Keagan coughed, and Nieve straightened up.

  “Right, we'll have to do something about that now, won't we?” The dullahan ruffled the kid's hair with a gauntlet. “I hope you don’t mind, but I stocked your pantry; it was looking almost as empty as I am.”

  “You did?” Keagan asked as he was pulled to his feet and led to the kitchen. “With what money?”

  “Oh, don't worry.” She wanted her hand. “I didn't spend your money. Some of it I brought from Luther’s. The rest, I said I would help them work tomorrow.”

  I followed behind them. “How long have you been here, and how did you get inside? The door was locked.”

  Nieve released Keagan at the table and headed to the pantry. “I got here last night. When Luther and I explained everything to Lily—”

  “He was here?” I snapped.

  He was so close, and I missed him. “Where did he go? Which way?”

  Keagan held his arms out to me. “Lucia, calm down. Think about this rationally.”

  I bared my fangs at him. “I am thinking. If he was here last night, that means he couldn't have gotten far. I can catch up. I can reach him.”

  Nieve ran over and stood between us. “No. I can't just let you kill him. Sure, he lied to me. So he passed me off like some piece of property, like everyone else before him. And yeah, maybe he put you in a dangerous situation. But that doesn't mean he deserves to die.”

  Her voice grew increasingly more meek with each sentence. “He was supposed to be different.”

  “He must!” My tail lashed behind me. “I made a promise. If he ever touched the boy or made someone else do it, nothing would stop me from killing him. And I always keep my promises.”

  “Maybe you can just not this one time,” she whispered.

  “Always,” I repeated.

  Keagan grabbed Nieve’s hand. “Don't stop her. You can't, I can't, nobody can. She needs to do this. The Association won't do anything. Their hands are tied.”

  “Now tell me where he went!” I jumped and slammed my paws to her breastplate.

  Nieve remained standing even with my full weight pushing on her. She turned her head away and looked at the boy.

  “Tell us in the morning. Okay, Nieve?” Keagan didn't smile. His face was hard and emotionless. “Lucia needs food and rest. Then, in the morning, we will follow after him.”

  I pushed off Nieve. “There is no we. You're staying here.”

  “You said you wouldn’t—”

  “I said I wouldn’t let him hurt you again.” I flicked my tail, forcing calm into my voice. “I’m not risking it. I’m not giving Luther another chance to use you against me. And you've seen what it looks like when my wrath gets what it wants. I don't want you to see that.”

  Silence.

  Keagan’s voice was steadier than ever. “So you’re leaving me with her? Is that what you're thinking?”

  I glanced at Nieve. She stood between Keagan and me with one hand on him. “She will protect you while I'm away. I can trust her that much. She needs someone. And so do you.”

  “And you?” He pushed his way around the dullahan. “What about what you need? Huh?”

  I swallowed. “I’ll return.”

  He reached out, grabbed my fur, and shouted, “You won't!”

  His boldness shocked me. He grabbed my furry cheeks and forced me to look him in the eyes. “If you go by yourself, you will fail and not come home. If you see him in the middle of a city, you won't hesitate to attack him. I won't be able to protect you. I won't be able to save you.”

  In my chest, my wrath stirred like a storm. “Maybe that's my fate. At least you will now be taken care of when I'm gone.”

  “Lucia!” Keagan pressed his face into mine. “That's not what I want. I don't want to be taken care of. Are you going to run away from me like you did your family in your last life? Are you too scared to fight?”

  Something in me snapped. My rage stilled instantly. It had not gone silent but instead turned into a slowly filling ocean.

  “Kid, that was a step too far.” I shook my head out of his grasp and turned away from him. “If you think I did what I did because I was scared, then you haven't been paying attention.”

  I headed for the door. The ache in my heart grew with each step. I threw my shoulder into the door in hopes that it would hurt and distract me from the pain inside. It didn't work. The door flew off its hinges and didn't hurt in the slightest.

  Stupid higher toughness.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  I headed down the road to town.

  Keagan ran after me yelling, “Lucia, I'm sorry!”

  I turned and growled at him. “Sorry for what? Shouting? Calling me a coward? Saying what you didn't mean? Well, I don't want to hear it!”

  “Lucia, please!” Keagan’s feet slapped against the road, each step more desperate than the last.

  I didn’t slow down. If anything, his voice pushed me faster. “Go home, Keagan!” I snapped over my shoulder.

  “Lucia, stop!” He stumbled to a stop, gasping for air. “Why won’t you listen to me?”

  Because listening to you could get you killed. I growled to myself. Because every second I stand here talking is another second Luther gets farther away. And because if I stand still long enough, I’ll—I’ll lose my chance.

  Keagan reached for me. “Lucia…”

  I turned back. My footsteps faltered for a moment. Two halves of me were pulling in opposite directions. My heart desperately tugged me towards the boy, the one I promised to keep safe no matter what. My mind pulled me away, towards the prey that I promised would suffer.

  The two promises conflicted with each other. I couldn't fulfill them both, but I needed to. Whichever one I chose, the other would eat at me. Keagan needs to not stay away from me. He has his dreams.

  Armor clanked sharply behind me as Nieve jogged down the road.

  “Keagan, you can’t chase her! You’ll collapse on the street!” The dullahan called out. “Lucia, stop running off! This—this isn’t fair!”

  “Fair?” I came to a stop and turned around. “Do you think any of this is fair? He came here last night. To this house. He is so close. I’m going to find Lily. She knows where he went. I'm not going to have another chance like this.”

