Panic surged through me, and though I gripped the stone and pushed, it
was too heavy and wouldn’t budge. I twisted my foot and tried to angle it out
of t
he hole between the blocks, but it wouldn’t fit. Sighing, I took a breath
and closed my eyes, attempting to calm my nerves. It would do me no good
to panic, I needed to stay calm and figure out a solution.
When I opened my eyes, my heart froze. Shadows were snaking around
me as dark tendrils moved down the ruined wall and across the jungle floor,
shrouding everything they covered.
My chest ached, and my fingertips itched.
Let me take over! the wolf inside me shouted.
But I didn’t trust her. What if she was still stuck after we shifted? And
would she have enough sense to grab the bloodstone?
Shift, or we’re dead, she urged.
No. I could handle this.
Magic coursed through me, and a wave of cool spread across my flushed
skin. My darkness pulsed inside before pushing out and enveloping me in a
shadow of my own creation. It strained against the darkness of the glen,
pushing it back.
My teeth chattered as I fought to hold my focus. Every muscle in my
body burned, and yet, I was barely holding back the shadows. I kept my gaze
down, heeding Cavra’s warning and avoiding any direct eye contact with the
monsters.
My hands trembled with the strain, but slowly, with each agonizing
second, the shadows inched backward.
I was stronger, but how long could I hold this?
I looked past my shaking arms at my trapped foot. “A little help, here?” I
said to myself, hoping to God that the beast inside me was listening. She was
stronger than me—physically, at least—and maybe she could give me a little
of her strength.