by RS McCoy
The door swung open with a tired groan and Orsa Yuman appeared in the doorway. “Right this way, Ms. Randal.”
Even Raene’s own footsteps sounded loud as she followed the woman—and her audible pulse—to another sterile white room. Her thoughts felt thick as mud. The loudness of each sound drowned out everything else.
“You can have a seat here. Vernesta will administer your tattoo, then you’re free to head home. Best of luck on your upcoming marriage, Ms. Randal.” The woman’s voice was a song in the cacophony of the space—a mixture of low-humming machinery, slow breaths, and a tapping, impatient foot.
Raene sank into the chair. She tried to listen as the woman—whose name she couldn’t remember—told her to look over her shoulder, to be still, that this might hurt, but the brightness of the lights and the loudness of her voice made it difficult to concentrate.
The tiny needles in her neck produced a scraping-burning sensation that was definitely uncomfortable, but in way, Raene liked it. She’d have to make tattoos a regular occurrence in her life. The pain helped silence to the other sounds, to thin out the sludge that clogged her thoughts, to remind her she was human once more.
Little by little, her mind cleared and the feral, predatory edge of instinct gave way to more collected thoughts. By the time the woman was done, Raene felt almost right again. Better than right. She was a tiger, and becoming the tiger was the best she’d felt in a long, long while.
Vengeance
RAENE’S STOMACH growled by the time she arrived back at her room. Her transformation felt like it lasted only seconds, but the corridor attendant assured her she’d been gone more than three hours.
No wonder she was so hungry.
Olin was already seated at the foot of the bed when she appeared in the doorway. His black hair was messed and only half-raked through with his fingers. He still looked tired, but he managed to look up at her with relief-filled eyes.
“I’m fine,” Raene said before he gave in to worry. Remembering the bandage covering her tattoo, she shrugged and added, “Tiger.”
Olin’s tired lips formed a fervent smile. “You deserve nothing less, Rain Drop.” Then, without pretense, he collected her bag, pulling the strap over his shoulder, and headed out the door.
“We’re leaving already?” Raene stood anchored in the doorway.
“We have no reason to stay.”
“But you don’t even know where we’re going,” she protested. Only Kaide and the Aero woman knew her destination. And in her excitement, Raene had forgotten the document entirely.
Olin paused and let out a long, low breath. When he looked up at her, his dark eyes were even dimmer than usual.
“You knew that, too, didn’t you?” Raene shoved her way past him. When she reached the elevator, she smacked the call button so hard she made a web of cracks across it. Raene stared incredulously for only a second before her anger completely took over. “You should just go back to the manor. Tell me where to go. I’ll make my own way.”
“I’m supposed to deliver you.” Olin climbed into the elevator when it arrived, and Raene had no choice but to join him.
“How long have you known?” She wasn’t sure she wanted that answer, but she was too angry—too hurt—not to know. She wanted the truth.
“My Rain Drop—”
“How long?!” she screamed.
“Since he made the arrangements.” Olin’s shoulders sagged low and he refused to look at her. He was saturated with his guilt and regret, but that didn’t change the fact he’d known and kept it from her. For the first time in her life, Raene had no one she could trust.
A quiet beep signaled the elevator’s arrival in the lobby, and it was just in time. Anger finally won out, forcing Raene to shed her weak, human exterior and burst into tiger form. She spilled out of the elevator and across the smooth stone lobby and grappled for purchase, sliding around to face the black-haired man.
He looked familiar, he smelled familiar, but tiger-Raene couldn’t remember anything. There was nothing but the urge to kill him.
The man shouted something from within the elevator, but the sound of his voice carried no meaning. It was as empty as a birdcall or a frog song. She heard it, but it meant nothing to her.
Tiger-Raene growled to silence him, urging him out of the safety of the metal box, circling in wait. Betrayal and frustration swam through her veins, liquid fuel to spur her on. The man’s refusal to engage only reignited the blaze.
