Still, that didn't stop me from trying to drink from the stream.

  What did stop me was when I'd bent over the water, only to find a reflection staring back at me. The woman's black hair and vibrant lips had been hard to miss even in the blue of the water and it had scared me.

  I knew at that moment something was off with the water though I couldn't determine what. I'd assumed that maybe dead people were in the bottom of the water or something crazy like that. Thinking about it now, I know how outrageous it sounds, but I couldn't come up with anything else, no matter how much I tried.

  Either way, I'd known to get the hell away from the water.

  My eyes flit to Ragna who's still looking at me in disgust.

  How?

  It's the one word that keeps bouncing through my head. "How?" I ask it out loud again, hoping that maybe this time the woman will answer my fucking question.

  She squints slightly, her black eyes seeming to assess me. "You're aware that magic still exists in Caelumine so this shouldn't be hard for you to draw a conclusion from." She speaks so weird, so foreign, her words sharp and short in a way that's unfamiliar.

  "That doesn't help me. I know that magic exists, yes, but I know nothing beyond that." The guys haven't explained anything to me, and I haven't been able to draw too many conclusions on my own.

  The woman lets out a god's honest, low growl before rolling her eyes and tensing her jaw. "I do not understand the fascination with you," she says and again it sounds so weird. She sounds proper, as she enunciates every little word, but there's also something that just sounds so rough and weird with her cadence.

  "Where are you from?" I ignore her insult as I try to piece together the pieces of this woman.

  She shakes her head, sending her wild hair flying and I glance down, catching the rosy tips of her nipples before my eyes shoot back up.

  "Very dense," she mutters before her eyes move to the bow still in my hand. "Do put that thing down. It is an insult to Walker that you wield his weapon so weakly and I don't appreciate you aiming it at me in particular."

  Never before have I felt so disrespected by someone the way I do with this woman. I don't think Walker has even managed to nail down the casual, arrogant way in which she insults me, knowing directly where to hit.

  "I have not forgotten about what you did to my wing," she adds on.

  I don't bother pushing back my satisfied grin as I look at her.

  Yeah, bitch, and I don't regret fucking up your wing, especially since you're standing here being a jerk. Just like your owner.

  "You've yet to answer any of my actual questions," I tell her, not bothering to lie the bow down.

  Gwev is still closer to her than me and I don't trust the woman. She was a nuisance as a bird and now that she stands in front of me as a woman, I have no doubt that if I let my guard down around her it'll be a bloodbath.

  We both have dominant, confrontational attitudes, that much I know from what I've observed of the woman.

  If either of us makes the wrong move, the other will attack.

  My eyes stray to the dead creatures littering the ground.

  I'm not sure who'll actually win if things come down to blows between us.

  Obviously, I've bested her many times in her bird form, but I'm also very aware of the fact that she's fucked me over more than a few times while she was nothing but a small animal. She even nearly broke my fingers once while chomping down on them and subsequently making me fall off the castle wall.

  So no, I'll stay prepared around her.

  "I don't have to entertain your questions, girl, I don't answer to you," she says harshly, baring her teeth.

  I pause, my eyes taking her in. She looks to be around the age of the guys, in her late twenties, but our people age slowly, so she could be much, much older. And from the way she carries herself and the way she talks, something suggests that maybe that's more accurate, that she's a lot older than she appears.

  "Who do you answer to then?" I ask, but I already know.

  Her eyes narrow slightly. "Walker, and you should be glad of that, girl. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been here to save you and you'd be nothing more than lunch for those creatures." She points a sharp, black nail at the dead creatures lying a few feet away.

  I raise a brow as my shoulders tense, "What do you mean?"

  She takes another step closer to me and when a metallic scent hits my nostrils, I take in the blood on her skin that I missed somehow. The red is rich against her white skin. "I mean after you threw your little fit back at the cave, Walker asked me to follow you and make sure you were safe. Obviously he knew that you'd mess up and find yourself in trouble that you couldn't get out of. It seems to be what you specialize at doing, after all."

