Page 123 of Beast and Remedy
“LEAVE ME!” I growl, flashing my teeth.
She lurches, clutching her tunic and scrambling upright.
Searing pain ripples up my spine, burning up my scalp as my cries shift into bellows. I hate how I call after her as she stumbles away and am met with my magic shredding me apart.
No matter how hard I fight, I fucking fail.
Bones break.
Nerves flare.
My muscles stretch past what’s safe—past the point of tearing.
Excruciation courses through my ruined body, power weighing me down, vibrating and raging.
I weakly glance up, a light flickering—struggling. My magic, too, sucks the brightness away from the world and from myself.
Yet as another burst of roars leaves my torn, bloody lips, I can’t help but wonder if it was the sun setting or Beau coming to find me.
A lethal fury thrashes in my soul, a territorial beast surging forth.
So commanding. Sopossessive.
The overwhelming authority of power takes over my mind—the last piece of myself I fight to hold on to. But my control is yanked out from under me, my skull cracking and the light going out.
27
The Beast
My hackles rise every time there is a scuffle or a breaking of tree branches. Scanning my surroundings, I snort, sniffing the air before settling onward. I brush my scent along the bushes and forest life, ensuring this land is aware of my presence.
My power urges me throughout the night, guiding my paws and reining in my focus anytime I would wander at the smell of something sugary blowing through the woods.
I want to chase it, hunt it down and feast upon the sweetness it promised. But instead, I am forced into obedience, the magic overpowering all sense of control.
My beast refuses to be submissive, even up to the point where I am drawn to familiar ground, my nostrils picking up on the scent of my friends.
Friends…
I rock my head back to the sky.
This deep midnight hue accompanies me every night. Sometimes, the prominent color is blurred by clouds and rainstorms, whereas other times, it’s clear and vacant of stars. But throughout the evening, the constellations and the moon conducted me, slowly revolving and bringing my patrol to its end.
I glance around once more, a hum of satisfaction pulsing in my chest, my magic pleased with my efforts and relinquishing bit by bit.
How stupid it is to think I’d want to be around my loved ones. I didn’t want them anywhere near me last night, nor do I want to rouse them before dawn.
I prowl farther into the forest, keeping them safe from my ear-piercing screams. But again, thatdamnedsweetness coasts by, taunting me.
My mouth salivates, drool seeping through my snout and wetting my fur. I follow its lure, the thickness of summer surrounding me.
Damp soil sinks into my paws, and moisture intermingles with the air. But agitation ripples through my bones at the possibility of this smell being a threat.
A trap.
Shaking off the temptation, I press on, determined to have enough distance from where my friends sleep.
A convulsion skitters down my limbs, a growl vibrating from the discomfort, and I hope I made it far enough.
