What if you discovered everything you thought you knew was a lie? That you had a single year to live before an enchantment ended your life?
Stella Avery despises secrets. Unfortunately, she is surrounded by them.
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Aslan
It had taken all of my formidable willpower to leave her. I prowled into the hotel, but then stomped back out, needing to walk the night-kissed streets and work off the frustration reverberating through my bones.
Her face haunted me. Heart shaped, with delicate bone structure and a softness to her cheeks. Her eyes were extraordinary; large, cobalt blue and full of innocence. I'd seen flashes of silver in their depths, a hallmark of her kind. Even wet, her long hair was spun of pale gold. I had been tasked to protect the girl with my life — until hers ended.
There'd been no plan for my appearance today. One moment I was in my New York penthouse and the next I was standing within a forest, my actions impulse driven. But I'd sensed her fear...and something else. Although I had not seen her since she was a child, I'd felt a ripple of her aura under stress and gone charging to her side. It was foolish and I was not a fool.
My cloaking ability helped to disguise my appearance and prevented humans from seeing me when I didn't wish it. I could even become shadow when necessary. Yet today I'd made an appearance as a human — in Oregon of all places. The Primati community would be burning up their channels, wondering why. In the forest, I'd assumed the visage of the young man I'd once been while still mortal. In the end, very few remained alive that would remember this face.
Still, I'd been recognized by the sorcerer leading that group of young novices. My aura was too intense and distinctive to be anyone else. Especially when enraged. Not just reckless, I'd wanted them to see me as the lethal threat I was. Fortunately, I'd taken care of that loose end as soon as Stella had reached the car park safely. Because she had gone untouched, I'd simply threatened the young men with dismemberment, showing them the beast to make sure they heeded my warning.
Rumors might still fly. I was the Primati Enforcer, responsible for ensuring the laws were adhered to and that the Ancilla, or humans, were not interfered with against their will. I'd just drawn attention to the very place I wanted to keep secret.
I punched the hood of a parked Audi in the darkened alley. My fist touched pavement before I pulled my arm out to repeat the action again and again. The alarm was silenced when I pulled the wires from beneath the ignition. Disgusted and still furious, I watched as my bloody arm healed, the dark liquid drying and flaking to dust.
A shadow rippled nearby and I knew that one of my elite guard would take care of my indiscretion. They would have the automobile towed, a likely story created, and the driver recompensed. Even now they likely had the entire area locked down from pedestrians who might stray too close.
"Grayson," I whispered.
A nearby shadow suddenly coalesced into a middle-aged man in a dark suit. "Yes, sir."
