"Azrel?"

Azrel stopped looking at his changed form and saw that he was alone again save for one dark-haired girl; she held her hand to him. He tried to remember if they had met before.

"I am a monster." He shied away from her but she stepped closer regardless.

"Azrel take my hand." She spoke with the voice of a thousand women before her. Being close to her made him feel more at ease. He felt human again.

"Please?" She spoke softly and he felt his heart buckle for her.

He reached for her hand feeling like he might crush her with his new claws. When they touched, he felt calm for the first time since he was a child.

***

Anaya and Azrel are hiding secrets. She is a spy for the rebels against her own will. He has a new power that changes him into a beastly creature. Posing as siblings, their love becomes another secret they bare. Together they must find a way to save the kingdom and each other. 

Spoils of War is created by Jo Thromby, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Spoils of War

“I am sorry,” Anaya muttered to no one. 


Anaya could not make herself move from the terrace. She sat there for hours shivering in the early morning light. She stared into the dark forest. She had failed and in less than a single day in the castle. 


“He won't betray you,” Anaya thought to herself. “Azrel will protect you.”


She stood and told herself to stop feeling so sorry for herself. Her dreams had come rushing back to her and she felt an overwhelming amount of emotion. Azrel had bonded with some creature. 


The old gods were real and Azrel had become one of them. For some reason, they were connected. She stopped some of the feast from earlier from coming back up. Two weeks ago she had barely believed in the old gods and now she was walking among them. She could barely stand what she had become.


Below her the forest seemed dark and inviting. It called for her to jump. With shaky legs, she stood on the stone ledge. 


Chapter 21: The Hidden Watcher