Moon-Kissed

by Amelia Hutchins

  I entered the stable and paused dead in my tracks. Slowly with anger rising within me, I moved to where the stable hand was laughing, tossing a moonstone into the air before catching it. Fury sizzled through me as I stopped directly in front of him.

  “What happened?” I demanded, staring at his yellowing teeth and a crooked smile.

  “Those two wouldn’t shut up, so I slit their worthless throats,” he laughed cruelly. “Sliced them up real nice too. I thought they’d make some good eating, but then they went and exploded into worthless stones. Good riddance, I say.”

  My blades moved with my body, sliding from their positions on my forearms. I sliced through his stomach, spinning rapidly, striking him in his sides. I moved to face him, sending one blade through his chin and out the top of his head. I pushed the other through his eye, narrowly missing the other blade within his skull. I shoved him back, dragging his body toward the stones so that Torrin would figure out why I’d murdered the bastard. Kneeling, I piled the stones onto his chest, uncaring that I smeared them with the cruel male’s blood.

  “Boys, I need you to change and get dressed. We’re leaving,” I ordered, standing while turning as the women stepped closer to the horses, pushing power into their bodies as they trembled before becoming men. “Here, get dressed. They’re expecting us to be on horseback, so we’re not going to be.” I smiled sadly at Chivalry, watching his form shimmering while his silver eyes held mine. “There’s my man,” I stated, watching him transform into a naked human male. He looked at the pile of moonstones that had once been his friend, nodding to me solemnly. He made an inhuman sound and reached for me, hugging me tightly. “Get dressed. We need to get out of here.”

  “Missed you,” he grunted, his words barely understood over the noises he created deep in his throat.

  “I missed you too.” I swallowed, patting him on the back awkwardly.

  Amo handed cloaks out, and the women helped the equinarians dress since the transformation always took them a while to adjust. Equinarians were a rare and unique breed of horse that could transform into men, for a short time, by using the magic of their moon-clan partner, paired up and bonded at birth. Once they were all dressed and their nudity concealed by the midnight-colored cloaks, we moved from the stables and into the crowd littering the streets.

  It took us twenty minutes of trekking through the people of the town before we separated from them. On the dark, empty street, we hugged the wall while heading to where the guard had taken Amo on our first night here to have some privacy with her. It was a maze of hidden tunnels that had once been used to hide the people during the war against the Sun Clan, my people. It was ironic that we were now using it to escape the Kingdom of Night.

  Once safely inside the tunnels, we rushed through them toward a smaller one that led out into the woods. It wasn’t something that Torrin or his men would assume we’d know about, which would aid in our escape. They were expecting us to leave on horseback out of the kingdom and would lock down the gates to prevent that from happening.

  A horn blew loudly, causing us to pause, slowing to a crawl while we listened. My heart leaped into my throat, and my palms began to sweat. Everyone held their breath while we waited to hear the orders and what was happening. Shouts echoed above and around us, coming through the holes of the tunnels. I nodded for everyone to move. We were being hunted by Torrin, a notorious tracker rumored to have never lost his prey. That was a record I intended to break.

  “They’re here! Find them and bring that little bitch back to me. No one hurts her but me,” his voice sounded above us.

  I closed my eyes before turning down another tunnel that stunk of mold, decay, and wet earth. We moved blindly in the dark while creatures scurried around us, screeching or hissing as the sound of claws over stones filled the tunnel. The tunnel opening, lit by moonlight, came into view, and I paused, turning to ensure everyone was still with me.

  The moment we broke free of the underground shaft, the equinarians shed their cloaks and changed back into horses without a word. There was no usual banter or jokes about them being hung like a horse because we had just escaped the king and his warriors, which meant we were within the enemy’s territory and heading deeper into it still.

  I kneeled, unfurling the map to study it, noting the direction we would head before rolling it up and pushing it back into my bag. Adjusting the cloak, I tightened the face-covering while Chivalry nudged me with his nose.