  My teeth clench and I grip the bow in my hand tighter.

  I'm tired of being insulted by a fucking bird lady.

  Especially when she’s right.

  I’ve been getting my ass kicked left and right since I got to this island.

  Me, the woman always so proud to speak about my skills and how well I’m trained.

  Me, the woman who has held her own against many opposing forces.

  Me, the woman who came back to Caelumine with the sole intention of taking down the monarchy.

  And yet I’ve been flouncing around like some unskilled little girl. I’ve been off balance and not up to par since we were dropped off here.

  But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let Ragna point it out.

  "Well, I don't need your fucking help, so you can back the fuck off," I snarl at her.

  A smile curls her lips and there's something so deadly about it that it gives me pause. "Be wise, girl," she warns. "As I have already told you, I have not forgotten about my wing and I would have no problem making you pay for that."

  I blow out a breath of air, taking a step closer to her, refusing to back down. I'm not stupid, I can sense the danger coming off of the woman, but I won't back down.

  Never let a predator see you as weak.

  "Then why don't you just go ahead and attack me. I can promise you that it won't be easy to take me down," I tell her. I’m already plotting on how to take the woman down if it comes to it.

  She narrows her eyes slightly, "I won't attack you unless I am provoked, it is the promise I made to Walker and I plan on keeping it."

  Interesting. Walker told her not to attack me.

  I take a step back. "Well, since you won't be attacking me, how about you finally answer my questions?" I suggest.

  She stares at me, her beady eyes taking in my every move. "You want to know how I am, what I am, but your mind won't be able to handle the truth, girl, it's something you can't understand."

  The way she keeps saying girl grates on my nerves and I have to resist swinging at her.

  I squint, "Try me."

  She purses her lips for a moment, as if thinking over what she wants to say to me. For a moment, I think maybe she isn't going to say anything, that she'll just brush off what I want to know. "I am a shapeshifter," she finally says.

  "Not a concept hard to understand," I tell her. There were shapeshifters in the mortal realm and while I know that that magic is completely different from cael magic, there isn't anything hard to understand about someone being able to shift forms.

  Ragna shakes her head, her features tightening. "Such an arrogant girl," she mutters. "It is not simple," she says mockingly. "I hale from the Loka Mountains, just like Walker. While my magic is of Caelumine, it is also something completely different, something that you cannot understand. So often how your people forget that mine are more powerful than yours, because you bow down to an imposter monarchy.”

  The Loka Mountains are home to the lokanians, a different breed of warriors. They succeeded from Caelumine, leaving the ruling of the Deightyn and Fawcett kingdoms successfully, unlike many others. However, in their mountains it is rumored that they have been blessed by the gods in a different way than the rest of Caelumine. Anyone who has thought to attack them in the mountains is six feet under.

  However, their magic isn't as strong outside of the mountains and while it's rare that they leave the mountains, it does happen and when it does, the royals love to pick them off. It's what happened to Walker, from what I know.

  The Fawcett kingdom found him and more of his people outside of the mountains and they enslaved them. Most of the people were killed, but Elyjah begged for Walker's life. They'd granted the prince what he wanted, but from what I remember Orrtyn once saying to me, it wasn't to be nice. It was so they'd have something, someone, more to hold over the prince's head whenever they want to.

  The fact that they beat Walker shows exactly that their plan has worked over the years as they use it as something to hold over the princes, and the Bae twins head, to get them to act right when they need them to.

  "I am a shifter, but I am also a protector, Walker’s protector. I keep both my human form and my bird form to watch over him. I came with him when he was taken as a boy and for the last decade, I have kept watch over him, protecting him from whatever threats that I can."

  I frown, not liking her tone.

  Her face is hard, her hands clenched, and her back straight as she stares at me coldly.

