Page 94 of The Wolf and the Chimera
The stinging worsened, but with my chimera in control, my wings formed faster than usual. Tearing through the back of my shirt, they erupted from my back and stretched on either side of me. When I lifted them, my back muscles ached, but thepain only sharpened my focus.
“Elle,” Bo warned, “you’ve never actually flown.”
“Don’t remind her of that,” Melanie hissed. “How else is she supposed to get us down from here?”
If I had control over my mouth, I would’ve echoed Melanie’s sentiment.
Bending at my knees, I jumped up and flapped my wings frantically. For a moment, my beast and I aligned, and our joy was a song in my veins, but my balance wavered, and my back ached with the effort of flight. I careened to the ground, having only enough control to land on the sandy shore of the pool, rather than in the water.
Spitting out sand, I sat up and groaned.
“Okay,” Melanie admitted, “maybe we do need another plan.”
The vine stretched again, and the wolves lowered closer to the water. I shook my head to clear it and rose to my feet.
There was no other plan.
Circe had crafted this maze carefully, to make sure I was forced to rely on my beast’s strengths to save my friends.
Though I lacked the muscle and control to truly fly, perhaps I could glide toward Melanie and Bo. My beast captured the plan brewing in my thoughts, and my fingernails burned as claws replaced them.
“You can’t fight your way through the fish,” Bo warned, but he silenced himself when I walked away from the pool, toward the nearest stone wall.
Relying on my beast’s strength, I dug my claws into the wall and ignored the reverberations of pain that snaked up my arm. I pulled myself up and dug my other hand into the wall. Bracing my feet against the hard surface, I climbed and climbed until I was able to heave myself on top of the wall.
From this vantage point, the maze sprawled endlessly, but I couldn’t find Ryder, my parents, or Kieran.
I returned my focus to Bo and Melanie and remembered my plan. With my beast balancing and guiding my steps, Ibacked up several feet, took a deep breath, and sprinted.
Pumping my arms, I raced as quickly as I could along the top of the stone wall. Right before it veered from the pool, I leaped and snapped my wings out beside me.
They caught the air, and I glided toward my friends, faster than I could’ve anticipated—faster than I needed to. I barreled into them, and the vine snapped from the force of the impact. I wrapped my arms around them, and they gripped me just as fiercely. The collision stole my breath, but my beast’s focus didn’t waver. With my wings still stretched on both sides, we careened over the pool and onto the other side, beside the towering tree.
As we crashed into the sand, the three of us groaned. Stars and dark spots dancing in my vision, I straightened and breathed through the pain. Melanie’s nose bled, but the she-wolf smiled.
“Go get ‘em,” she encouraged.
Circe’s magic flared, and the two wolves disappeared in a flash of light.
Once again, I was alone in the maze.
The beast under my skin growled, and I remembered that wasn’t the truth. I took a deep breath.
Okay,I thought.Let’s find—
Without my approval, I raced forward. My inner beast locked onto a lemon soap scent, and I weaved through the winding pathways of the maze with dizzying speed. My hair whipped my face and flew behind me.
Easy,I chided,you can’t just take over.
The beast’s control over my limbs faltered, and instinctively, I stiffened. At the speed I ran, the fracture in focus was devastating. I lost my footing on the loose sand and barely had time to shield my face before I tumbled into the nearest wall with a crack.
As pain radiated across my forearms and down my spine, my beast chuffed and took back the reins.
Fine,I mentally grumbled.You can handle ourcoordination for now.
Shaking my head to clear it, I took off again and suddenly, Kieran stood before me. I scrambled to a stop just before tumbling into him. As I studied his casual stance and his easy-going smile, I wondered if Circe had decided to throw me a bone and make his rescue simple.
A growl tumbled from my lips.
