Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer Page A

it wasn’t graceful, I managed to twist around and land on my feet.
    The bear was bleeding profusely from the wound I’d left on her neck and bites Shay had inflicted on her flank. Connor was beside him now, wielding a sword in one hand and the short, wide blade of a katara in the other. While Shay kept the bear’s attention, Connor stalked close. With incredible speed he slashed the wound at her neck, widening it, and then plunged the katara into her chest. The bear shuddered. Connor had just enough time to spin away, pulling his blade free, before she collapsed.
    “Let’s go,” Connor said, bolting toward the others.
    We reached Sabine just as she leapt aside while two bears, one black and one ash brown, lumbered after her. The shaggy black bear roared, dropping lifeless to the ground. Ethan’s bolt protruded from its left eye.
    The brown bear gave what appeared to be a casual bat of its paw, but the blow sent Sabine sprawling. Ethan shouted, running to her side. The bear roared, charging at the shaken wolf. Mason stood his ground between the bear and Sabine.
    A blade whirled past Shay and me. The sharp steel of Connor’s sword sank into the bear’s side. It roared but didn’t falter. Connor swore. I threw myself at the bear’s hind legs, snapping at its hamstring, but I missed, crashing to the ground. Shay caught the bear’s left heel in his jaws. It kicked hard, shaking him loose, leaving Shay on the ground beside me.
    The bear suddenly stumbled, its right front leg jerking out at an awkward angle. A silver rope stretched from the bear’s shoulder, pulling it off balance. It took me a minute to recognize Adne’s spiked chain whip. Silas had his arms around her waist. The two of them hauled on the whip, dragging the bear onto its side. It roared in pain, swatting at the whip’s length.
    “Connor!” Adne’s knuckles were white as she clung to the other end of the whip, and Silas’s face was as pale as her bloodless hands.
    Connor dove forward, his left arm pulled back. While the bear fixed its gaze on Adne and Silas, Connor punched the katara’s blade into the wound at its neck, driving the steel deep into the bear’s throat. The beast’s roar became a gurgle and it slumped into stillness.
    Connor grunted as he pulled the blade from the bear’s throat, wiping it clean on the snow. “Some fight.”
    “So much for alliances,” Ethan said. Sabine had shifted to human form. He helped her to her feet and was studying her face.
    “I’m fine,” she said. “Not my first fight.”
    “That bear hit you hard.” He touched her cheek.
    “I can take it.”
    He smiled. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
    Shay’s nose pressed against my jaw. You okay?
    Yeah. I shouldered into him as we stood up. Thanks for the help.
    My pleasure. His green eyes sparkled with mischief. I’ve been looking for some bear-type payback for a while now.
    I wagged my tail, sending my laughter into his mind.
    “Time for the main feature.” Connor was standing beside us. He looked at Shay. “I think you’ll need your hands for this.”
    Guess the fun’s over. Shay licked my jaw and I laughed again.
    Fun?
    Of course. You didn’t have fun?
    He was still watching me when he shifted into human form. I rested my chin against his palm, licking his fingers. Fighting with Shay at my side was more than fun. It was everything.

SEVEN

    “SO THIS IS TORDIS,” Shay murmured as if we’d entered a holy place.
    Haldis had always been imposing. Its maw-like opening acted as a warning, never inviting exploration. Tordis couldn’t have been more different. The claustrophobia-inducing, dark passageway into the mountain kept a secret carved into the silver-blue glacial wall before us. A secret that might have been the most exquisite place I’d ever seen. The ice-filled cavern wasn’t just beautiful, it was breathtaking. Each frost-covered surface captured light, reflecting it back into the space. The tunnel was bright, covered by a glimmering