C. Bryant - Broken

“Can you tell when Luka is about to appear, or any other Royal for that matter?”

“I know he is coming because I hear his thoughts. Is that what you mean?” He reached out to pet one of the cubs but Mama snarled at him, so he pulled his hand back.

“No, I don’t know how to explain it. The very first time I saw you, right before you appeared in the forest, I felt a strange sensation-like all my senses shutting down. There’s total silence and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Every time a Royal is about to appear I feel it. I thought it was perfectly normal and everyone felt it, but then Ussay mentioned a woman in the village that experiences a similar feeling and she called her a ‘sensitive’.”

A curious expression crossed his face. “It actually does not surprise me. Do you still have visions, or did you lose that gift when the powers of the Crystor faded?”

Kira shrugged. “I do sometimes, but they’re more like daydreams. Some I’ve seen come true, others are weird images I can’t make sense of. It’s definitely not as strong.”

He leaned over, brushed her hair away from her face and focused intently on her eyes. “You are unique in every way, Kira. You should never fear your gifts. Embrace them.”

She nodded, but said nothing. Their eyes held there for the longest time, then he leaned in to kiss her. Their lips barely touched when a sharp pain shot into her right index finger. One of the cubs playfully sunk its teeth into her skin. Kira squealed. Her sudden outburst scared the cubs and sent them scurrying to their mother, who quickly encouraged them back into the forest with a scolding roar in Kira's direction.

Kira grabbed her finger, jumped to her feet and backed away from Octavion. He was already on his feet, completely transformed. She recognized the primal hunger in his fiery eyes.

“Call Luka! You need to leave, now!”

A deep throaty growl escaped his heaving chest. His shoulder muscles bulged with each breath he took. “I can not leave you alone, Kira. Not here.” He took in a deep breath and turned his head away from the smell of her blood.

Her mind flashed to the memory of him coming at her, chains slamming against the stone walls of his lair. No control. “Octavion!” Kira screamed. “Leave NOW!”

He drew another breath, let out a ferocious roar and disappeared. Instantly, the forest grew quiet and she knew Luka was about to appear-but it wasn’t Luka that suddenly stood before her. Two Royals, their eyes on fire. One she recognized as Draego, who’d caught her scent in the canyon after the battle with Shandira and her men.

“We meet again.” Draego said.

“Been a while since I ate commoner flesh, brother.” The other Royal’s upper lip curled, revealing his sharp feline teeth. “Mind if I take a little bite ?”

Kira turned to run. Draego appeared in front of her, grabbed her by the front of her dress and pushed her to the ground. Her tender back pressed against the hard packed dirt. She screamed with what little air she had left in her lungs.

Draego pounced on top of her, his face only inches from hers, his putrid breath rushing over her face. All she could think about was fighting back. No way would she be captured again. She grabbed at his face, digging her nails into his cheek. His only reaction a sharp breath.

“I would recognize your stench anywhere.” He smiled, once again baring his teeth. “And I will reap the bounty for taking your life.”

“What do mean? What bounty?” Her stomach rose in her throat as his blood dripped on her face and neck. Why hadn’t Luka come to get her?

“You were a bad little girl, Kira. You killed a prince. And for that, you will die.” His ferocious roar echoed through the trees. He bared his teeth and came at her in a rage. She closed her eyes, expecting to feel the sharp pain of his teeth as they punctured her skin, but instead she felt the weight of his body release her. A sudden rush of warm air washed over her and another terrifying cry rang out through the trees.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Octavion engaged in a vicious battle with Draego. She no more felt the hair on the back of her neck begin to rise than Luka had arrived and pressed the other Royal to the ground. The scene was a blur of wrestling bodies and ferocious snarling. It all happened so fast she could barely tell one from the other.

“Luka, get her out of here,” Octavion yelled.

But Luka continued fighting. When she felt another Royal about to arrive, she grabbed a rock from the ground, preparing to defend herself. She knew she would die, but she’d fight to the end.

“Kira, take my hand,” came a voice from behind her. She spun around to find Cade sitting on the ground, his hand outstretched toward her. She dropped the rock, grabbed his arm and closed her eyes.

“Go!” she screamed.

When she felt the cold stone of the courtyard beneath her, she opened her eyes again. Cade sat next to her with a satisfactory grin on his face.

“That was fun,” he said.

“Fun? Are you insane? I almost died.”

He wrinkled up his nose. “Kira put your hand in the water. It will dilute the blood. I might be a cripple, but I am still a Royal.”

She sprang to her feet and jumped into the fountain. She wasn’t sure if she’d gotten any blood on her clothes, but didn’t want to take a chance. She washed Draego’s blood off her face and hers off her hand. Then turned her attention back to Cade, who now sat on the edge of the fountain-still sporting a smile. He didn’t fool her. She could tell by the way he held himself he was still in pain from his injury.

“What are you smiling at?” she asked.

“I finally saved you-pretty impressive, considering the wound in my back isn’t fully healed and I have no legs.” He slapped his thigh.

“You have wonderful legs and you’re not a cripple,” she scolded. “And yes, you saved me.” She slipped her hand out of the water to check her wound-a tiny puncture that wasn’t even bleeding anymore. She put her thumb over the hole to put pressure on it and tried to step out of the fountain. The weight of her dress pulled her back in. Cade took her arm to steady her so she could swing her legs over the edge. She plopped down next to him, splashing him with water.

“Can you tell if they’re all right? Are they still fighting?”

He looked away, an expression of concentration on his youthful face. His happy demeanor faded away and he didn’t respond.

“Cade? Are they okay?”

He put his hand up to silence her. Another moment passed and then he smiled. “They are fine. The Royals have left and their injuries are minor.”

“Injuries? Who’s hurt?”

He fell silent again. “Luka has a gash on his arm, nothing serious. Octavion. .” He paused.

“ Cade? Please. Is Octavion okay?”

“Yes, only a scratch. But he is not returning to the castle yet. He says. .” Cade smirked. “Must I repeat this?”

“Yes.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, he apologizes and feels horrible for putting you in harms way. . and. . he says he loves you and will see you tomorrow.” The last part came out in a rush, like he couldn't wait to get it over with. Typical of a sixteen-year-old boy.

Kira sighed with relief. “Thank you. Did you at least brag to them about saving me?”

“Of course.”

“Good.” Her heart still raced from her encounter with the strange Royals. The words they’d said echoed over and over in her head. She'd almost forgotten she'd killed a prince. Shandira's prince. She looked at Cade who watched her intently.

“Are you well, Kira? Do you want to talk about what happened out there?”

She shrugged. “ I don’t even know.” She told him about the cubs and how Octavion reacted when one of them bit her finger, but the rest was a blur. “They were Royals-that’s all I know.”