Page 118 of Hunters and Prey

Chapter 12

Extending her armsabove her head Cailyn began to transform. Every fiber of her body trembled, her skin stung, and lights flashed before her eyes as feathers took over and bones bent to a new pattern.

A dragon.

A creature of myth.

Cailyn’s second form.

Now her arms were wings and she stretched them outward for optimal grace during her takeoff. She soared to the top of the mountain, thrilled by the freedom she felt.

The look on Tessa’s face when she told her the news ate at her. She hated to hurt her best friend, but she had to go. There was no choice. Somehow she knew that once she left Haven Cove that life would be better. The stigma of her family’s past would be lifted. The danger she felt around every corner would dissipate.

Still, she needed this time alone to collect her thoughts. Tessa had been hurt, but she’d also been surprisingly understanding.

The mark of a true friend.

After she’d revealed that she was to leave later that evening, the news of her engagement had overshadowed everything else.

Now that that part of her life was tied up nicely, Cailyn wished her mother hadn’t been so cryptic in her phone call. Cailyn could only pray that her mother and brother were okay.

A loud screeching sound caught her attention as she stood on a boulder facing the town side of the mountain. Her senses were sharpened by her shifted form. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

She was strong, powerful, and free.

Cailyn flew back down to the clearing where she’d left her clothes. When she returned to her human form, her phone had thirteen missed calls and eight text messages.

Her heart lurched as she scrambled to check the missed calls. They were all from Cecilia.

Good. I could use some news. Any news.

Sighing, she stepped into her boots and made her way through the forest to her car.

She called her mother back, dreading what news she would hear.

“Cailyn,” Cecilia said.

“What is it? Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Cecilia said, with a sigh. “But, we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“Connor,” she said, and Cailyn’s face flushed.

Every inch of her body tensed. “What about him?”

After a brief pause, her mother replied.

“I tried everything within my power to undo what your father has done, but the truce is stronger than anything I could fathom.”

Her brows furrowed. “Truce?”

“Yes,” Cecilia said. “You were promised to wed Connor before you were born.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“And, he’s come to claim you.”

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