She felt all eyes on her from every direction. There was chatting and murmurs and screams from the growing crowd, but she didn’t slow. Her stomach ached for the flavor of his flesh. Tiger-Raene scraped her claws across the floor and leapt at the man, desperate to sink her teeth into him. In an instant, she had his leg clamped square between her teeth as she dragged him from the safety of the metal box.
She was so focused on the feel of his leg in her mouth—on the staggering weakness of him as he tried to fight her off—she didn’t notice the second man.
Behind her, he transitioned from human form to a hulking elephant, but it wasn’t until his thunderous feet stampeded across the white, stone floor and his truck sent her flying that she knew he was there.
Tiger-Raene was only aware of the leg no longer gripped between her teeth. She landed with feline precision on all fours and slid across the slick stone to face both her prey and her new attacker.
Seeing the elephant’s huge, curved back and his four gargantuan feet that could crush her with ease, tiger-Raene’s anger stewed. She wanted to eat—she wanted to eat the man—but now, this huge creature stood between them.
And for a moment, she hesitated, sizing them up, determining if her claws and speed would be enough to subdue such an oversized animal.
The elephant didn’t hesitate. It spread its ears into huge flapping sails. It thrust up its trunk and trumpeted before charging straight toward her.
Tiger-Raene only stared, terrified into stillness as the hulking beast stampeded across the lobby. At the last second, she darted out of the elephant’s path. Fear overtook anger. Her will to live trumped her will to fight.
That was all it took for her to let go of her anger, for a calm breath to fill her lungs. As fast as it had come, the urge to kill was gone. Her tiger paws dissolved into a flurry of rusty hairs, and before she knew it, Raene was in her human form, crouched on the ground, one knee tucked up against her chest. Her blonde hair cascaded around her in a curtain, guarding her face from the crowd.
As soon as she looked up, she saw with fresh eyes what she’d done. A Hydra man—who she assumed had the elephant totem—knelt beside Olin, both hands placed firmly on the bleeding wounds of his calf. Already, a pool of crimson widened over the alabaster floors, and even from across the room, Raene could see he was seriously injured.
Guilt struck her like a knife. She’d hurt Olin for nothing more than her stupid, childish tantrum, and had it not been for the elephant, she might have killed him—would have killed him, she was certain.
Raene collapsed and pressed her shaking hands to her face. What had she done?
“Come here,” Olin called from across the lobby, his voice echoing above the gathered crowd and commotion.
But Raene was too afraid to move. She was just like Kaide—a monster that lashed out, injuring those around her without thought. She had no control over her aggression or rage. Raene was just another Pyro animal—wild, angry, dangerous.
“Rain Drop, you get over here.” It was the tone of Olin’s voice that made her move—that voice he used when she’d snuck out or disobeyed and gotten herself in trouble. It was the voice of a father, a real one, and she knew better than to keep him waiting.
With head low and eyes on her feet, Raene shuffled toward him. The crowd gave her a wide berth.
Raene had never been more ashamed. She didn’t want to see them. She didn’t want them to see her. When she reached Olin, Raene sat beside him but still looked away.
“It’s just a bite,
nothing more.” Raene felt Olin’s fingers under her chin, and when he pulled her face toward him, she didn’t fight. His head was propped-up in the lap of a Hydra woman, her cerulean skirt spread out around them. The Hydra man, maybe her husband, had both hands clasped around Olin’s leg while another woman tied several strips of fabric around the wounds, cinched tight to slow the bleeding.
But his eyes were bright. Where before there had been guilt, now there was relief. “Just a bite, and it’s only me. And I deserve it, and much more. Don’t worry, Rain Drop.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. In a single motion, she slid along his side and laid with him while the strangers dressed the wound. Olin’s strong arm around her shoulders kept her pinned against his chest, and Raene couldn’t help but question how he could forgive her after what she’d done.
