Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 93948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Instead, it’s an unclenching. I allow a part of myself to relax that I normally keep twisted up tightly. Between one breath and the next, my center of gravity changes and I hit the ground on four paws. There’s no pain, only a slight tingling that courses over my body as skin changes to fur and my eyes shift red and become capable of seeing a great distance and even better in the dark.
I am…home.
“Siobhan,” Bastian breathes. “Gods, but I forget how stunning you are in this form.” I lower myself so he can clamber up onto my back and wait until he’s settled into place. His weight is barely noticeable. He strokes my back as the air around us wavers slightly. “We’re covered. Go.”
I take off running. This is what freedom feels like, and I’ve denied myself for so long. When I was young back on Lyari, I used to sneak out of the house and then out of the city and run through the forest for hours in the night. At least until my parents found out and punished me so severely that I never dared do it again. At the time, it felt unnecessarily cruel. Now, looking back, I recognize how terrified they were when they learned of my recklessness. If a single person had seen me, had recognized what my white fur and red eyes meant, had thought to report their strange sighting to the Council, it would have spelled ruin for all of us.
Not even the Cŵn Annwn can cry in this form, but emotion still wells in my throat as the ground flies beneath my paws. Sharp rocks and tangled undergrowth would have kept my human form occupied for some time, but I slide easily over and under and through, slowing down slightly to avoid tossing Bastian in the process. I’m moving so quickly that I almost feel more liquid than solid. I feel elemental.
I’m so caught up in the process of running that I almost miss the safe house entirely. Bastian has to smack my shoulder to gain my attention. I circle back along the pebbled beach and cut into the narrow crevice that leads back to the house built partially into the cliffs. If I remember correctly, this is the same safe house that Nox sent Bowen and Evelyn to after they were cast ashore. We have people in Kanghri who ensure that it stays stocked for anyone who may need it, and I’m not surprised in the least to find nondescript clothing in a variety of sizes.
While Bastian changes, I pack a small bag with pants, a shirt, and boots, and loop it around my neck. He comes back into the room, his hair still windswept and cheeks still flushed. “There were a couple times back there that I thought you forgot I was on your back.”
I clear my throat. “I sort of did.”
He laughs a little. “It’s good to see you like this, Siobhan.” He moves closer and cups my face, urging me down until our breathing mingles. “Wild and reckless and free.”
“It feels good,” I whisper. I kiss him hard, desire punching me in the stomach. It would be so easy to…Except, no. We don’t have the freedom of time. I exhale shakily. “I missed you, Bastian.”
“I missed you, too.” He tugs my hair until I move back. “We have to go.”
“I know.” I brush one last kiss to his lips and retreat. “Let’s go get our wayward captain.” This time, it’s even easier to shift. As easy as breathing. I race along the beach and then cut inward toward the city. Even at this distance, I can smell it. All cities have a particularly rancid scent of human waste, garbage, and all the smells that come with a populace living in close quarters. Kanghri is no different, for all that it’s a relatively small city: larger than a village, but perpetually striving to match the expanding pace of Mairi—and perpetually coming up short.
Night has only just fallen when I stop outside the city and change back to my human form so I can dress. Bastian stumbles over to sit on a rock while I do. “I’m out of shape. I haven’t ridden since Lyari and…”
The thrill of the run still has me giddy. “You’ve ridden me plenty of times over the last year.”
“Well, uh, I, yes.” He clears his throat. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“I do.” I pull on boots and straighten to pull my hood up over my head to conceal my features. “You know, it strikes me that part of the reason joy has shadowed my steps since leaving the Audacity is that I’m finally able to move. Even though we’ll be returning to the ship shortly, even though my presence here will be helpful but not fully necessary, it still feels good to take action. I’m not built for sitting back and letting others make decisions and take risks.”