growing thin. But I couldn’t give up now. I still needed to stop Ethan.
I tossed the remnants of my school uniform in the dumpster. I had plenty more back in my dorm, all identical, and there was nowhere to store it in the meantime.
Looks like I needed to get a secret lair of my own. I couldn’t quite hang my superhero disguise in the closet.
Superhero. Motherfucker, I can’t believe I’m doing this crazy shit.
It was all for the man I loved. Who was also crazy, because he’d gotten me into this shit in the first place.
I took a deep breath and began my trek toward the woods, to search for my mate... and to sabotage his plans for his own good.
Hey, Ethan wasn’t the only one who could wear a mask.
Chapter Five
Ethan
My white fur stood out against the night as I prowled through the trees as a wolven in the shadows. I kept crouched, just in case there were cultists nearby. The wind whistled through the leaves, creating an almost flute-like sound, and the snow crunched underneath my paws. The air felt crisp and brisk as the snowflakes trickled down. Hopefully the heavy snowfall would mask any paw prints I left behind on my journey.
I was a mile outside of town, searching the woods. There were monsters lurking out here in the darkness, but I had no time for them. If one crossed my path, I’d do what I could to avoid it and move on, unless I had no other choice but to fight.
The trees parted slightly up ahead. I slunk to the ground and kept my ears up. My shifter sight helped me to see in the dark. Against the ridge of a mountain was the opening of a cave. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or not, but the cave’s mouth looked like a skull, gaping teeth wide to swallow fae whole. Two eyes in the cave’s ceiling looked on vacantly toward the world.
I kept myself hidden in the snow as I waited. It wasn’t long before I saw two cloaked figures wandering forward from the blizzard’s rage. I couldn’t tell who they were, only that their cloaks were black. They remained close together as the wind raged on.
They could be cultists. I wasn’t sure who else would be out here, up to no good in the middle of the night.
The two figures paused at the entrance of the cave. One raised a hand— the air shimmered and weaved, and the two figures stepped on through. I noticed as they passed
There was a particular shine to the spot they’d traveled through, a sort of glamour.
With the sight of the illusion being performed, I was certain. So this was the Black Claw’s hideout. A cavern. Interesting choice.
I crept forward. When I got to the cave’s entrance, I pressed a paw against the shield I’d seen the fae dissolve. My paw met a block, and I could go no farther.
The entrance to the cave was blocked by an enchantment. You needed a password spell to get through. I could try to break it, but then I’d be out here all night, and who knew if another cultist would discover me in the process.
I returned to the safety of the trees and lay down to think. I could wait for them to come out. But that was a futile effort. I’d need an army to take on the cultists, and as prince regent I didn’t have one at my disposal. It would be an act of war, and only a king could declare that.
I had other options. I could cause an explosion and cave in the entrance. That would take care of the problem.
A twist in my gut made me feel ill to consider the possibility. I’d never taken the life of a fae before, let alone the lives of hundreds. I’d only ever killed monsters— animals. I’d considered murdering the cultist I’d tortured weeks ago, but that was in a moment of rage. To slaughter so many people in such a gruesome way... trap them inside, with no light or food or way of escape, waiting for the inevitable end... it was monstrous in itself.
I would not have the thought of thousands of cultists wasting away on my conscience, even if they were horrible people.
I thought of starting a fire, but illusion magic couldn’t conjure it, and I had no matches or gasoline to create one large enough to chase the cultists out of the cave— not