  Nieve tensed but didn't say anything.

  “She should've seen where Luther went,” I snarled. “One direction is enough.”

  “And if she doesn’t?” Nieve asked softly.

  “Then I’ll make her.”

  Keagan’s eyes widened in horror. “Lucia! No, she’s our friend! You can’t!”

  “Watch me.”

  I turned away from them. I didn’t want to hurt her, not really. But what I wanted didn’t matter. If there was no coming back from this, then the consequences didn't matter either.

  I took three steps before Keagan shouted again, his voice cracking. “Lucia, don’t leave me!”

  Every muscle in my body jolted.

  The road blurred. I felt something inside me rip open. Everything turned inside out and flipped on its head before righting itself.

  But I still didn’t turn around. If I did, I wouldn’t have been able to leave. “Go home, kid,” I said quietly. “Nieve will take care of you. And when I’m done… I’ll come back.”

  “And if you’re not done?” he yelled. “Will you promise me you will come back?”

  I hung my head for a second. “No.”

  His breath hitched like I’d stabbed him.

  “You can’t,” Nieve said firmly. “It will be dangerous. She…”

  I didn’t stay to hear the rest. I ran. Then I kept running. Whenever Keagan's face appeared in my mind, I ran faster. I didn't stop until I reached the Association’s guild hall. Fatigue tugged at me, but I could push it away.

  I earned a few stares running through the town, but people stayed out of my way. Lily was walking out the door and locking it behind her.

  I stopped behind her. “Where is he?”

  She jumped and spun around. When she saw me, she relaxed and placed her hand on her chest. “Oh, it's just you. You scared me for a second.” Then her eyes slowly grew. “Wait, Lucia? You're… you're alive?”

  “You're the second person who's asked that today.” I stepped closer to her. “Now tell me where that lying psycho is.”

  She looked over my shoulder. “Where’s Keagan?”

  I stomped my paw. “The kid is safe with Nieve. Now stop stalling and tell me where Luther went!”

  The woman pressed her back to the door. Her hand fumbled for the knob, but it was locked. “Lucia, calm down, please. I don't know where he went.”

  I moved closer, much closer. My fangs were inches from her face. I made sure she felt my warm breath wash over her face. “Is his life worth more than yours? You know exactly how far I will go. Now, last chance. Where did he go?”

  Lily let out a tiny whimper. “East. I think he headed east." I gave her a little more room. Her entire body shook. Her eyes slammed shut like she was bracing for me to bite her head off. “I don't know exactly where, but he asked about how much a boat would cost. The ocean is to the east."

  I took a step away. “See? Was that so hard? I don't want to hurt you. The only one I will kill is Luther. Nothing else matters.”

  “You… you threatened me,” she mumbled. “You are too dangerous.”

  I snorted. “Compared to you, every monster is deadly. The only difference is that I know it. Lagan had his try to get your Association to punish Luther. They wouldn't. Now, I'm doing things my way.”

  My claws dug into the ground. “Besides, you were the one who wasn't truthful. You were going to help that murderous kidnapper. Anyone on his side is no better than him.”

  “I wasn't helping him. I…”

  “You what?” I snapped. “I asked you the same question and got a different answer. Either you lied to me just to get me to leave, or you wanted to help him but gave up when the price was too high.” A deep growl rumbled through me. “Which is it? I was going to assume you weren't that stupid and sacrifice yourself for him. Am I wrong?”

  Lily swallowed hard. Her hands were suddenly fidgety. “He did ask about a boat. I told him I don't know how much they cost, but he could charter one of the fishing boats if he paid them reasonably. It felt like he was trying to go somewhere.”

  He's looking for Fenrir. He can't be that close, can he?

  “Next time, start with the truth,” I said as I turned to walk away.

  “Are you seriously going to kill him?” Lily asked. “If you do, a bounty will probably be put on you. Are you really going to do that to Keagan?”

  I turned back to look at her one last time. “Even if it kills me.”

  I headed east.

  He has Nieve now. He doesn't need me. His path to becoming the greatest monster trainer will be easier without me. I am helping him. It’s unfortunate; I really wanted to see him win the world championship.

  The sun dipped below the horizon as I headed out of town. After my interaction with Lily, there was suspiciously nobody around to witness me leaving.

  As I walked, my footsteps grew heavier and dragged through the dirt path I found myself on. I knew of one town by the coast. It was a good place to start.

  Now all I have to do is avoid Yaz. Dealing with a hyperactive raptor isn't on the agenda.

  Once I couldn't deny my exhaustion anymore, I found a large tree I could curl up next to. I created the thickest ice shield I could and covered myself with it. Begrudgingly, I let myself fall asleep.

  Wrath Demon Ancestry reduces Toughness and Resilience stat gains. Training summary: Speed +1, Toughness +1, Resilience +2.

  — — —

  Name: Lucia Silverbreeze

  Species: Fenris (Dire Wolf/???) [Ice Subtype]

  Level 5 [80%]

  Power: 323

  Agility: 207

  Speed: 250

  Arcane: 179

  Toughness: 132

  Resilience: 136

  — — —

  The scent of meat cooking hit me before I opened my eyes. I bolted awake and pushed the remaining chunk of my ice shield. Sitting on a stump roasting a piece of meat over a small fire was Nieve.

  Her helmet turned to me, and in an upbeat chirp, she said, “Morning, sleepyhead."

  Behind her was a tent. The boy followed me!

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