“Why didn’t you transition? You could have fought me off—” Olin’s lynx totem was nothing compared to her tiger, but he was small and quick enough to put up a defense against her.
But that would have put her at risk, and Olin would never allow that. He’d spent the last eighteen years protecting her. He didn’t have it in him to hurt her, even if it would save his life.
Raene lay beside him on the floor and let her mind spin with all that had happened. She could taste his blood in her mouth. She could feel the muscle fibers snapping as she sunk her teeth into his flesh. She remembered the fire in her veins and how easily her anger had consumed her. She remembered how it felt to want to kill him.
She remembered how much she loved it.
That, more than anything, made her afraid.
Raene clung tight to Olin, feeling comfort from the very man she’d tried to kill.
After what felt like an hour, the Hydra man said, “That’s as good as it’s going to get. Do you want to try to stand?”
Raene sat up and watched Olin accept the man’s outstretched hand. Together, they managed to get him to his feet, but he immediately shifted his weight from his wounded leg. Raene cringed at the sight of the damage she’d caused.
“Thank you,” Olin said and smiled to the stranger. And then, like it was nothing at all, he started limping across the lobby.
Raene was up and beside him a half-second later. “Let me help you.” She put her shoulders under his arm and was grateful for her height; at least she could take some of his weight.
“We don’t have far to go. Just down the block. To the stables.” Olin tried to look like he was fine, but his stern grimace and clenched teeth told otherwise.
“Stables? You can’t ride a horse like this.” Raene was amazed he could even walk.
“I’ll not have you arriving late on my account.” Olin limped on, refusing to slow or rest, and when at last they reached the stables, two black stallions were already drawn and waiting. Raene helped Olin into his saddle as best she could before she climbed into hers.
They worked the horses through the commotion of the city—past a pair of jaguars circling in a fight, row after row of Hydra tables, and hundreds of Seraphinians all roaming the capital on various business. Each crackle of roasting fires, each herding animal or rolling cart sounded new and loud and sharp in her ears as she’d never heard before.
Olin and Raene were among the few in the city on horseback, picking their way through the crowds that lined the busy streets, but they moved quickly. Within minutes, they arrived at the stone wall that separated the city from the rest of the realm.
It was as far from home as Raene had ever been. She’d only been to Seraphine City a handful of times, and always with Kaide. He’d brought her here to sign the documents that made him her official guardian when she was fifteen. Other times, he’d taken her to events—a conference about totems, an exhibit of the four branches, her grandmother’s funeral.
But never had she ventured outside the walls of the city. Raene paused under the stone archway and wondered if she’d ever come back. Behind her, the familiar sights of the capital, the Syndicate Building, the portal to Pyrona. Ahead of her, a wide meadow of low grasses blew in the spring breeze, and beyond that, the long, dark edge of a forest.
The Alderwood.
“Ready?” Olin’s voice brought her back from her daydreaming. “We’ve got a hard ride ahead for a few hours. Let me know if you need to rest.” With that, Olin spurred his horse forward.
Raene was only a half-second behind him. She squeezed her heels into the flanks of her borrowed stallion and leaned forward, aligning her torso with its neck. Pressed so close to the horse’s flesh, Raene had no trouble making out its strong, steady heartbeat over the sound of pounding hooves. To her dismay, the scent of horsemeat filled her nose for every second of the ride.
The grasses shone as green as emeralds in the afternoon sun, and only minutes later, they passed the first trees. Young and scattered alder trees gave way to massive trees close enough to block out the sun. Flower-filled canopies hovered over them so high and thick they formed a looming, ominous ceiling that made Raene feel trapped. As if the forest itself was pressing down on her.
It was nothing like Pyrona.
But Raene wouldn’t slow. An expert rider since she was young, Raene relished the wind flying across her face and the heavy pounding of hooves beneath her. A part of her wanted to stop and take in the novelty of the landscape. The other part of her wanted to keep moving and never stop.
