Chapter 42: The Amber Bow and the Quill Arrow   At first, all Cory could feel was the searing pain of the slashes on her back as blood soaked her dress. It was excruciating. She thought it would last forever but very very few things, whether good or bad, last forever. In an instant, the pain in her back was gone, replaced by a slight sting to her neck. The sting gave way to pleasure. An inexorable change came over her as something new was introduced into her system. She hesitantly raised her hand and used it to try to feel the places where the creature had clawed at her. The tears in her dress remained but underneath the shredded fabric, her once torn flesh was completely healed and covered by smooth new skin. She tried to get up and found herself held down. She twisted to one side and realised Hayden was holding her against him. His eyes were pitch black as they looked down at her. His eyes were on her neck. She trailed her fingertips g

Chapter 44: Three Days   “The journey from Les Bois all the way back to Traketen will take three days, two if we make haste,” said Hayden the moment Cory opened her eyes. She had awoken on his chest. The Alpha’s warmth had made her sweat a little and her skin was sticking to his. She peeled herself away from him and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest and pulling the blanket around her. “Good morning to you too,” she said. “I’m sorry, Corinna, good morning! I just want to finish this quest as soon as possible,” said Hayden with a heavy sigh. He stared at her with an intensity in his eyes. “It’s not to late, you know,” he said. Cory raised her eyebrows. “Too late? Too late for what? Too late for whom?” She wondered. They had already lost so many of their comrades: Venom, Lynx, Smoke, Mirrors, Fracture. She was still unsure about what had happened when. She knew the sorcer

Chapter 46: An Intangible Key   Hayden marvelled at the smoothness of her skin. She was so soft, so delicate. He was terrified for her. All he could think of every time he laid his eyes on her was the jaws of the beast, their sharp pointy teeth, their massive paws and long steel-like claws. He also marvelled at how undaunted she was and how brave, almost recklessly so when one considered how frail her shell seemed. Cory marvelled at the strength of his build. He was built for battle, his body tall and toned, his muscles rock-hard under her fingertips, yet he seemed so afraid. All his power did nothing to quell his fear. She tried not to think of the Stormbringers, to block out the images of them gnashing their teeth and chomping at the air as they edged closer, hoping their jaws would soon clamp around flesh. She shut her eyes and buried her head in his bare chest. His hands were in her hair. He trailed his fingers down

Chapter 48: The Swamplands    Three! Yelled Hayden in their minds. Move out! Full speed ahead! The two massive wolves and the gargantuan tiger stole out of the tent, one by one, through the narrow exit, as quickly as possible. Cory clung to Hayden’s thick furry neck as hard as she could. She could see Sprout holding onto Titan’s Beta wolf for dear life on her left. On her right, she saw Blaython keeping up with them, flying across the meadow. Behind her, she could hear the grating high-pitched growls, snarls, calls and wails. The noises they made were so unnerving. She shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, readying herself for action. They’re following us, said Hayden in her mind, his voice strained with effort even over mind-link. He must have been using practically all of his energy to run as fast as possible. She needed to slow down

  Chapter 50: Under the Frozen Lake   Cory could hear and feel the rumbling of the Stormbringer stampede. The snow-covered bank was trembling along with the lake’s icy surface. Titan had shattered a section of the ice about seven feet in diameter but it was quickly closing up. The ice was reforming at an alarming speed. “Blaython GO!” Commanded Hayden, giving the huge tiger a nudge. It made no sense being quiet anymore. The Stormbringers were well aware of their presence now. The thunder of their huge paws striking the ground was growing louder and louder whilst the ground shook more and more violently. Blaython leapt through the hole landing on an icy platform about ten feet down from the surface. Cory could see a staircase that led from the icy platform further downwards into the depths of the lair within the lake. “Titan!” Prompted Hayden. “You go next Alpha! In case I have to strike the ice again!