Page 28 of A Trial of Two Worlds
“Shift, Shaw,” I commanded as I stepped closer.
The panther’s eyes widened as it bent its head toward the earth, and in a flash, he shifted into his human form.
“What the—” Shaw didn’t have a chance to finish.
I flung myself into his chest and wrapped my arms around him. He buried his head in my neck, squeezing me just as tightly. “What the hell was that? What the fuck are you doing here, Sky?” Shaw rasped in disbelief. “How—? How are you here?”
“That’s a long story,” I said, releasing my hold on Shaw so he could find some clothes, likely stashed in the nearby brush.
“Well, start talking then.” Neera’s sweet voice echoed behind me right before she jumped into my arms with tears streaming down her tanned, freckled cheeks.
I inhaled her sweet, flowery scent as I trembled from the weight of emotions rolling through me. I held onto my cousin with everything I had, cherishing the unconditional love we shared and thanking the Gods above for giving me this small piece of joy.
I pulled back to cup her sweet face, kissing her brow before pulling her back into my arms. “I missed you.”
“Same.” Neera’s words were drowned by her tears. “More than you know, Skylar.” She convulsed in my arms, her cries intensifying.
“Neera?” I questioned, looking down at her.
She kept her grip on my middle, pulling back to meet my gaze. The creased lines near the corners of her eyes twitched as she bit her lip to try to steady her quivering tears.
“Neera?” I asked again, my voice trailing off into a whisper. “What’s happened?”
I glanced in Shaw’s direction, hoping to see something, anything other than the excruciating heartache painted across my cousin’s face.
“Come inside with us,” Shaw said, his voice dropping, making my breath still. He walked toward us, his expression darkening. “There is a lot we need to tell you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Skylar Cathal
“What?” I screamed, slamming my fists onto the counter.
My entire body began shaking, no longer in control, as my animal raged with sorrow inside my wounded heart. I clenched my jaw so tight I swear my teeth cracked as tears streamed down my face. My limbs trembled uncontrollably with anger, regret, and… unbelievablegrief.
Julia, my aunt who raised me, who took me in and loved me as her own, was gone.
“Julia was leading a mission to patrol the southern borders of our land,” Shaw said slowly. “It was routine. She knew those routes better than anyone.”
“Except it wasn’t routine,” I snapped. “She’s dead.”
Shaw wisely took a step back, pressing his lips together as he swallowed, flinching at the booming magic laced within my harsh tone.
The tension in the kitchen was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The silence was deafening as my tears freely trickled onto the floor.
“Except,” Neera said as she struggled to hold herself together, “Mother and others in her company were ambushed.”
I lifted my head and gazed at my sweet cousin, knowing this loss hurt her just as much as it did me.
Shaw cleared his throat. “She and the others in her group were killed on sight by hunters accompanying King Taran’s soldiers.”
“Reckless,” I seethed. “Tensions were already rising when I left. How could they—” Grief swallowed my words.
The southern region near Lake Carth was a known point of tension between our territories. It was never routine traveling through that stretch of land. Julia knew this…
“Julia,” I sobbed, resting my head on the kitchen island. “No, no, no.”
Shaw moved to try to comfort me, but I pushed him away. Turning from the table, I roared again, angrily running my hands through my hair before pounding my fist against the wall. The wood splintered beneath the force of my wrath. My breathing became rapid and uneven. Tears stung my eyes as my chest caved and my heart, my gods-damned heart, began breaking.