  Mounting the horse, I turned to take in the eyes of my team, smiling as the screech of an owl sounded above us. I watched a single arrow flying by Scout before he turned, narrowly missing the attack. Scout didn’t fly directly toward Amo, choosing to lead those chasing us in the opposite direction.

  “I don’t think I need to say this, but just in case anyone hasn’t figured it out, I will. Torrin and his nightwalkers are hunting us, and they won’t try to take us alive. They want to get us by any means necessary. I drew blood for those they needlessly killed when we were promised they wouldn’t harm our horses. We avenge those pointlessly slaughtered by cruelty, and they were. Therefore, I took the stable boy’s life as payment for his trespasses against our team. Torrin will more than likely kill me as retribution, but I will not go down without a fight. We’ve lost many, and we’re fighting alone now. We’ve lost the right to call ourselves of the Moon Clan for our unknowingly entertaining nightwalkers. That is on me, and if any of you wish to leave, I will not hold it against you. We have no home in which to return, but we can finish our mission. I intend to find Landon and the others who are missing, and then I plan to find the location of the library.”

  “I am with you,” Amo said softly, her hand touching my shoulder.

  Tabitha snorted, “I am with you as well. You know that without asking. I am your friend and your sister. Not because the Moon Clan asked me to be, but because you’ve never left me behind, not even wounded. You’ve risked your life countless times for ours, and you’re my family. We’re together until the end because that is what and who we are. We are warriors, but more than that, we’re sisters. We have grown together, fought together, and bled together. I am with you, Alexandria Cira Helios. Until the end,” she said with tears shining in her eyes. “Besides, I’ve never liked rules, anyway.”

  “Yeah, cantankerous, old bastards created them, and now we’re free of that shit. Let’s get this party started, shall we?” Amo grunted while the others agreed.

  A horn blared in the distance, and we turned in its direction before riding the horses through the dark forest. We started toward the prison on the map, marked with the moon’s symbol. We hoped to put enough distance between us and nightwalkers that would allow us to lose them or arrive at the prison in enough time to break out Landon before they arrived.

  Torrin wouldn’t go easy on me, that much I knew. He would be the death of me; that was a given. His king would demand it, and I had no intention of losing my head while a shit ton of nightwalkers watched it rolling from the gallows.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  We didn’t rest, but then we didn’t dare stop because Torrin and his men were less than a few hours behind us. Amo’s owl, Scout, had brought us evidence that they were on our trail and tracking us. We carried out our plan right down to the smallest detail, and it didn’t change because of who was chasing us. I could feel Chivalry tiring. Having not been properly exercised, he fatigued easily.

  The sound of horse hooves echoed behind us, and I slowed, staring back while the rest of my team continued. On a hill that looked down on where we were, rode a large force. I could make out Torrin in the lead, thundering down it toward us. I spun Chivalry in the direction of the open meadow, forcing him to continue even though he was exhausted.

  “Fuck!” Amo shouted, sliding her horse to a stop in front of what I assumed was a shallow decline. Her wide, green eyes turned toward me, and her mouth opened and closed as she dismounted, staring down. Fuck indeed.

  I dismounted
mere feet from Amo, rushing toward the edge. I paused at the drop, peering down a sheer cliffside that was a few hundred feet deep, if not more. My heart leaped into my throat as my stomach bottomed out. My eyes swung back to the angry male, rapidly closing the distance between us.

  “Change now! Everyone, get ready to jump,” I ordered. Pulling out my blades, I moved to stand in a defensive pose while they did what I commanded. “Make sure your wings can deploy and that your chute is on.”

  “It’s insane!” Tabitha argued, and I nodded.

  “So is being captured when they’re this angry. I don’t want to lose my head on the gallows while a bunch of nightwalkers watches it roll, do you?” I countered, uncertain why it needed to be said in the first place.

  Torrin’s eyes held murder in their depths, and I wasn’t sticking around to see if he intended to deliver on that threat. My body tensed, and I whispered a prayer heavenward to the moon, praying for a miracle here.

  “Valid point,” Tabitha agreed.

  “Go!” I stated, feeling the equinarians change into their male forms.

