Rise of the Luna Queen

lp

miserable glow of the lamp that barely

at in a rigid chair opposite from him, waiting

ologne filled the air, and I couldn't

Cassian's piercing voice. "Why I waste time with you is beyond me. Do

lf to keep my gaze low. Looking him in

"You think just because you have some little gift, you're worth more than anyone else her

till healing. My arm hurt every time he tightened his hold, but I knew

d waved me away like I was a bothersome bug. "I expec

," and stood up, my body aching as I wa

rangers who would show up with life-threatening wounds, and I wasn't allowed to ask

been feeling weaker lately. It felt like my energy was being drained out of me, leavi

ad clung to a slender, tattered thread o

er's license after all these years. In order to force me to ob

s if to remind myself that it was real, I gripped the l

escaping this pack, escaping Cassian's domineer

w me. My life had been reduced to survival, a day-by-day endurance of Cassia

scaping this pack, escaping Cassian's domineerin

imprisoned by the blood oath, which served as a b

oing down avenues of possibility and escape. Maybe I could fi

ad forced me into, I returned to the pack house. Every bone in m

atting with my mother and enjoying the little chocolate cake I had stashed

office at the end of the hall came Cassian's dark, deep

th left to keep up with the healings. One mo

hey may hear. Emily's voice replied, silky and filled with satisfaction. "It's about time.

was useful. She healed my men, kept them alive, and gave me a few thrills along the way."

rd was a knife, sharp and cold, carving away at the las

in crawl. "We've tried poison, and she survived that. We tried accid

her healings. I'll send someone particularly difficult to handle, someone even her powers can't save. She will be too w

is attempt differed from the others. This was thor

rd was a knife, sharp and icy, stripping away the last shred

ing too much power," Cassian continued, sounding pleased with his plan. "No o

of nausea through me. "I can't wait. S

use. It was like a ton of brick that had just hit me, I couldn't do this anymore. Not

silently as possible. I took long, shuddering breaths as

be severe, but it wouldn't kill me, and that

als, a small bag, a few clothes, my license

freedom, but I held onto it anyway. It was the only emblem o

ear entrance. I'd memorized the guard rotations, knew the gap

t as I got closer to the exit. My skin pricked with pain,

ved at the boundary of the pack's domain. Tears clouded my vision

beat served as a reminder that I was final

I'd see Cassian's face in the shadows, his smirk as he

edom available to me. And no matter how many wounds it caused, I kept reminding myself

other, each footstep reverberating through t

I'd discover when I got there, I only kne

ust a beginning, the

I fell on my legs and went do

trength that throbbed through me feeling as though it would blow