Clara Elena sprang backwards, but the Greater Vampire quickly accounted for her movement. Hideous burning pain grazed my upper arm, but to my relief, the silver bullet lodged itself into a pine tree right behind me. I wanted to control my own body, but Elena still was not done. The vampire cursed in his language. The rifle was an ingenious invention created by Greater Vampires in olden times, but it had a glaring weakness: it could not be reloaded quickly. In an army with several Greater Vampires staggering their shots, it was a weapon that wiped out packs of werewolves in extended battles. But in a one-on-one fight, it had no advantages against the brute strength and agility of a shifted werewolf. Elena pounded the floor with my limbs, and she leaped forward to slash at the vampire’s throat. He sneered and brandished his rifle like a rapier. The silver bayonet just narrowly missed my heart, but it raked across my waist. Elena and I shrieked together at the fiery pain. I had no doub
ClaraPrince Griffin shifted back and took off the Lunar Steel gauntlets. He gently helped me back to my feet. His intense gaze made my face warm, and I quickly shifted away from my wolf form.“Are you all right?” he asked me seriously.“Yes. Thank you,” I said. “You saved my skin back there.”“Pardon me? WE saved your skin back there,” said Prince Legiere in mock woundedness. “In case you didn’t notice, all Prince Griffin did was cause a marvelous distraction, but I sent them packing.”I grimaced, but I knew he would be insufferable if I didn’t give him any praise. And it was true enough. He had come to my assistance along with Griffin. “Thank you,” I muttered.He gave me a wry smile, but I quickly changed the subject.“Where are the Alpha and the Lieutenant? And Sisley?” It’s not that I even cared about them remotely, but their absence was noticeable. Why weren’t they here? I wanted to ask, but then I wondered in shock if they had been killed. I looked bleakly at the carnage around
Clara The den was located within a stone cave. I sniffed out the entrance hidden by evergreen shrubs, nettles, and rocks. Gently, I pounded on the rocks outside and barked in a series of lilting tones and whines. I put my ear to the flat boulder that blocked the entrance and heard the tell-tale echo of footfalls within. Prince Legiere watched me carefully, and I felt a sense of unease as his indigo eyes took stock of my entire body, from the tip of my head to the bottom of my feet. He pulled out his pipe, stuffed it with unda, lit the end, and began to smoke nonchalantly. Seeing him so calm made me feel irrational anger. “Do you not care?” He breathed in smoke and smiled. “About you? Oh, I care immensely about you.” His impudent attitude grated on my nerves. I shook my head at him. “Not me. This whole situation. You look like we just come back from an invigorating hunt for deer.” He sighed. “Still on about that, eh? You know, maybe you and Prince Griffin are meant to be for each
ClaraWhen we all arrived at the center of Bragne, I saw the Alpha carrying bodies in his arms. His face was impassive. The smell of horrible smoke filled my nostrils, and I saw Sisley pouring oil on a pyre. Griffin and Prince Legiere’s two bodyguards threw rough-hewn logs on the piles of bodies. They were burning our dead. Ideally, the Moonstone Pack would have buried the dead, but there was no time anymore. Already, the carrion crows gathered on the dry branches of the oaks above the pyres. A particularly bold crow flew down to a body and pecked at an eye. The Alpha snatched it and ripped its head off. The crows screamed and flew off to another perch. Their beady eyes still gleamed with hunger.Prince Legiere nodded at the Alpha. “Did you catch the leader?”A grim snort left the Alpha’s lips. Even he did not come away unscathed. His right ear was torn to pieces. His face had several long gashes, and I could see tiny shimmers of consecrated silver left behind in its wake.I looked ov
Clara Prince Legiere spun around and shifted into his werewolf form. The two at his heels did the same. He did not wait for me as his paws flew over the darkened grass and sandy pathways. I looked back at Prince Griffin and thought of Hazel. But already, Prince Legiere was a single dot in the distance. If I didn’t follow him, he would be far out of my sight. I was torn between two existences: to stay in a doomed pack with an Alpha who despised me or to finally find my freedom in some unknown pack further to the south. Griffin’s emerald eyes bored into me. “Go,” he said softly. There was no anger or haughtiness in his tone. I realized that he was giving his blessing to leave. “I will tell Hazel all that has gone on here,” he said. My throat squeezed in pain, but I managed to whisper, “Don’t let those damn vamps get you, you hear?” He laughed sadly, the sound of the gentle summer breeze fading into rustling grass. “Do you have so little opinion of me, Clara?” His eyes hardened. “The
ClaraWe headed down the valley, and I burst with questions. What was Khordon like? What were the werewolves like? Did they also adhere to the caste system like the Moonstone Pack? Was Prince Legiere seriously going to introduce me to the Dark Shade clan as his concubine? I wanted to ask all of these things, but the prince’s quick steps once again forced me to push myself to the finish line.The strange sensation of paved, stone roads hit my feet, and I was stunned to see beasts of burden like horses and carriages travelling along the road. Werewolves dressed in all manner of colors, leathers, linens, and even silks stared at my rough wolf form. Some of them even chuckled, and I bared my teeth at them. They quickly moved on, though I don’t know if they were merely scandalized or actually afraid of the foreign werewolf who could possibly be insane. I must have been quite a sight for them to behold, though the feeling was mutual. I scented the ooze of decadence and wealth dripping off t
Clara We wound our way slowly up the twisted stairwell with stone buildings, stores, and marketplace stalls infesting every step. The stone steps were massive, and hundreds of werewolves stepped down and up in a great mass of bodies. A cacophony of noise assailed my ears: werewolves barking, heckling, laughing, and bargaining all at the same time. I couldn't easily discern rank by scent, as perfumes, spices, sugars, and of course the burning stench of pipe smoke filled the oddly warm air. Sweat beaded down my back. The time was the autumn's harvest, but Khordon burned me like a midsummer's day. Werewolves held lacy parasols over their head to shield their heads from the unrelenting sun. Part of me thought these prissy Khordonian werewolves looked ridiculous, but another part of me wanted my own parasol to hide away from Diantha's rival, Soliere the sun. Prince Legiere snapped his fingers. The retinue all halted as one. He pointed at a stone stall at the side of the road, and I saw p
Clara “I’ll be there shortly,” Prince Legiere said. He turned and stepped toward me. He paused before me, and I realized he was quite tall and lean. I could see the taut muscle in his naked chest as he brushed a stray hair away from my eyes. There was no stink of pipe smoke, but instead, I caught hints of rich woody musk and amber. It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant smell. Our eyes met, and he bent down quickly. His lips brushed against my forehead in a strangely formal kiss. I was too surprised to say anything, and he nodded at the servant. “See you tonight,” he said. He waited for the servant to move further away, and he gave the lowest of whispers. “And don’t even think about heading out to your right, running down the corridor, heading up the southeast steps, and sliding away the false entrance tile hidden under the tapestry of a boar hunt.” He winked at me, and then he strode off to where the servant was waiting. I blinked and chewed my lip. Clearly, he wanted to show me someth