badly you want to be free. I’ll make sure you rot here forever.”
The words were callous and cold, but when so much was on the line, I couldn’t afford mercy when. Circe didn’t balk from my threat. She merely nodded.
Turning my back on my family, my pack and I walked toward the ripple and the destiny that lay beyond it.
???
As we emerged from the torrent of the ripple’s magic, I floundered in the crystalline pool. Warm hands helped me to my feet, and I blinked rapidly to clear my vision. Though I was tired from the exertion of magic and strength, I found my footing, and magic warmed my chilled skin.
The serene pool, trickling creek, and towering trees swayed. Only Ryder kept me from completely falling in the water. That secondary set of instincts flared to life, searching the surroundings for a threat with heightened senses.
“Elle?” he asked. He stepped in front of me and grasped my face. “Elle, what’s wrong?”
“My chimera,” I whispered. “I can still feel her.”
