With a frown, he announced, "They're not trying to advance their position."
"What?" Theodoric demanded, crossing over to stand beside the huntsmen.
"They should be trying to break through into the village. But they're not. If forced back, they return to the perimeter. But they're not doing anything to get inside your defenses. They're just holding their line."
"Why?"
"Best guess? This a distraction," Jelverck answered with a shrug.
"A distraction from what?" Kaile asked.
Sterling felt his blood ice in his veins.
A distraction.
One without the Mirror King anywhere in sight.
"Myra," he growled. "He's after Myra!"
Without pause, he raced for the stairs and headed into the heart of the village.
Only one thought repeated over and over in his head.
Get to Myra before the Mirror King had a chance to take her.
Because Sterling was sure the monster had no intention of ever letting her go again.
***
Myra had watched Sterling race away from her with dark foreboding still churning in her gut. Full night had nearly fallen, and the uneasy dread refused to be ignored, no matter how much she tried to convince herself everything was going to be fine.
Following Helena through the village on autopilot, she'd risked opening herself up to the premonition. Tried to figure out the warning. Tried to understand what her gift wanted her to see. To grasp the meaning behind the urgent pull.
As they reached the vestibule of Helena's quarter, a sensation of darkness slammed into her. A sense of cruelty and triumph somewhere close by.
Much too close.
She stumbled over the threshold of the healing rooms.
"Myra, what is it?" Helena asked, catching her by the arm to steady her. "What's wrong?"
"The Mirror King. He's here. In the village."
The Healer gasped, dropping her hold on Myra in her surprise. "That can't be. They're holding the perimeter."
"I don't know how, but he got through the fighting."
He was here for her. Because of her. Myra wanted to run away, like she always had. But she refused to let herself consider it, even for a moment. Others were fighting for her.
It was time she fought for herself.
Myra ran into the small room she'd been sharing with Alna and grabbed her sword from her pack.
Even as she buckled the belt and adjusted the scabbard, she knew it was next to useless. But it had become a symbol to her. A talisman. A reminder that she was stronger now than the scared child who'd lied and hidden away on the outskirts of civilization.
Strong enough to face her monsters.
"Where are you going?" Helena asked when Myra rushed by her and headed straight for the door.
"I need to warn Sterling and the others," Myra explained, poised in the doorway, ready to rush out into the night. "We have to stop the Mirror King before he hurts anyone else."
"Myra, he's most likely here for you," the Healer reminded her, a soft plea in her voice.
"I know."
The Mirror King would stop at nothing to get hold of her. Myra had no idea what his plans for her might be, but they terrified her. She couldn't let fear stop her, though. So she took a deep steadying breath and stood tall.
"Which means it's my fault your people are out there fighting now. I can't just hide and let everyone else risk their lives. I have to help stop him."
Before Helena could try to talk her out of it again, Myra turned and walked out.
The streets were empty and eerily quiet, except for echoes of the battle on the outskirts of the village. Anyone capable of fighting was out there. Battling against the Trolls or guarding the perimeter.
Everyone else had taken shelter inside.
With no idea where to go, Myra moved toward the loudest sounds of fighting.
Overhead the unmistakable beat of dragon wings drew her attention. The shadow of a single drake flying east reassured her that she was headed in the right direction.
When she looked back down at the street, a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows a few yards in front of her.
The suffocating wave of darkness swelled, swamping Myra's senses all over again and halting her in her tracks.
She knew, even before he swept back his hood to reveal the crazed eyes and ridiculous crown, that she was facing the Mirror King.
"What are you doing here?" Myra demanded with false bravado, proud her voice remained steady despite the tremors of fear shivering through her body.
"I came for you, my dear." His answer brimmed with smug, superior condescension. "You had to know that I would. It's why you tried to hide the truth from me, all those years ago. But the truth always come out. Now, come. We have much work to do."
Myra rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. It was a useless gesture, but steel under her fingers gave her a brief flash of reassurance, all the same.
"I'm not going anywhere with you. Not now. Not ever."
"That's where you're wrong," he assured her with cruel arrogance. "You are my creation, Zemyra of Benhalle. You will come with me. One way or another."
A fierce battle cry echoed through the night and the Mirror King smiled.
"As soon as you leave the village with me, the battle ends. The longer you delay, the more drakes will be hurt. You don't want that on your conscience, do you?"
Guilt wormed its way through Myra's confidence. Worry and fear for the people she'd come to care about in her short time here. For the first time in her life, she had friends. And they were all in danger because of her.
In her distraction, Myra didn't notice the Mirror King moved until it was too late. He stepped forward, faster than she expected, grabbing her wrist in a bruising grip and yanking her close.
"My work will be easier if you cooperate," he hissed, his bracelet jingling in absurd counterpoint. "But I can make you obey, if I need to."
Panic beat through her body and narrowed her whole world down to the brutal hold on her wrist and the vicious promise in his eyes.
