Page 131 of Halfblood Deceived

The wolf skidded on the damp, leaf-covered ground. His speed had been so great that Aella had to wrap her body tighter around him and hold on to fistfuls of his damp fur so as not to fly over his head.

Breathless laughter shook her whole body.

She had teased him until he’d zoomed across the forest much faster than ever before. Still, she had the feeling he was not using his full speed.

Aella jumped off him with practiced ease she never thought possible. She could jump on his back with the same agility now after many trips across the autumn forest.

The wolf looked just as amused as she felt, smugly so. His bright green eyes were gorgeous and full of sharp wit, as always.

Aella took a deep breath, arching her neck to look at the full moon through the canopies of the tall trees. Pleasant adrenaline still ran through her veins. She felt light, happy, and peaceful, something she had thought impossible before.

There were bad nights and days still, but they were outweighed by the good ones.

She didn’t take her potions every day, only when she needed them. When the hopeless thoughts started to creep in and that icy numbness tightened her insides. It wasn’t a perfect science. Sometimes Diana noticed Aella’s mood changes before she did. But it seemed to work just fine.

It had been Kamilla’s idea to take them on an as-necessary basis. Aella had told her about her guilt-ridden feelings when she took them daily. Kamilla had been understanding, as always, and they had reached a middle ground that didn’t make Aella feel as if she were cheating.

The guilty feelings were going nowhere, however.

A shadow of guilt dimmed every bright point of Aella’s life. It was there when she enjoyed her online and occasionally in-person classes, because others like her would never get to experience the same. She still felt as if she didn’t deserve the money Kamilla paid her for her work. Females shouldn’t be messing with money, they don’t know what to do with it, Aella could still hear in her head when she accepted her weekly check. You look like a prostitute, a wicked voice hissed in her head at random moments. Some days, she wanted to wear her loose dresses and oversized sweaters again. But she didn’t have any bruises to hide anymore. No one looked at her body with disgust or made comments about how inappropriate it was. And she liked jeans. She liked them so much that she bought several pairs in different shades of blue, gray, and black to wear when she went to see a movie with Diana. Along with leggings, which were a revelation.

Besides, that voice—that horrible voice that tried to make her feel small and disgusted with herself—belonged to Micah. And Aella hated that he still had power over her. Hated that he could make her feel contempt toward herself even when he was on the other side of the continent. Micah had tried to kill her, he was a child-murdering monster, and Aella some days wished she had managed to sink a claymore into his heart. She hated him with every fiber of her being, but she still feared him as well.

He had been one of the main topics of conversation during her sessions with Kamilla. Aella hated giving him so much importance, but suppressing things would only give them power, Kamilla had advised, and she was done giving Micah any power.

Aella was still a bit slow on the uptake regarding social interactions, but she knew that the half-hour she spent venting most of her darkest thoughts to Kamilla was not something friends usually did. Not on such a regular, planned basis at least. She had the feeling Diana had spoken with Kamilla and asked the princess to help her. And even though it made Aella feel a bit embarrassed, she couldn’t be angry with her sister. Kamilla was firm but kind, understanding, and unexpectedly warm. Aella always felt a bit as if her very soul had taken a cleansing shower after those sessions. Part of her darkness washed away.

She had kept a dark side of her soul hidden from Kamilla, however.

While Aella had the feeling the vampiress knew, she hadn’t pushed. And Aella wasn’t ready to speak aloud about the most humiliating moments of her married life to Kam yet.

But overall, she was better.

Much better.

A metallic sound brought her back to the present. To the forest and the wolf who watched her carefully.

Aella turned her head, wondering if she had imagined the sound, but there it was again—the clang of metal against metal.

Accompanied by indistinct voices.

The wolf had noticed too, his posture curiously stiff.

“What is it? Can you tell?” Aella whispered.

The wolf’s throat bobbed.

“Ow!” a feminine voice screamed.

Aella knew that voice.

Her body was in motion before she could think. The many long walks she had taken across the forest proved to be very useful as she ran as fast as she could, jumping over fallen trees, and using rocks to her best advantage. Her breathing was even but fast, her legs grew warmer but didn’t burn. While she hadn’t lost or gained any weight, she seemed to be strangely fitter than ever before.

Clang, clang.

Aella jumped over a tree that had landed against its neighbor. Too late, she realized she’d jumped too high, but her knees bent automatically as she landed, taking the impact seamlessly.

Clang, clang.

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