I stared at Xander, the infuriating male whose presence had been haunting me since I’d escaped the king’s clutches, and a barrier I hadn’t known existed within me shattered. This could not happen. I would not let it. Not like this.
At that moment, I knew. Nonna had been right. There was something between us. Something that was frail and intangible, but if we gave it room to grow…
It could become something beautiful.
And these males, these soldiers who worked for the Crimson King, were trying to kill Xander.
They were going to do it.
Unless I did something.
Reaching within myself, I begged anyone who would listen to help me. Turning my eyes to the heavens, I screamed. I screamed and screamed and screamed. The wind itself seemed to echo my cry as it swirled around us, picking up leaves and twigs from the forest floor.
“Don’t touch him,” I said in a voice that was not my own. It was deep and ancient. My words echoed through the air as dark green ribbons tinged with silver erupted from my outstretched palms. They swirled throughout the air before diving into the ground.
The Winged Soldiers stared at me, taking a step back as I raised my hands in the air. A look crossed the faces of the remaining soldiers. It was fear.
They were afraid.
Ofme.
Good. They should be.
Their fear emboldened me and, for the first time in my life, I feltmagicrushing through my veins. It thrummed in my blood, singing to me like the call of the wind.
Protectress of the Woods.
“Hear me now,” I said in that strange voice. “I am not the king’s pet any longer. I will never return. And you will leave my companions unharmed.”
The cowardly commander scoffed. “Nice light show, but I don’t think a few green ribbons are going to stop us from fulfilling the king’s orders.”
I tilted my head. “Perhaps not. But how about this?”
Reaching deep into myself, I grabbed onto something I had no idea how to control. The magic—my magic—felt as slippery as silk. I tried to grab onto the ribbons, to command them, but seconds, precious seconds ticked by and nothing happened.
One of the Winged Soldiers laughed while another raised his sword. “Let’s finish this and take the bitch back to the castle where she belongs. Maybe the prince can beat some sense into her.”
That was it. I was not some pet to be dragged around and used for pleasure.
Anger surged through me, and with it came the ability to grab the ribbons of magic. I drew in a deep breath as the ground shifted beneath us.
“I will never return to the king. I would rather die,” I proclaimed as a flash of bright green light erupted from within me.
It was radiant, vibrant, and utterly blinding.
And it wasmine.
* * *
Seconds that felt like hours passed as the vibrant green light flooded the forest. A jolt of power unlike anything I’d ever felt rushed through me, and I inhaled sharply.
As I closed my fists, the light faded.
And my mouth fell open.
The forest was empty. The Winged Soldiers were gone. In their place was life.Newlife. Nine new trees had sprouted in the forest. Skin had been replaced with gnarled bark, hair with leaves, and clothes with branches.
They were dead, and we were alone.