  “Bottoms up, bitches!” Amo shouted, jumping moments after her horse had in his human form. I refused to call him Pony Up Boy, as she’d named him.

  The others trickled over the edge, but they weren’t moving fast enough. Torrin dismounted, shouting for his men to fan out into formation. His men drew their swords while his eyes promised to kill me slowly, giving no mercy. I stepped back, lowering my body as my arms spread out wide, my swords pointed forward, facing them all down. They stalked forward, a cold-intent filling their every move.

  I backpedaled, holding them back so they couldn’t rush forward without one getting harmed by my blades. I’d at least take out one or two before they reached me. I hoped. Torrin hesitated, his eyes slipping over my shoulder to where the girls were plummeting over the edge with their equinarians, leaping into the air.

  “Now I understand how you slipped past us and out of the kingdom undetected. Had I known your horses were equinarians, they would have been treated differently.” His smile was deadly, and all teeth as he advanced closer. “You’re not getting away from me so easily, assassin,” Torrin spat out, his anger palpable while crackling in the air between us.

  “Oh, but I am.” I swallowed, uncertain if I spoke the truth.

  My team and their partners were still jumping, needing time between each free fall. They had to force their arms open, engaging the wingspan within the suit. They also had to dive to catch their shifter and secure him with their legs before deploying their chutes.

  Torrin shouted an order, and their swords aimed at those still on the cliff’s edge, waiting to jump. I stepped forward, glaring at Torrin, who smiled wickedly. His wintery eyes slid to Chivalry, and he narrowed them to slits while taking in the naked male who waited silently behind me.

  “Get on your knees, and I will give you mercy, Alexandria,” he growled.

  “I’m not into mercy. I like it hard and punishingly twisted, Tor. I thought you figured that out one of the dozens of times you took me last night,” I returned, hearing Tabitha’s strangled laugh as she hooted, jumping over the edge. “I’m offended that you’ve forgotten me already.”

  “On your fucking knees, now,” he snarled, and I stepped back, hearing the earth giving away against my heel as rocks slid down the cliff.

  “Chivy go, Mistress,” Chivalry muttered in a half-human, half-baying tone.

  I stood straight, counting in my head as Torrin rushed forward. I leaped blindly backward, his fingers brushing against my leather bodice, catching air. The sensation of free-falling took control, and I smiled, staring up as his head came over the edge of the cliff. My middle finger lifted while the smile grew on my lips.

  His snarled growl of rage sent a shiver of need rushing through me. It was the same one he’d made while driving into me as hard as he possibly could. I spun in the air, staring down at the falling bodies as wings slowly unfurled, and they started their descent to catch their shifter.

  I slammed into Chivalry, catching him with my legs. Lifting my arms behind me, I used my upper body strength to hold them open to slow our descent. My eyes slid to Kaitlyn, who dropped her shifter as her arms gave out, and a piercing shriek cut through the night. The blood drained from my face while I watched her flapping her arms aimlessly as panic took control.

  “Amo!” I shouted, watching her eyes lift to mine. “Catch!” I screamed, and Chivalry dropped, knowing exactly what to do as he flew toward Amo.

  The moment I was free of his added weight, I dove toward Kaitlyn. My body slammed into her hard, and I gasped at the pain that rushed through me. Her hands turned, climbing me.

  “Stop, or you’ll kill us both! Breathe, Kaitlyn,” I demanded with my voice in control, holding none of the panic I felt while she stared up at me. “Wrap your arms around my waist, and I’m going to wrap my legs around you. Now,” I ordered, staring at the distance between us and the ground that was fast approaching. No sooner had she secured her arms, and I secured my legs, I pulled my shoot, and we jerked back, heading toward the ground hard. “We’re coming in fast and hard, so brace yourself,” I warned.

  A moment before we hit the ground, I reached up and cut the shoot. We slammed down hard with Kaitlyn’s added weight. Our bodies bounced, and I cried out, smacking my head into the ground. A blinding light filled my eyes, and I looked down, staring at the pile of stones beneath me. Tears pricked my eyes, but I’d mourn her later when it was safe to do so. My eyes rose to the others, watching them come down in uniform positions.

