Red and Her Wolf (Kingdom, #3)

“STOP!”


The scream shattered Violet’s thoughts, startled, she glanced up. Her Aunt flitted beside another tiny fairy. Miriam was grabbing her chest, heaving for breath. The traveling portal was little more than a sliver of a rift in the brackish sky.

“Get away from us, Shunned!” Malvena’s voice was pure malic again, dripping with deadly intentions.

“Danika,” Miriam pointed to Violet, her hand trembled, gray wisps of hair frizzed around her head with static power, “stop her.”

A pink ball of light zoomed like a rocket toward them. Violet could barely understand anything that was going on. Then the pink ball crashed into Malvena and a scuffle broke out. They were clawing, gouging at each other. Danika’s fangs became thick and long.

“She’s mine!” Malvena screamed.

Then a tiny set of teeth pierced Violet’s neck, breaking through the vein, and started drinking.

It was like being envenomed by a thousand wasps, prodded with ten thousand scorpion tails, and burned alive. Violet screamed as something cold and dark welled up from the pit of her stomach, leeching life and soul from her body.

Then the teeth were ripped out and blood leaked down her breast. Her head swam as the waves that’d calmed while Malvena spoke to her, now raged. Wracked with chills, she could barely move even though the water frothed and bubbled, churning with rage, lathered with fury. All around, it looked like the water bled red. Was she bleeding? Dying? There was so much blood, it was everywhere.

Violet’s heart stuttered when a series of undulations rolled just below the surface; with a green glint of scales beginning to peek through.

“Aunt Mir,” Violet screamed, finally able to find her voice.

Her Aunt’s arms were wrapped around her. She was back to normal size, but her skin looked worn, her eyes ragged. “Calm yerself, me love.”

“Danika, have you got her?”

Something big and very rough brushed Violet’s feet. She lifted her feet, tucking them beneath her bottom, even though the position forced more sea water into her mouth. There was something underneath.

“Help,” Danika cried, her wand pointed at Malvena who--though her nose was busted and bloodied--wore a smile. The veins in her neck pulsed and twitched violently. No words escaped her lips, but there was a rigidity in her mummified stance that said she was fighting whatever enchantment Danika had thrown at her.

“I’m too weak,” Danika said, arm trembling.

Aunt Mir withdrew her wand, a pink bolt of energy sang from its tip and Malvena’s back arced, the robes were the only things that moved.

“This won’t hold her long,” Miriam cried.

“What are you doing?” Violet gasped as Malvena’s eyes began to bulge from their sockets.

Aunt Mir was sweating, her nostrils flared tight. “We’ve bound her, but it won’t last long. You must kill her, Violet.”

Just then the beast that’d been thrashing the waters broke free. All Violet saw was a dog’s face with tusks the lengths of her arms.

“Bloody damn!” Danika sputtered. “We can’t stay here, Mir.”

“I can hold her long enough for you to open the portal,” Miriam cried, a shiny drop of blood dripped from her nose.

Aunt Miriam cried out when Danika moved to flick her wrist and open a portal. The dog faced hag swooped in, razor teeth grinding maliciously, its fetid breath bathing Violet’s face when she was yanked by her collar through the portal. Taken to only the gods knew where.

Where was Ewan?

Chapter 17

His mouth was full of feathers and gore, his breathing was harsh and ragged. Ewan stood in the center of a pile of dead crows. Small black eyes unblinking, beaks opened, some with dangling bits of fur and flesh still in them.

He’d kill one and two more would take its place. Pecking, gouging, and tearing at him. His fur was matted with blood, mostly his own. One of the beaks had nearly pierced through to his lungs.

A soft wuffing sound happened whenever he exhaled. His muscles spasmed with each painful step he took. Blood clouded his vision, he licked his muzzle, but the thick liquid only ran harder when he broke up the clots.

Where had Malvena taken her? They could be anywhere. Anywhere. Dead crows littered his feet, Ewan threw back his head and howled. There was no scent, no trace of them.

Long he called, voice rolling up and down in a haunting melody of anguish and sorrow. But there was no answer. The woods were pregnant with silence, thick with secrets.