s hands

t done the

r poisoning that should have killed him-

been the o

No. No, this wasn't happening. She wasn'

then

taring at them like they

d eyes flickering with something she

wasn't real calm. It was the kind people us

s what she wa

his gaze, to pull herself together, to prete

id you do to me?

ightly. "I was about to

shook her head. "I don't have magic.

stop

t wasn't tr

dying fox in the woods. It had been barely breathing,

been jus

it, her small hand

hen-w

ng under her skin, something

returned to the same

herself it had b

o

omach

tching her. Too cl

ready knew

p back. "This does

d. "You're lyi

know what I am

darkened. "I

uiet, but they l

s blood

k

ow why, but somehow, Ronan Dus

errified her more than the bo

demand answers,

e and iron curled

sion sharpened

ice dropped, s

react before he grabbed her

ng her behind a massive oak just as th

tree where she had been

omach

eren't

on her wrist. "They w

rocess his words before figu

hunt

lv

es with glowing gold e

blood turn

was

as so,

"Really?" His voice dripped with

d wolf

hair braided back. His amber eyes flicked between Cel

to be dead by

n't falter. "Sorr

ly. "You know how this ends. Surr

s heart

unreadable. Then, he murmured,

swallowe

rk was

ant you to be afra

-he

e to flinch before Ron

t before. She had seen B

seen a Blood Alp

terri

s bea

ed through flesh, his body moving too fast, too precise, like

ouldn't l

h

a

tal sting at

up-and felt a blade

behin

at her

orld

ime, Celeste felt i

brea

iva

n st

toward her, his

ers, and something

ir ch

voice wasn't

Her.

nd her laughe

ntire bod

th

rm sha

ft. Not like a

somethi

hing

wolf should b

he thing standing where Ronan

't even

ething els

ate, that she had never been tr

trapped wit

-