The Wolf Queen (The Queen's Slave, Book 2)

Fifty Four: Ravaged

"If I conquered my demons, there wouldn't be much left of me."

-A T T I C U S

Broken

By: Jonah Kagen

&

Can We Kiss Forever

By: Kina (feat. Adriana Proenza)

Kore flew straight there, her soul screaming for it's other half in a way that could not be rivaled. Though not bonded anymore, she felt no different towards Azalea. The bond the three of them shared would never be broken, it was a formidable opponent all on its own. What she didn't expect was the pain of it, the actual stabbing ache deep within her chest that ebbed as she grew closer and closer to Cathedral City. She sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, and from deep inside her mind she felt Elizabeth's sympathy. She did not speak, or offer any consolation, simply curled back up and fell asleep, which was just fine with her. She had lived through much worse than this, but the mate-bond didn't stop at physical or mental pain. It ran soul-deep, a realization that was far more important than she realized. Guilt ate it's way through her heart, her mind on what Azalea had been feeling and going through while she'd been gone. Anxiety and fear tore a path through her stomach, eating away at her soul, and it suddenly became blindingly clear how stupid she had been to break the bond, to leave her vulnerable.

Sensing the urgency coursing through her, her wings arced downward, doubling her speed ten-fold. Wind and rain pelted her without mercy, even some hail pinged off of her armor once or twice. The dark clouds left her as she descended below them, bringing the gorgeous scenery she now called home, into view. Her wings flared out and caught a hot pocket, and so she soared with it, her primary feathers just kissing the air. Dawn was approaching, the sun's first rays casting over her face, gently warming her skin. Her lips curled up into a soft smile, entranced as she was by the beauty of this young star, despite the ups and downs of humanity. How it has prevailed. The overwhelming feeling of love she had for this beautiful world almost overcame her, even going so far as to prick her eyes with tears. But then the sun dipped behind the clouds, and the moment was broken. Her world became dark and bleak again.

As the sudden sadness and worry coursed through her and into Elizabeth, her kindred opened a sleepy eye and sighed. "Stop this. You are not at fault here. We would've felt it if she had been in danger or injured. Bond or not. Now quit worrying, I'm tired."

Kore's mouth twitched as she banked left to avoid the mountains, the sharp bite of their wintery peaks kissing her cheeks. Not many got away with speaking to her that way, yet it was always a humbling lesson when she allowed them to.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, I forget you mortal beings need your rest." Her words dripped with practiced sarcasm.

It has been a long time since she'd spent time with humans, but luckily her mate was very fluent in the recent lingo. A low rumbling snarl echoed at the back of her mind, and the soul that was Elizabeth uncurled, stretching her true form. The soul did not echo what you were in life. The soul is represented by the choices you make and the consequences that come with them, the power you posses and the purity of your actions. Which is why it was so oddly fitting that Elizabeth's soul-form, or shadow as it was often called, is a panther.