Page 56 of A Dark Prophecy's Heir

Run. I’ll distract it.

Vehemently, Angela shook her head, tugging her feet again when Sapphire stood up. But the girl eventually relented and crouched back into the hidden territory. Sapphire snuck to the side, using the fog as her hiding space as well. She scanned the area repeatedly, used the last of her detecting potion, and muttered her chants—

The growl sounded against her ear, hot breath blowing in. She dropped to her knees as she finished the chant, the fog lifting to show her a huge, mutated bear-like creature. She jumped when it attempted to claw her knees—and missed the kick to her stomach that sent her flying and crashing against a tree.

“Saph!”

Sapphire saw stars, but Angela’s scream had fear gripping her hard. When the growls restarted close to where Angela was, Sapphire took out more potions and started throwing them hard. Explosions rocketed the area, sending a myriad of colors flying in all directions. There was a scurrying sound when she threw her last pocket vial, hitting the creature directly in the face and lighting up the fog until she glimpsed its form again. The pained howl echoed through the forest—and just like that, she knew she had its attention for good.

Run now, questions later.

Sapphire ran, choosing a path as far away from Angela and the door as possible. She readied her energy in her hands and her vials in her arm wrap, looking up again to the skies. Empty. She focused on the castle next, its towers close to invisible in the fog. If she could just slip in through the back and grab a few more vials, she could beat this thing.

Energy surged again. She whirled and assumed her position to defend, her other hand soaked in liquid and ready. Horror flared when she felt the energy slither down her back—her blind spot—seconds before an abrupt force punched her from behind. She punched the ground to brace herself, but the opposing energy punched once more and sent her hurtling forward. Sapphire only managed to curl the defense wall around her before magic swirled, snapped…and the fog fell away.

The creature was gone, replaced by a man whose sharp, knowing eyes perused her just a little too eagerly. There were still remnants of the bear in the man’s built and wayward fur while his energy sizzled and continued circling her wall. She knew it wouldn’t hold and would hold less longer if she moved. Trepidation simmered in her belly.

Stop running now.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I should be asking you that, but I think I can take a guess.” The voice matched the growl, low and menacing. “You’re the dragon’s new bride. My father told me about you.”

Gunther, her mind connected. The rest followed: a shifter, but Gunther also had magic to be able to secure that magical pact—and apparently, the son shared the magic.

“You hated your father,” she reasoned, keeping her voice calm. “You hated him enough to overthrow him and Klaus helped.”

There was a laugh, loud and melodic, hypnotizing her before she shuddered. The growl was riddled with pain and disbelief.

“He killed my sister.”

“I’m sorry for her death. But he already paid for it,” she shot back.

“And he promised he would leave me alone,” the man continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Lo and behold, I found out he was as much of a liar as my father when I discovered his men lurking in our waters. I hate liars and I’m tired of your kind thinking that they can just walk into my territory without consequences.”

“He only watches to make sure you don’t hurt.” Comprehension dawned and her eyes narrowed. “I’m guessing from your reaction that his men found something bad and took it away from you, otherwise you wouldn’t be standing here.”

“It’s none of his business,” he spat out. “They’re my slaves, my right.”

Fury rose when it became crystal clear that the son was just like the father. The unplanned emotion pushed her wall outward slightly and had cracks appearing everywhere. She gritted her teeth.

“They’re not slaves and they’re not yours. They’re people. You’re a monster—”

“Mine!” the man exclaimed, oblivious to her turmoil. “Your dragon had no right to them and my sister.”

“Your sister was—”

“And I made him pay.”

Ice skittered down her spine. “What did you do?”

The man laughed, triumph mixing with anger and grief. “I kept him preoccupied, as any smart man would. What didyoudo?”

“She kept you preoccupied.”

Sapphire heard Klaus’s voice before she saw him, but it was enough to tell her that things were about to go down. When the man’s energy glimmered further, her wall finally shattered—so she pushed outward as hard as she could until she could redirect most of the shards, then ducked and shimmied out from the bottom. A body slammed against another body above her while she fought through the pain of the remaining shards digging into her skin. There was that menacing growl…then Klaus’s cold, calm words.

“Your lover tried to run away from me and bumped into my men, who she tried to kill. She’s more powerful than your father—but she’s not as powerful as I am.”

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