ella

promise in my fist, I moved swiftly through the woods. There

as the sun began to dip below the trees. T

th hatred and fear. A dirty rag was stuffed in her mouth. She g

"This is the final payment. You and your men did well. No

the gold. He and his men melted back into th

gag from El

d immediately. "What do you

all, silk-wrapped package and took out a small brass incense burner and

nt years perfecting in my past life-a mixture of rare pheromones and herbal catalysts designed to bypass all l

began to shift uncomfortably in th

ed, her voice trembling. "

a cold smile. "Think of

s were unsteady. The incense was working, fanning the flames of he

the heavy wooden bar acro

shes nearby. He was a scrawny, quick-footed

d, handing him a sealed parchment. "Tell him t

terpiece of damsel-in-distress manipulation. It claimed I had betrayed her and

scurried off in

w of the cabin and climbed, settling myself on a

n't ta

ral Marker would have sent him into a frenzy. He was a powder keg of wounded pride, and Elfie's letter was the li

kicked the cabin door ope

-torn, her face flushed with a feverish heat, and

ical blow, igniting his fury and h

e incense, saw not Silas, but

mbling towards him. "My prince

final straw for Silas. He roared with rage, g

he snarled.

dark magic I had unleashed. I could almost feel their wolves' base instincts taking over: his wanted to claim, to

ng glimpses of the sordid scene within. The so

mask of stone, and watched my

ce. A simple communication crystal. I c

message pulsed ou