Page 173 of Crown of Briars
A tear streaked down my face as I held my breath, waiting for her response.
Her voice was thick with emotion when she finally replied.“Stones, Varius, I—I have to do this. Please don’t make this harder than it is.”
No.She couldn’t do this. Shecouldn’t.“Sybelle?—”
She let out a broken sob.“I have the shadowstone. I will find a way to take the bloodstone from Gerard. But I don’t know if I can kill him. There isn’t enough time. I have to end this,now.”
“Sybelle, stop!”I roared. She had to listen to me. She had to see reason.
“Hold off the army as long as you can,”she said, her voice louder than my objections.“Then find Gerard and kill him. And this will all be over. I—I love you. Gods, I love you more than I ever thought possible.”
“Don’t you dare.”My pulse raced, my vision tinted red as horror surged through me.
Please, please, please.
I could not lose her. The entirety of my soul belonged to her. She was my lifeblood. My salvation. The light that beckoned me from the darkness.
If she died, I would be lost.
“You are my wife. My queen. Don’t you dare leave me.”
Another sob.“I wish we had more time, my love.”
Hot tears ran down my cheeks, and I shook my head, desperate to cling to her for another moment.“Please?—”
Something in my mind snapped shut, cutting off my connection with her. I blinked, my heart sinking like a stone in my chest.
“Sybelle?”
No answer.
“Sybelle!”I roared.
Still nothing. She must have dropped the amber stone.
Or found a way to cut off communication with me.
“Damn it, Sybelle,” I growled, gripping the amber so tightly in my fist that my lengthened claws skewered my flesh, drawing droplets of black blood.
I glanced around the courtyard. Soldiers continued to rush about, donning more armor and weapons. Barricades had been formed on the entrance doors and windows of the castle.
I had no idea how much time we had before the humans advanced again. But I couldn’t let Sybelle move forward with this plan of hers. I had to stop her. I had totry.
I dashed up the steps of the castle, making my way to the nearest door. One door was all it would take. Surely the castle would take me directly to her…
Before I could reach the entrance, a slice of agony burst in my chest. I stiffened, my back arching as pain bloomed along my chest and abdomen. A tortured cry tore from my lips, and I fell to my knees. My wings flared, then grew in size, the sharpened talons lengthening just as my claws had.
No.This couldn’t be happening.
Fur sprouted along my chest and arms. My fangs extended far beyond my lips. A guttural howl poured from my mouth, piercing the air and echoing around the courtyard. The soldiers all fell silent as they gaped at me.
I had to leave. I had to get away,now, before I hurt someone.
My back bowed, and I hunched on all fours, my claws carving jagged grooves in the ground. My breaths became deeper and more feral. Saliva dripped from my lips.
My vision narrowed. I could no longer see faces or expressions—just shapes and colors. My awareness was slipping. There was something urgent pressing on my mind, but I couldn’t recall it.
I couldn’t even remember my own name.
