Running Mad

This is the SECOND book to Mad Ember and should not be read as a stand-alone

Let me tell you a story, my darling,
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom that rested in the clouds. In this kingdom, a family lived in a giant castle that stood proudly over their people's small village. There was a little girl, like you, a little boy, and a man and a woman.
The woman had a vital job. She was the protector and mother to all of her kind. And she possessed magic.
She used her magic to provide those around her with gifts. Some, she made like her... just less powerful those were the witches. Others, she gave them the power to take away people's pain, the empaths. The empaths were important because she knew that there would be a lot of pain with her last gift. She gave the rest the power to turn into great beasts.
The woman did this so she didn't have to be alone. In the end, she loved her last creation so much, she became one of them. But even after all of her creations. Her heart still longed for more. Her heart longed for someone to share it with. So she did exactly that. Calling this person her soulmate, but sometimes, even a soulmate isn't enough...
And for her, it wasn't