“We don’t want you getting lost,” Brucella called.
“I know the way,” Bastien growled down, even as he took a giant leap and thrust from one tree to the next. The food in my stomach churned. I was glad that I had not eaten more than I had.
The wind trailed its cool fingers through my hair, leaves brushing against the back of my head, as Bastien swung gracefully amidst branches. As he gained momentum, his limbs were fluid, precise, breathtakingly powerful. It was hardly even bumpy anymore, just one long flow of movement as we flooded through the trees.
I pressed my cheek down hard against the back of his neck, listening to his soft breathing. I slanted a glance at his face. His eyes were alight, shining with adrenaline.
I could barely even hear the stampede of werewolves whizzing through the undergrowth below. Although I was sure I caught Brucella’s voice calling up to Bastien every now and then, it was distant enough to be mistaken for the cawing of a crow.
He scaled the trees higher, until finally we burst out through the canopy of leaves into a world of pure blue sky and dazzling sunshine. He paused for a moment, casting his gaze outward and admiring the view. I was certainly admiring it. An ocean of trees stretched out for miles around us, and bordering our right were more mountains.
“Are you all right?” he asked softly.
I tightened my hold around his neck. “Yes. I’m, uh, actually enjoying this a lot more than the last time you carried me.” A lot more. The night he had swept me up and away from the hunters’ compound had been utterly terrifying. I hadn’t known him then… not that I knew him now, of course. But I’d come to trust him enough in the past couple of days to feel safe in his grasp. To know that he would not let me fall. He was a master of these trees.
My answer seemed to please Bastien. Invigorate him, even. I could practically feel his body pulsing with electricity as he leapt to the next treetop. He was on fire, his spirit wild and free.
I couldn’t help but feel that no matter how much time he spent as a human, he’d always be more beast than man.
Bastien
As I flew through the trees with Victoria, no speed was fast enough. With my aunt’s vexatious voice finally muffled, it felt like we were in a world of our own. A world in which the troubles beneath us did not exist. A world in which I was still happy.
I pushed myself harder, even as Victoria gasped. I gripped her legs and fastened her closer around me. She should not worry about falling. I would never let that happen.
Sweet Victoria. She didn’t know how much she’d helped me during these last few days.
After she had freed me from the cage and I’d escaped back through the portal, I’d never felt more vulnerable in my life. Even after I’d managed to climb a tree and escape being noticed, I could barely register it as a victory. A crippling despair had clawed at my chest, taking over my mind and practically blinding me. The very basis of my existence was my family, and in my entire life, I had never been alone. They were my foundation. My epicenter. My meaning. We’d done everything together since I’d been a cub. We’d hunted, eaten, fought, defended, laughed, cried, rejoiced as one. Being the youngest of seven siblings, I’d never known a world without them.
After watching them stripped from me before my very eyes, it felt like my chest had been gouged open. Most of what had happened next was a blur. I’d just been aware of the pain, inside, not outside, even as they maimed me.
Then Victoria the stranger had arrived outside my cage and insisted I be freed. It was that glimmer of kindness she’d shown me that had sparked life in me again, that fleeting connection with another feeling, living being. Fragile human that she was, she had unknowingly fulfilled a need so deep within me, so primal, that it breathed soul into me.
After I had left her to return through the portal, escaped the compound, and stumbled through the woods outside, I hadn’t been sure what I should do or where I should go. The world had seemed vacant and I’d wondered why I was even still in it. Nothing made sense. Nothing seemed fair.
Then I had heard Victoria’s cry for help, and it had been a call straight to my heart. Her vulnerability became my strength. Suddenly, purpose returned to me. There was somebody who needed me. Somebody who was kind and had shown goodwill toward me needed it back in return. As I had raced back to the compound, somehow, I’d managed to block out all other thoughts from my mind. The desperation. The grief. My only focus had become saving Victoria.