And then I’m standing behind her.
Andy crashes into the sand where she intended to crash into me. She lets out a roar of frustration and is barely able to spin around in the narrow pathway. Only the agility of a cat could fold itself to face me with such little room.
With another roar, she lunges at me again. And with another Blink of Jax’s ability, I’m behind her. Again. She follows the same pattern of spinning around to try and sink her teeth into me all over again.
And then Jax’s power coursing through my veins falters, flickers.
No, no—
And then it fails.
He’s too far from me now, lost in the maze and taking his ability with him.
Well, that leaves me no choice.
With only one ability available to me, I finally take advantage of it.
I shift.
Plagues, I forgot how much I hated this. There is a flash of light before my bones begin shifting, muscles stretching, every part of my body achingly aware of every change. I’m close to the ground, body sleek and strong and slicked with a shiny coat. I feel my canines elongate, sharpened to deadly points. My eyesight sharpens with them, narrowing on the smaller jaguar before me.
Keep your head. Keep your head. Keep your head.
With the little training I’ve had compared to Andy, it’s far easier for me to lose my mind to the animal I have just become. So, the faster this fight ends, the better.
Andy seems only slightly surprised that I have gone from human to jaguar, matching her, mirroring her. But she recovers quickly, and the sudden swipe of her claws catches me across the side of my face. She slashes upward, barely missing my eye.
I grunt in pain. No, growl in pain.
I leap towards her, slashing out with my own razor-sharp claws. I swipe her across the chest, and she lets out a cry of pain before leaping on top of me.
This might be the strangest fight I’ve ever been in. And that is saying a lot.
And yet, it feels so natural in this body. My claws and canines know exactly what to do as I slash at her. Red blood blends into her burgundy fur as we roll over one another, growling and slicing each other’s flesh anywhere we can.
We are quite literally fighting like rabid animals.
I let instinct take over, let myself tap into that animal side a little more.
Keep your head. Keep your head. Keep your head.
She’s on top of me and my teeth snap, meeting the soft skin of her neck. She yelps, and I throw her off me, watching as she tumbles into the sand and crashes into a hedge. I slink towards her, paws padding silently as I close in on my kill.
No. Not my kill. My family. Andy.
She’s trying to get up, trying to slice me with her claws and teeth as I approach. I crouch over her, this small jaguar who dared challenge me. My teeth are bared, and a growl grows in my throat.
I am Kai Azer, prince and future Enforcer of Ilya. I am Kai Azer, prince and fu— Pain.
Jagged teeth are clamped around my shoulder, tearing at flesh and fur. I roar and raise my uninjured arm, ready to finish this with one swipe.
A flash of light momentarily blinds my sharp eyes and I stagger back, stunned as I’m returned to my senses.
I was about to kill her.
I need to change back. Now.
Blinking, I look down at where Andy should be laying beneath me. But there’s nothing there. A sudden shadow looms above, drawing my attention up towards the sky. Well, where the sky would be if I could see it.
Vines and thick foliage have created a barrier over the top of the maze, a dome of greenery enclosing us completely. I hear the rustle of feathers and a flash of wine-red wings flapping against the thick ceiling.
She’s shifted into a falcon, trying desperately to fly up and over this maze with no luck. A valiant effort, but one that the Blooms cannot allow.
Andy screeches, trying to claw at the branches trapping her in this cage. Then she’s diving back towards the sand, blinding me with a flashing light. I blink and she’s back in her jaguar form, not giving me a second glance before limping away.
I don’t waste another second before shifting back. My clothes are still intact, if not soaked with blood. I’m covered in deep gashes, the one on my face stinging as blood streams down into my eye. But it’s the bite mark that draws my attention. It’s deep and dripping blood, the outline of a set of sharp teeth imprinted into the skin of my shoulder.
And it hurts like hell.
I rip off a strip of fabric from the hem of my shirt and wrap it around the wound, trying to stop the steady flow of blood. My very bones seem to ache as I head off again through the maze, having wasted far too much time clawing at my cousin.
Right.
Left.
Left.
Screams.
I still.
Another cry.
Right.
Left.
Right.
I stop, suddenly.
The faintest tingle of power bubbles in my veins. I focus on it, willing it to grow stronger. It does. And I don’t hesitate to grab hold of it.
A smile splits my bloody face.
Looks like a Bloom got too close.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Paedyn
“Don’t worry, I’ll make this quick. Sadly, I don’t have enough time to play with you.”
I spin around slowly in the narrow path, facing the owner of that cold voice and even colder brown eyes.
“Blair,” I say stiffly.
She steps towards me with a smile twisting her lips. “Hello, Paedyn.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask coolly. “Have you already forgotten what I did to your nose the last time we fought?”
“No,” she practically snarls, “I haven’t forgotten.”
I take a step back, branches clawing at my arms, foot protesting in pain. I open my mouth to spout off another remark to buy me more time, but nothing comes out. In fact, air isn’t getting in.
And then my feet leave the ground.
I’m gasping, clawing at my neck though I know there isn’t a hand constricting my windpipe. No, this is the work of nothing more than Blair’s twisted mind. Her signature move. I’m dangling in the air, several feet off the ground, choking.
“Just because I’m going to make this quick, doesn’t mean it won’t be painful.” She gives me a pout. “Sorry, Paedyn. We don’t always get what we want, do we?”
My vision blurs, making it difficult to see the hand stretched towards me or the wicked smile curving her lips. I can just barely breathe. Despite her promise to make this quick, she’s drawing this out.
Think. Think.
I need to get close enough to her to land a blow. Our spar after the ball taught me all I need to know about the lack of physical fighting she does. If I can just get close to her...
If I can just breathe.
“You would know a lot about not getting what you want.” My voice is a croak, a pitiful excuse at sounding passive. Just using the limited air I have to speak those words has my head spinning, has me praying that she’ll take the bait.
Her hold loosens. Barely.
There is a question in her eyes, one I intend to answer.