Withering Rose (Once Upon A Curse Book 2) by Kaitlyn Davis Page A

creeping closer and closer to our
home. They were searching for us. They wanted to hurt us. My father
decided it would be better to act fast rather than wait for them to
find us. So he took a group of our best fighters and pursued them.
Five days later, four of the wolves who left with him returned,
terrified and confused. They carried my father's body with them. It
was riddled with small puncture wounds, holes in perfect circles
that were too precise to be from any weapon in our arsenal. And I
went crazy. I still don't fully remember changing into a bear and
using the scent of my father's blood to find my way back to the men
who murdered him. I don’t remember slashing their necks with my
claws in the dead of the night, I don’t remember killing them. But
I do remember gazing down at their weapons when the damage was
done. I remember the moment I realized they couldn't be from my
world, the moment I realized that the earthquake had changed
everything."
    He runs a hand through his onyx hair,
sighing. Then he stands up straight, turning toward me as he pulls
his shirt to the side. I notice the circular scar just below his
right collarbone. I saw it the day before, but only now do I
realize what it's from. A bullet. A gun. A weapon of Earth, not my
old world. "I got this during the fight. I didn’t even realize how
hurt I was until I woke up in the snow, bleeding out and aching.
The wolves saved me then too. And now it’s a reminder of that day.
It's a reminder of what those strangers are capable of."
    My hand reaches out to touch his scar, but I
stop just shy of making contact with his pale skin. "They're called
guns," I whisper softly.
    He releases his shirt and it falls back into
place, covering the healed-over wound. "I know," he snarls. But I
know the anger isn't directed toward me. It's just his gut
reaction, his instinctual, animalistic response. "You've only ever
seen me turn into the bear, but I can take other forms. One of
them, if I concentrate very hard, is a hawk. And ever since I
became king, I've been using that form to sneak to the town you
came from and gather information about the people who killed my
father. They've tried many times to make it through the mountains,
but the path is dangerous if you don't know the way, and they're
not the only ones with fine weapons anymore."
    "You stole their guns?" I ask,
surprised.
    "I just evened the playing field."
    Cole turns away from me, back toward the
door leading inside the castle. He's done telling his story.
    But questions burn the tip of my tongue.
Everything he's revealed has just made me more curious about what
he's not telling me. Like what happened to his mother. Like why
everything within the city wall was safe from the earthquake. Like
how he got his magic. Like where all the other humans went. Like
who is that glowing woman locked away in that bedroom.
    I push my lips together to keep them shut.
He asked me to be patient, and I promised I would be. I can't
betray the little bit of trust he has shown me, not right after he
opened up for the first time.
    So instead, I follow him downstairs,
watching as he rolls his shoulders, releasing pent-up tension. As
his muscles flex and coil beneath his clothes, I wonder what other
animals rest beneath his skin.
    "Cole?" I break the silence, ready to ask
this one question that I might be allowed. What other forms can he
take? What other animals?
    But when he turns, his expression is so
broken that I stop talking. All I do is reach out my hand, making
an offer he can choose to refuse if he wants to.
    But he doesn’t.
    He takes my hand and interlaces our fingers,
gripping firm enough to hurt. But I stay quiet because I know he
needs it, and I know I can take this little bit of pain if it means
he can let go of some of his.
     
     

 
     

     
     
    After Cole drops me back to my room, I don't see him
again until the next morning. He doesn't surprise me, doesn't scare
me. Instead, I wake to the sound of a gentle,