Page 48 of Beast and Remedy
She’s too far away.
We both reach for each other, but a snarl escapes my throat, a muffled mixture of bear and human as I warn the people.
“GO!”
I hold on to my human thoughts, emotions, and functionality for as long as I can, needing to see Marian get help.
My vision blackens near the edges as claws carve themselves out from my knuckles.
Fur pokes out from my pores, stretching out my tunic and trousers and ripping them apart as my mahogany coat covers my exposed flesh. Muscles grow and thicken, cushioning the new skeleton of beast versus human.
But my magic twitches—freezes.
Its takeover hangs in the balance when the scent of home mixed with pine and a sweet, sugary citrus dances along my senses.
Fuck. My. Life.
He is so close I cansmellhim.
Searing pain pulses in my head, my limbs, my nerves—my magic quickening again. I lose focus, my blood and my heartbeat changing, thumping loud against my skull.
The world blurs.
More footsteps. They’re coming.
He’scoming.
Shit.
Everyone here is going to witness this.
Ihaveto get out of here. But Marian…
The palpitations turn hot and molten, everything burning as I try to catch sight of my sister one more time. A growl rumbles deep in my throat as I formulate a plan of escape.
What if he sees this? What would he think? Deities… what if he turns us away—
CRACK!
My vision dims.
The Protector of Beasts takes hold.
A loud roar bellows out, the world shifting. I sneer at the men surrounding me and stop on a limp figure.
Recognition stirs as I scan the body. It’s differently shaped from the others. Dark-red tresses are barely visible under the dusk sky, and I try pinpointing this recollection.
Remember yourself, Vi!
Wood and moss flood my senses, but more soldiers linger at my back. I snarl and clamp my jaw shut in warning, their swords pointed in defense.
I will kill them all if I have to.
They take a step backward, farther away but still blocking the path out.
The overwhelming sensation steers my paws toward the wild, my home and dominion calling me—needingme.
But sweetness and pine fill the air again, a fragment of nature alluring to my beast, my magic. A piece of wilderness I’ve missed.