Then the silence around them exploded with activity. Above them, an entire wing of drakes soared over the city. Sounds of running footsteps converged on them from both ends of the street. And Helena shouted her name somewhere behind her.
Reminding her she wasn't alone this time. Reminding her she wasn't helpless.
Drawing on the handful of lessons she'd had with Helena, Myra allowed the ribbon of silver to ripple through her. She focused every bit of concentration on her wrist, desperately wishing to be free.
Sparks burst in the air and the Mirror King jerked his hand back. Myra stumbled backward several steps as he shook his fingers and cursed her. Looking wildly around for someplace to escape, her heart lurched with relief when she spotted Sterling.
The Mirror King started to reach for her again, but caught sight of Sterling rushing straight for him, sword ready and teeth bared. A handful of other men only a step or two behind.
"This isn't over," he snarled. Then his lips curled into a grin that chilled her blood in her veins. "I will see you soon, my dear."
A flare like a bolt of lightning illuminated the street, leaving Myra stunned and blinking. When her vision finally cleared, the Mirror King was gone.
Everyone else looked as dazed and furious and baffled as Myra felt.
Then Sterling's arms were around her and everything else slipped away. Her fear and the desperation to fight melted into relief at his touch.
And when his lips met hers in a searing kiss, even her thoughts retreated as she gave herself over completely to the moment.
Chapter Thirteen
THE RAGE AND FURY that erupted when he saw the Mirror King so close to Myra set Sterling's wolf instincts boiling toward the surface. The need to rend and tear and destroy the enemy was nearly all-consuming.
For the first time in a long, lon
g time, Sterling almost lost control of the shift.
Almost unleashed the wolf without constraints or limitations.
And while he was fighting to regain control, Myra had saved herself.
Sterling had been too far away to see exactly what she'd done, but it didn't matter. The Mirror King was gone and she was still here. That's all he needed to know to be grateful.
Then, he'd had her in his arms, holding her tight against him before he even knew he intended to move. He'd tasted the sweetness of her lips and lost himself for a moment.
Now, realization and guilt set in and Sterling tried to pull back, an apology for his outrageous presumption on the tip of his tongue. But Myra held him tighter, refusing to let go. Refusing to let him put so much as an inch of space between them.
She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, her gasping breath easing slowly into a more normal rhythm.
Sterling had no idea how long they stood in the middle of the street and he didn't care. She was safe and alive and with him. That was all that mattered.
So he kept one arm locked tight around her waist and let the other hand stroke soothingly over her back while she found her way back to calm.
"I told you that you should have let me go with you," she mumbled into his shirt.
Sterling dropped his head back and laughed. It was as much release from his tightly wound emotions as amusement at her peeved tone.
Finally, Myra lifted her head, looking at him warily. "You heard what he said to me?"
You are my creation, Zemyra of Benhalle.
The undertone of the Mirror King's claim was sinister and unsettling. And Myra hadn't denied it.
"You want to know."
She tried for matter of fact, but he felt the tremor of her words between them.
With a sigh, Sterling hugged her closer.
"I want to know because I want to help you. Because I think you've carried this burden alone for long enough. But I will wait until you're ready to share it."
He curved his hand gently along her jaw, gratified when she pushed her cheek into the caress.
"I don't know if I'll ever be ready," she whispered into his skin. Then she lifted her head, stubborn determination hardening her eyes. "Ready or not, though, this secret isn't just affecting me anymore. It's time I shared it."
She hesitated, taking a deep breath before stepping back. "I wish we could find someplace private, so I could tell you everything without the world getting in the way. But I think Helena and Theodoric need to hear this, too. And I don't think I'm strong enough to say it twice."
On the periphery of his senses, Sterling had been aware of the movement around them. Had heard the quiet whispers and retreating footsteps, giving them privacy.
But looking up to find the dark street completely empty still took him by surprise.
"I guess we'll have to go find them first."
Myra laughed at him, the sound soft and real, loosening the knot of worry and fear that had tied itself in the core of his being. There was still danger surrounding Myra, but it hadn't broken her yet.
Sterling intended to make sure it never did.
***
Myra fought the jittery urge to slump and hide behind Sterling when she walked into the Mountain Clan's Council Chamber.
The Trolls had disengaged and retreated as soon as the Mirror King disappeared.
While Theodoric, Helena and the rest of the village dealt with the aftermath of the attack, Myra had enjoyed a short reprieve. Thankfully, there had been little damage and only a few minor wounds. But that also meant her time was up much too quickly.
In a few moments, Myra would share her darkest secrets.
Helena and Alna were already seated at the large central table that dominated the room. With them were three elder drakes who Myra recognized vaguely as part of the Council.
Sterling had briefly introduced her to his friends, Jelverck and Kaile, while they waited for the Clan leaders to arrive. Now, the two men sat across the table with Theodoric and his younger brother, Balyn.
And every eye was on her. Waiting expectantly to hear what she had to say.
