Blood & Scales by Therena Carlin

Author:Therena Carlin [Therena Carlin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Therena C. Art & Photography
Published: 2023-12-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

All around Kaya it felt as though the forest was holding its breath. Or perhaps it was her own nerves which teetered on the edge of nervous anticipation. Dried leaves crunched under their boots as they walked in silence. Ryu had barely spoken to her, other than to make sure she wasn’t hurt or in need of anything.

She was grateful for the space he was giving her, but all the same, it drove her insane. So many questions whirled through her mind like a hurricane threatening to rip out her very existence. She needed to know the answers to them.

He knew! All this time he had known she was a witch, and yet, he had cared for her all the same. Taken her in, spoiled her, made her feel special. Not once had he confronted her about it or condemned her for it. Instead, he had waited for her to make the first move, to tell him in her own time.

But then he had his own secret, didn’t he? Maybe he just wasn’t ready to face her with his own truth.

She risked a glance at his sullen face as he walked behind her in contemplative silence. What was he? She didn’t feel scared or unsafe around him. If anything, she felt safer, knowing he would protect her against any danger the woods could throw her way. Ever since the attack by the wolves and hunters, he had small golden scales running up and down his skin in undulating waves.

It was as if he couldn’t control the beast, which was a part of him. And he had stopped trying to hide it from her. She stared. Mesmerized by them as the sun’s rays played off them like twinkling gems. He looked up to meet her eyes, and she averted her gaze.

She hadn’t asked him what he was again since the hunter had died.

Hunter of the Forest… What did that even mean? She knew he was some kind of shifter. They weren’t unheard of. She knew there was a pack of werewolves in the forest near where she grew up. But she had never seen a shifter with scales in her life before.

Was he telling the truth when he said he had tried to protect her when he’d betrayed her to the villagers? She glanced at him again, unable to take her eyes off him for any length of time.

She considered the battle between the hunters and the wolves. His argument was valid. If he had attacked the villagers and slaughtered them as he did the hunters, he would have regretted it, and so would she. She may not like them, nor like the way they treated her, but their fear was a primal part of them. It was ingrained into them from an early age by others who feared her kind and the power they wielded.

While she didn’t condone their actions, she could understand them. And she would have hated if they were killed for their fear because of her.

She saw firsthand how easily the mob nearly turned against Becca for even trying to intervene.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.