Page 47 of Chasing Luna

“Dead.”

“Good. Then I can finally confirm if the rumors about your grandmother are true,” he whispers.

“Uh, I don’t think you can do that anymore,” I whisper back as we walk up to the front door.

“Why not?” He scrunches his nose.

A few moments pass by and we reach the place whereithappened. Those around here seem a little shocked at what they’re seeing, and I know exactly why.

That’s when I reveal to Kenji what he wants to know. “There’s nothing left of the guy,” I mutter and point at the remains on the floor.

“Holy fuck, where’s the rest of him?”

“Exploded,” Gregory says, moving past us.

“What? What do you mean?” He sighs and looks at me up and down.

“I mean exactly what I said. He mocked Katarina one more time when Princess Isabela left, saying she’ll never amount to anything. Before I knew it, he just… exploded.” He stares blankly at the floor. “The other wolf exploded, too.” He shakes his head.

“I’m guessing it’s a part of her power?” Kenji guesses. It’s my turn to be incredulous.

“I don’t think so. Katarina’s flames appeared when she turned eighteen. I’ve never seen her use anything else other than fire. Until tonight.” I spot Eliza in the crowd, looking disheveled but otherwise okay. “Eliza!” I yell and run to her. “God, you’re okay. I’m glad.” I sigh out and hug my friend.

“Everyone’s back home. I think the coast is clear too.” She scrunches her nose at me. “You look disgusting.”

“Hey! I was busy fighting for my life. Where were you anyway?” I ask and she drags me down the hallway, away from the crowd, and pushes me into a spare bedroom.

“I saw Katarina.” I nod as she looks around for any sign of life inside the dingy room.

“And?” I follow up, but she shushes me.

“Not so loud. I was looking around for you, and I saw her go into the Queen’s study.”

I shrug. “So? I go in there all the time too.” She shakes her head.

“No, Isabela. She was in there to return a book. The Queen’s book of spells.” I feel my mouth hang open.

“What? But no one else is allowed to see that except for the Queen and the chosen one,” I announce, head spinning with theories. However, not one sticks out as a viable answer for Katarina’s behavior.

“I know. But it could be the reason why she was able to defeat the enemies so quickly.” I think back on tonight’s events and gasp.

“Eliza, she knows how to use the electric bolt I’ve been practicing,” I confess and Eliza grips me by the shoulders.

“Be on guard when you’re with her. Don’t even, for one second, believe that she won’t hurt you,” she warns. Just then, a familiar icy voice booms through the hallways.

“That’s the Queen. She’s back.” We step outside and I see my grandmother walking around the area. Inspecting what’s left of it.

“Katarina, are you hurt?” my grandmother asks, twirling my sister around, unfazed by the charred remains of the person by her feet.

“No, Your Highness.”

My grandmother looks at me and scowls. “You. Get yourself cleaned up.” I nod, and head back into my room. Eliza follows me, presumably to help me out of my blood-soaked clothes.

I sit on my bed, in shock and exhausted after my shower. Eliza sits beside me, drying my hair. “You need to be on your best behavior. Your birthday is coming up. I suspect a lot of other things will happen before then.” She pats me on the back and leaves me to rest on my own.

A few minutes after, I feel myself beginning to drift off to sleep when I hear a knock on the door. Groaning, I force myself up and open the door, only to find Gregory outside. “It’s way past midnight, Gregory. I’m exhausted.” He moves past me and goes inside.

“I realized something tonight,” he shares, pacing a little inside my room.

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