Page 63 of Forged By Heart and Claws
At the far end of the chamber stood a figure I knew wasn’t ordinary. Even in the dim light, it radiated presence. It was massive, silent, and also crimson-eyed.
Its fur was black as a void, the kind of darkness that drank in the light and gave nothing back. It stood motionless, tall as a stag, muscles coiled beneath a pelt that shimmered like shadow and smoke. The weight of its attention hit me like a tidal wave.
My wolf hunkered in my mind.
It’s another guardian beast.Vad stayed focused on it, ready to fight if it lunged.
Like the stag.A strange pulse of energy moved through me, stirring in my chest and then moving down my spine. The memory of that moment with the stag flickered to life. I couldn’t explain the awe, the fear, the overwhelming certaintythat something ancient and powerful was trying to connect with me. That same sensation pooled in my stomach now.
My wrist ached where the frozen butterfly tattoo had once burned. A ripple of cold coiled there, reaching outward, like roots digging into something deeper.
The guardian wolf took a step forward while every wolf in the circle remained still, not a tail nor an ear twitching.
My wolf eased in what I could only explain as recognition. She pressed forward with interest, her attention completely locked on the guardian.
The air between us vibrated as if alive and watching. A sharp realization cut through me. The guardian wolf had been waiting for me. Time slowed around me, each breath dragging as my nerves tightened like violin strings.
Though its paws were massive, they made only the softest sounds, claws whispering over the rough stone.
A strange but irresistible urge to approach curled through my nerves and down into my feet, the pull gentle but as absolute as the tide drawing out the ocean.
Vad moved to block my path, and I realized I’d started forward. The bond between us throbbed with rising alarm.Don’t. Stay behind me. We’ll find an exit. If they turn on us in here, we’re finished.
I didn’t answer because I wasn’t sure he was wrong. Still, I couldn’t ignore the pull inside me either.
The guardian’s gaze didn’t waver. Every step it took closer, I became more certain that it wasn’t a threat. Not to me.
Maybe to everyone else. Maybe even to Vad. But not to me.
It’s all right. I have to go to it.My throat dried, and my pulse stumbled, but I knew approaching the shadow beast was what I needed, too. It pulled both at me and my wolf.
The guardian wolf’s crimson gaze locked with mine, unblinking, as if summoning me forward. With a grace thatshould be impossible due to its sheer size, it stepped closer, its fur rippling like smoke stirred by a windless current.
Vad’s wings flexed as he angled his body in front of mine like a living shield. “Stay behind me,” he growled, low and lethal.
The wolf’s gigantic head dipped. A deep sound rumbled from its chest, part growl, part breath, part something older than language. The vibration thrummed through the stone, through my bones, until my ribs ached from holding in my breath.
My wolf pressed harder, pacing just under the surface of my skin like a caged storm.
I placed a hand on Vad’s arm. “It’s all right,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if I meant it for him or myself. Then I took another step forward, but Vad didn’t move.
Briar.His voice scraped through the bond like gravel. His claws dug into my arm, not hard enough to break skin but enough to make my pulse jump.It’s not letting me come with you.
I swallowed, the memory of the stag rising in my mind. It had prevented him from staying with me, too.I have to do this alone. We have to trust Fate right now. It’s calling me.
Trust Fate? I would rather freeze to death than trust her an inch.Vad’s panic choked me, but I couldn’t stop the tug toward the animal.
The guardian wolf gave another low growl, steady now. Like an ancient drumbeat counting down.
My wolf answered firmly and resolutely, stating we were equal, not prey.I have to go. I need you to trust me.
Vad’s grip faltered. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. Then, with clear effort, he released me.I don’t like this.
Neither do I.But the pull inside me wasn’t stopping. It had locked on to something deep and hidden… something primal and absolute. I squeezed his arm once, then let go.
The guardian’s eyes followed my every movement. It matched me stride for stride, closing the gap until the massive bulk of its shadowed form blocked out everything else. It was over fifteen feet tall at the shoulder, but it moved like a whisper of claws on stone.
The room changed again. Colder now, threading with a static charge. My breath frosted between us while the pulse in my wrist flared sharp and burning cold, like fire forged from ice. The long-frozen butterfly scar blazed to life, no longer dormant but alive with power.