Most of the people in the room were strangers whose names she'd learned only in the last couple of days. Even Sterling, who she felt closer to than anyone since her mother, had been in her life less than a month.
And yet, she was about to share the secret, painful past she'd been burying for years.
Myra bit her lip and stepped up to the front of the table, hands wrapped together though it did nothing to stop the shaking. Her throat closed so tight she wasn't sure she could get a single word out
Then Sterling leaned close, pressing a supportive, reassuring hand against her shoulder. He lingered for a moment until Myra gathered herself and nodded tightly. Concern still etched in his frown, he stepped away and took an empty seat beside his friends halfway around the table. His eyes stayed locked on hers, though, offering silent encouragement and strength.
Myra let herself to revel in his gaze for a moment. Because she wasn't sure he'd still feel the same after. Then she straightened her shoulders and dove in.
"I was one of the Taken. Except. I wasn't. Not exactly." Despite her best efforts, Myra tripped and stuttered over the words, trying to figure out where to begin.
Then she forced a long, slow breath into her lungs and started again.
"I was fifteen, older than most of the children the Mirror King targeted. Because he didn't target me. I ran away from the people who pretended to take care of me after my mother died. The Troll finding me was an accident. Taking me to the Mirror Cavern was a mistake."
A mistake that changed her life forever.
"The Mirror King was furious. He rambled about the list and that I was too old and my bloodline was all wrong. I didn't understand it. I didn't want to. I was just relieved his anger was directed at the Troll and not me."
Years with the Milners had taught her that anger and pain were closely linked.
It was why she ran away, after all. As long as the Mirror King ignored her, Myra did her best to stay still and inconspicuous.
"Eventually though, he turned his attention my way and announced he might as well try, since I was there."
"Try what?" Theodoric asked.
"I'm not sure what exactly he did," she answered with a shrug. "I was standing in the center of the cave, right in front of the Mirror. He just waved his hand and wind began to whistle and swirl. And the Mirror started to glow. It got brighter and brighter until I felt swallowed up by it."
Until she felt the cool, silvery tang pour through her. Felt something in her shift. Change. Become new. The sensation was horrifying and compelling all at once.
"I knew it was doing something to me. Changing me. And I knew, without a doubt, that I could never let the Mirror King know that the magic had done anything at all."
It had been a bone-deep certainty that she never even considered ignoring.
"When it was over, he asked me what I remembered. I'd heard the stories of the Taken. That their only memory was of the Mirror King sending them home. So I lied. Pretended to have forgotten everything after I walked out the Milners’ front door. And he believed me."
He'd already been so sure it wouldn't work that it had been easy to lie to him. Asking her had been a matter of form and he'd barely paid any attention to her answer at all.
"Then he handed me a bag of coins and ordered a Troll to take me down the mountain. I'm pretty sure he forgot me before I was even out of his lair. The Troll left me at the end of the Winding Road. Alone in the dark, terrified and overwhelmed. That was when I realized what the Mirror had done."
"What?" Sterling asked, voice raw and cracking slightly. "What did it do?"
Unable to bring herself to look at him, Myra dropped her gaze to her hands before she answered in a hoarse whisper.
"It turned me into a drake."
The urge to glance up at Sterl
ing overwhelmed Myra. But she didn't dare.
Instead, she focused on the dozens of questions thrown her way. Most of which boiled down to, yes, she was sure she wasn't a drake before being Taken. And, yes, she was sure the magic of the Mirror was responsible for the change.
She couldn't help noticing, though, that no more of the questions came from Sterling.
When they finally finished with her, Myra kept her head down and shuffled over to the empty seat next Alna.
She turned the chair slightly, to stop herself from sneaking a peek in Sterling's direction and focused her attention completely on Helena when the Healer got up to speak.
Chapter Fourteen
STERLING ACHED FOR MYRA. The raw hurt and regret underlying every word she spoke tore at him bit by bit. Her guilt and fear and anger were a palpable press of anguish against his heart.
He knew how unimaginably difficult it must be for Myra to share the dark secrets she'd kept buried for years. Despite that, she faced the room with grace and strength and determination.
With Myra's admission that she'd been made a drake by the Mirror King still ringing in the air, questions and quiet murmurs filled the room.
Sterling gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white with the effort of forcing himself to stay seated.
Everything in Sterling strained against the instinctive need to go to her. To protect and reassure and shelter her.
Instead of giving in to the desperate urge, he held himself still by sheer force of will.
Because comforting her was what he wanted. But Sterling had no idea what Myra wanted.
From the moment she began speaking, Myra had looked at everyone and everything excerpt Sterling.
So, he'd kept himself in check, despite the trembling of her hands and the rawness in her voice when she laid her secrets out for a room full of strangers.
He had no intention of pushing in and making any of this about his need to protect and care. But Sterling wouldn't give up on Myra, either. He'd make sure she knew his shoulder and his sword were hers whenever she wanted them.
If she needed him, he was there, no matter what.
The Snow Wolf (Wolves Ever After Book 1) Page 10