Traveling to the Alderwood had never been her plan. It wasn’t her decision, and deep in her heart, she couldn’t help but rebel against it. This wasn’t what she wanted.
But it was what she deserved. Raene earned this life when she interfered with Kaide’s relationship with Blossom, intentionally or otherwise. Raene was serving a life-sentence for a crime she hadn’t even known she was committing.
So Raene raced her horse further into the dark Alderwood, keeping close behind Olin and trusting he knew where he was going.
But moving at such a pace only made her itch to transition again. Her tiger paws could move just as fast as her horse, if not faster. Her ears would prick with each little sound, and her nose would smell every animal in their vicinity. In tiger form, she could have full use of her senses. Now, as her human self, she felt blind, like someone had pulled a mask over her eyes, dulling what once was sharp.
Only the memory of Olin’s leg in her mouth stayed her transition. When she’d last been a tiger, she’d nearly killed someone she loved, the only person she had left.
So Raene rode her horse through the gloom of the Alderwood in human form. She ignored her hunger, remembering the sight of Olin’s bleeding wound. She tried to forget how her tongue savored the taste of blood. She pushed back her selfish desire to kill.
Even then, in the corners of her mind, Raene knew it was only a matter of time.
Kaide stood at the windowed wall of his office and sipped strawberry wine as he watched the sun fall behind the distant mountains. The blue afternoon sky had given way to violets and ambers, and eventually, the indigo of night.
It was finally time.
The air was charged with excitement. He had waited for this day for as long as he could remember. He’d dreamt of it hundreds of times—each scenario filled with different details, different methods, different words—but in the end, he would get his revenge.
Raene was gone, and with her, his only reason to keep Naiden alive was gone as well. For seventeen years, Naiden had lived against Kaide’s wishes, protected by his father’s refusal to shame the family name. Raping his sister wasn’t enough. Murdering her wasn’t enough. Kaide’s own father was so determined to protect the reputation of his family, he worked to deny such crimes had ever occurred.
Kaide was eighteen when Raene signed the documents that made him her guardian, and with that one stroke of the pen, Kaide inadvertently freed himself from his family. His parents disowned both of them, and Kaide could finally seek justice for his sister.
But by then, Raene knew her father—and loved him. It was for her that Kaide let Naiden live.
And now she was gone. Another woman he cherished pulled from his life never to be seen again. Letting her go hurt worse than he thought it would. He’d known it was coming, but in the wake of Blossom’s departure, sending Raene to the Alderwood was unbearable. It was the alcohol to an already festering wound.
Kaide would likely never forgive himself for not telling Raene the true motivations for her trade to the Alderwood, but in that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to voice the words. He couldn’t tell her he’d traded her to the Bear Clan in exchange for the woman who’d left with his heart.
When Raene arrived in her new home, Blossom would be there to explain it to her. Kaide could only hope that would be enough to keep her from hating him forever.
There was nothing he could do about it now.
That couldn’t be said for his sister’s murderer. Tonight, Naiden Randal would finally meet justice.
Norsa must have known. She labored up the stairs, her portly-figure huffing hard by the time she reached the top. “I’ve got a—lovely elk steak—with cranberry glaze,” she told him between breaths.
“I have other plans for dinner.” Already, Kaide could taste the metallic flavor of blood on his lips. He’d gone out every night this week, seeking to satisfy that hunger but never succeeding.
Maybe this would be the night.
Eager to temper his rage and unable to take action against Naiden Randal for the past week, Kaide had sought solace with others. The murderers, rapists, wife-beaters, and child molesters of Pyrona had begun to disappear, one by one, as Kaide moved down his list of criminals, but none had quieted the fire within him.
Norsa wasn’t satisfied either. “You’ve gone out enough. Maybe it’s a good night for staying in. I made you some of that peach cake you like.”
Kaide didn’t want to think of peaches or anything else that reminded him of his lost bride. “If you mean to use a cake to—”
“It was worth a shot,” she answered with a sigh.
