I was about to help him learn a lesson he’d never forget.
It didn’t matter how big or tall he was when he was lying flat on the ground. My knuckles split, but I didn’t stop, the pain urging me onward. I thought hunting would fix it, but my Wolf’s rage wasn’t sated.
The one I had bitten grabbed me again, trying to pry me off his barely conscious friend. The other lay lifeless, blood trailing down the rock beneath his head.
I whipped around as the last man hauled me back to my feet. He flinched, lifting his one good arm in surrender. The stench of urine stained his trousers.
“Who are you?”
I panted, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth and smiling. I knew he could barely see my outline, but with my vision I saw the whites of his wide frightened eyes.
“I am a monster lurking in the shadows,” I purred. “Worse than any ostekke or ebarven. And if you ever think about laying a hand on someone again, I will be there. Tell your friends to think twice . . . if they survive.”
I spat more blood onto the ground and stalked off around the side of the building. Throwing back my shoulders, I raised my chin, trying to be as regal as Briar. I’d be swollen with bruises, but I didn’t dare shift again—not here, anyway. That was a much closer call than I’d let on. I needed to grab my things and find a way out of this town before people came looking for who did this to them. If I was lucky, their pride would get the better of them and they’d say it was a bear attack. Either way, I couldn’t stick around. No more foolish mistakes.
I wiped my nose with the back of my hand. Dried blood stained the front of my dress brown . . . and it wasn’t only my blood. I’d left the inn through the window once more and headed up the main road out of town. The crickets and hooting owls silenced as I passed, waiting until I prowled away before striking up their nighttime chorus. I felt the moon’s watchful eye, seeing my grimy garments and hair clotted with blood. With each step uphill, the air thinned, growing frostier by the minute.
My backpack tugged on my shoulders, my briefly healed feet blistering again on the dusty road. How could humans stand being so fragile, I wondered tiredly. I didn’t know how many hours I had slept at the inn. Not enough.
My throat was scratchy and my eyes swollen as I stared up at her—the mother Goddess in the nighttime sky who hears us all.
“Do you still watch over Briar?” I whispered to her. “Do you still speak to her in her dreams?”
A tear slipped down my cheek, the salt stinging my cuts.
“Those white roses are probably brown now.” I sniffed, wiping my scratchy woolen sleeve under my eyes. The thoughts that had swarmed my mind came spilling out even as I choked on my words. “I wish it was me. Briar deserves to be a part of this world. She was meant to be a part of it. I was never planned, never wanted. It should be me lying cold on that tomb.” Cold air slid over my bottom teeth and I gulped a pained breath. “She would’ve had a plan. She would’ve told me what I needed to do to fix this.” I stared up through watery eyes at the glowing moon. “I can’t just fight my way out of this. But that’s all I know. What do I do now?
“Who am I supposed to be without her?”
Tears trailed over my lips as I tried to regain my composure. It was true. I had always taken my cue from Briar. Whatever she was, I was the opposite—if she liked sweets, I only wanted savory. If she wore pastels, I wore earth tones. If she wanted to be the center of attention, I wanted to be a shadow. I always knew how to be by looking at her. Who would I be if I had to decide on my own? I couldn’t put my finger on why, there were no words to describe it, but none of my options felt right.
I imagined Briar walking beside me, her breath fogging the evening air as we both stared out at the dark forest. If she appeared right now, I wouldn’t question it—it would only feel right. She was supposed to be here with me.
I reached out with my senses as if I might be able to feel her. I always knew when she was close, but now I felt nothing.
Just me. Only me.
A building appeared on the side of the road, and my eyes widened.
No, not a building, a wagon.
It had giant wheels, taller than me, and a towering canvas roof. I crept closer, not seeing a single flicker of candlelight. Whoever owned this monstrous wagon appeared to be asleep. Colorful ribbons streamed along the side windows in a riot of color. Carved wood wrapped around the back door leading into the wagon’s back cabin. Painted musical notes danced along the wood.
What strange sort of traveler lived here?