( …continued)
Autumn did not move.
Not forward.
Not back.
She held her ground.
Her boots were planted against the fractured stone, knees trembling so violently she could feel it in her teeth but her spine stayed straight, curved protectively over Freya like a living wall.
Freya was pressed to her chest, tiny arms locked around her neck, breath coming in soft, broken hiccups.
Autumn's heartbeat thundered around them both.
Too loud.
Too fast.
Her mind…fractured.
Too hazed…irrationale swallowed everything.
His face flashed behind her eyes…confused, bloodied, calling her name into the dark. His hands slamming against invisible walls. His voice breaking when she didn't answer.
Then there was Thorgar.
Her father.
Suspended. Twisted. Mutated into something unrecognizable, roaring in chains of flesh and darkness, eyes no longer fully his.
The man who had loved her unconditionally.
The beast tearing at her mate.
And then there was Willa.