  Standing to take stock of the damage, I turned, staring at the other side of the water where my team had landed. Exhaling in relief, I rested my hands on my knees until I noticed dark silhouettes appearing beneath the water’s surface. The others were pulling their chutes in, unaware of what was coming.

  “Incoming!” I shouted, watching as they spun toward me, dropping their gazes. “Cut the shoots and move!” I demanded, watching in horror as banshees and water creatures exited the river together, striding toward the women still trapped in their chutes.

  My heart got stuck in my throat, and I knew that there were too many to fight. I was going to lose everyone if I didn’t act quickly. My body sang with power, and I stripped out of the outfit, baring skin before I let it loose. My light exploded as if my life had expired, and I didn’t stop pushing it toward my team. I blinded both moon-touched and creature alike in pure, unfiltered sunlight.

  The sky shifted, and the sun took precedence over the dark sky, albeit weakly. The monsters turned, staring at the light coming from me before they changed course. Amo and Tabitha screamed, both moving into the water blindly behind the creatures to reach me before the monsters could. I slid my daggers from my sleeves into my palms as I awaited their arrival. Exhaling a shaky breath, I watched unwaveringly as the creatures moved toward me.

  My eyes rolled up the cliffside, noting Torrin watched while his men stared up at the sun that had filled the sky with daylight. The first creature reached me, and I swung wide, flipping my body to render a killing blow as my sword swung down onto it. More slid from the water, and I backed up, calculating my moves before a banshee let a scream rip from her mouth. I rushed her, jumping at the last moment to seat myself on her back as my blades stuck in her shoulders. Using them and my weight, I flipped over her shoulders, sending her body sailing with the power of mine.

  One creature touched my back, and I flew backward, sending my leg in the air, catching its legs, and I came up as it went down. I whipped my blade out, removing the head from its body before I swung at the next one.

  One after another, I slaughtered the creatures as sweat beaded on my brow and neck, slicing and fighting while the girls worked their way through the now empty water. A banshee wailed, and I turned, shoving a blade into her mouth to stop her scream from splitting my head in half. Another echoed her, and I slammed my blade into her throat, twisting it.

&
nbsp; I turned toward the sound of feet scurrying over rocks and gasped as a monster ran forward, piercing my chest with its steel-like claws. I lowered my eyes to my breast, then looked up, sending my blade into the creature’s eyes. Twisting the blade, I turned, dispatching the beast over my shoulder in a defensive move.

  The sounds of blades meeting flesh filled the day as it slowly turned back to night. I withdrew my blade, dropping it from my shaking hand. Pulling my shirt open, I stared at the seeping wound with black lines already spreading as the creature’s poison filled my bloodstream.

  The sound of splashing filled the night, and I turned, seeing more creatures pushing through the surface of the water. Retracting my blades, I moved toward them, coughing violently. I spit out blood, staring down at the ground barely long enough to notice the crimson painting the earth as the sun began to set, and the world returned to darkness.

  “Formation!” I shouted, coughing while I took a stance, facing the wilted and water-logged creatures.

  I drew my blades wide and waited until the line was formed. The moment we stood together as a unit, a creature sprinted forward, and I scissored my blades across its neck, removing its head. Lifting my blades again, I spun, slicing through another, peeling it like an apple. One after another, they fell, my strength waning as the poison rushed through me, driven by the adrenaline pulsing in my veins.

  My knees gave out as a monster ran toward me, but a blade slammed down onto it, and Amo moved in front of me. Her eyes widened in horror. Tabitha stepped beside her, and I dropped backward, landing on the ground, coughing up blood and poison that exploded from my lungs.

  When they were done fighting, my team surrounded me. Amo searched my body and discovered the festering wound with panic-stricken eyes. I didn’t need to tell her what was happening because the pain was there, burning her vision.

  “Get me on Chivalry. I am not dying on the ground,” I murmured.