I try to slow my breathing and ignore the power pulsing in me, drawn to the surface by my turbulent emotions. I hear footsteps then and turn, trying to look put together. Raising my chin, I hide my trembling hands behind my back and blink away the panicked tears as I watch Theo search for me from the stairs before spotting me.
He crosses the grass quickly, and I open my mouth to apologise, but he suddenly lifts his hand and strikes my cheek. It whips my head to the side as I gasp in shock. The sudden pain makes me cry out as I cup it in shock. Turning to look at him, I spot malevolence in his angry glare.
I swallow and whisper, “Why?”
He hits me again, jerking my head to the other side as I cry out, recoiling away from his blows.
When I raise my tear-filled eyes, I spot my mother and father on the balcony looking for me. They saw what happened, and I beg them with my gaze to intervene, to help. But they turn away, pretending they saw nothing, and my heart cracks and shatters in my chest.
I am completely alone.
In the carriage on the way back, I keep my aching, red face turned as I stare out of the window. Everyone is silent. My mother tried to converse with me, but when I ignored her attempts, she gave up.
I was forced back to the party where I had to apologise for drinking too much wine, stating the announcement had overwhelmed my delicate senses, even though it was all a lie. Everyone laughed like it was hilarious, congratulating me while ignoring my red cheeks and the evident tears. They didn’t care.
They offered me so many kind words and told me how lucky I was.
Lucky.
I almost scoff at the word.
Theo has his leg pressed against mine, and every inch of it makes my skin crawl. As soon as we stop before our house, I break protocol. I throw open the door, ignoring the gasps and calls from my family and Theo as I race from the carriage. I almost trip over my dress, so I reach down and tear it away, leaving the tattered, shining fabric in the dirt.
Tears race down my face as I run, my heart slamming in my chest as panic closes in. I only stop when I reach the greenhouse at the bottom of our garden. Collapsing onto the stone ledge surrounding the fountain in the middle, I let the sobs escape my throat.
Panic, horror, and heartbreak flow from me in undignified sniffles and big, fat tears that roll down my glistening cheeks. How can this be my life?
I am to be queen, if the current one doesn’t kill me first, and I am engaged to a man who hits me as easily as he kisses me. Will it end there? What if I enrage him one day…will he hurt me more?
Closing my eyes, I press my face to the cool stone, wishing I could run away and escape this future I do not want and a man I do not love.
My whole body shakes with the force of my weeping, which I blame for me not hearing him sneaking in after me. It’s only when a rough hand grabs my hair and yanks me up that I cry out loudly.
He pulls me to my feet, dragging me around with a disgusted sneer on his lips as he glares down at me.
Theo.
“That was very rude and uncouth,” he chides.
“Let go of me!” I shout, struggling in his hold, but he uses it to pull me closer. I feel hair tear from my head, making me cry harder as I stop my struggles, wondering what he will do next.
We are alone.
There is no one for miles except my house…and I know my parents will not stop this man. He could do whatever he wanted to me, and they would pretend it never happened.
“Stop fucking crying, it is disgusting. Your face is red and swollen. You are a lady, you should act like one,” he snarls.
“Fuck you!” I yell, shocked at my own outburst as I resume my struggles. He throws me to the ground in revulsion, and I gasp as my hands hit the dirt and I bang my knee on the fountain, causing more tears to fill my eyes.
Lifting my head, my silver hair escaping the updo and curling around my face, I see his shining shoes as he stops before me. I crane my head back farther, I meet his now dark eyes, his whole face twisted into a snarl.
I swallow hard as he crouches before me and reaches for my face. I flinch back, and he smirks as he grabs my chin and stills my movements, his thumb dragging along my lips almost lovingly. “You will learn your place, even if I have to beat it into you.” He grabs my chin again and kisses me hard and bruisingly. I bite down on his lip, and he pulls away with a laugh, enjoying my fight. He pushes me away as he stands, sending me backwards into the fountain’s wall, the tears frozen on my cheeks and my body shivering from fear.
“Until tomorrow.” He nods and then takes his leave.
I curl into a ball and cry silently, my power swirling stronger and stronger, trying to get free until, with a cry, it bursts from me. My head flings back, and my arms fly out as it flows from me in a burst, a shockwave.
The glass around me shatters from the force, hanging motionless in the air and glistening as the entire world stands still. I stare open-mouthed as they twinkle as bright as the stars. Thousands of shards of glass are held immobile in my power. The plants in here bloom higher, growing out of the broken windows. The dirt under my fingers sprouts flowers and plants that do not grow anymore. The water from the fountain bursts into the air like a wave, and I flinch as I look over at it only to watch it freeze slowly, from the top of the cresting wave all the way down the blue water to the base at the fountain.
The power flows outwards.
I feel the echo of it travelling out into the world…
And I hear an answering howl before I collapse and everything goes black.
Slate
A blast of energy wakes me. It’s such a natural power that I lift my head and howl into the night at the person controlling it. It feels old…ancient and wild. A bit like me. I stumble to my feet and leave my den to chase down the call.
But then I am attacked.
The being comes from the dark, slinking from the shadows, called by the power. It’s a three headed hound made from nature and strength, and it feeds on those strong enough it deems worth hunting.
It’s a predator on this world, a true monster and a force of nature…and fucking hard to kill.
It lowers its three heads to the ground in a charging stance. Its skin is black, like leather, two large wings flap behind it, and its heads are all different. One looks like a dog with an elongated snout, fangs, and red eyes. The next is that of a dragon, its mouth open wide on a flame-filled roar, which I just manage to avoid with fast paws.
It is constantly changing, its skin rolling from the powers and people it has consumed. I see hands, feet, and faces in that undulation, pressing against the skin. One mouth is opened in a silent cry, making me shiver with disgust.
I’m slower than normal, and that doesn’t bode well for me, but I manage to stay out of its jaws as the third and final head turns my way. It’s a mixture of fae and goblin, squat and terrifying, its purple eyes alight with stolen power.
I dance away from the flames once again and avoid its head as it lunges to try and eat me. I turn and run, leading it into the forest so it has fewer open areas for it to attack. It crashes through the trees with a horrible sounding screech, which has blood pouring from my ears.
I hear its wings working and look up as I run. It hovers over the forest, unable to reach me, but I have to kill it to stop it from getting to that magic user. They were strong and stirred a protective instinct within both me and my wolf. If I hide here, it will grow bored and find them, and they will die a horrific death.