  "And you, Roxanna are a threat," she finishes and yeah, her tone is definitely unfriendly. "Luckily for you, I have not been given the permission to take you out yet, just the exact opposite. But when the day comes that I have permission to eliminate you, I will."

  "And why can't Walker just take me out himself when the day comes?" I question, wanting to ask so much more but deciding not to. "Why does he need you to take care of his dirty water?”

  That ruthless grin returns to her lips. "Because, Roxanna Delamontee, it would be my absolute pleasure to kill you and Walker would never deprive me of that privilege."

  The words are eerie and cool and a sense of warning shoots through me.

  If I thought I needed to keep an eye on her before, then I need to keep both eyes and a weapon on her at all times now.

  Our eyes lock, both of us refusing to look away.

  "But don't worry, I will not harm you; not a second before I have permission," she reassures me and again there is something so mocking to the way she speaks in that weird accent. Her lips press together firmly. “And I am ancient, girl, I know how to patiently wait."

  I should just gut the bitch now.

  The thought is only in my head for a moment before the word ancient picks at my brain. So, she is an old witch, like I originally thought.

  It just means that I'll have to be even more careful with her than I originally planned.

  Just as the thought is crossing through my mind the woman suddenly moves.

  So, she has gone back on her words only moments after she says them.

  Her body collides with mine and I go sprawling on my back, my head knocking against the ground brutally. A ringing starts in my head but I push it away, knowing I need to handle the crazy woman now lying on top of me. Ragna's breasts press against my body, warm and soft, surprising seeing as how cold and hard the woman is.

  I move to jerk her off of me but a firm hand slaps over my mouth. “Shush, girl," she whispers the words right in my ear, her breath warm against my skin.

  I'm just about to struggle when I realize the woman isn't actually attacking me.

  Huh?

  I raise my eyes, looking at her face in confusion. Her eyes are tilted up and her head is craned slightly as if she's listening to something and it gives me pause as I decide that maybe something more is going on here than I initially thought.

  If she isn't trying to kill me, then what is she doing exactly?

  Soft chatter meets my ears moments before I hear branches start to snap and rough feet on the ground.

  Fuck. How did I not hear them in the first place?

  Ragna looks down at me and the look she gives me suggests that she thinks I'm still foolish. Her eyes meet mine and a bloodthirsty grin covers her lips. "It looks like we have company, girl. Make sure you watch very closely as I kill them so you can see your future."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  One moment Ragna is on top of me and in the next moment she’s gone.

  I raise my head in time to get a pale view of her ass as she retrieves the bow from where it’s fallen.

  Footsteps become louder and then men are crashing into the area. I get to my feet, calculating my next move as I take in the dozen men who now surround us.

  Before I can even try to coordinate with Ragna, because even though I'm not arrogant enough to think I have this on my own, the woman rushes forward, naked but ready for war.

  She lets out a roar as she shoots an arrow in the chest of a man and it's the only thing I have time to see before I have to redirect my attention to the threats in front of me.

  A man appears suddenly, his teeth bared, a loaded crossbow pointed at me and I duck. I hit the ground hard, again, but I push the pain away. Movement alerts me to another man, and I watch as a booted foot comes toward my face.

  I roll out of the way, my hand reaching out on instinct to grab the leg. I give a hard pull and there’s a yelp before a heavy weight is coming down on me.

  I push at the weight on top of me. A pale, bloody face forms in my vision. I throw a fist forward, just as I catch movement over the man’s shoulder.

  Fuck, fuck, get up.

  I shift my weight, tossing my hips forward and shoving the man off of me.

  I get to my feet, already preparing for the second attacker. A fist is thrown at my face and I duck out of the way, but I’m not quick enough to avoid the kick that comes to my stomach.

  I absorb the impact.

  It’s going to hurt like a bitch later.

  I jump to the side, my hands reaching out for Gwev where she’s fallen. The sword feels familiar and comfortable in my hand as the man comes rushing forward at me. On instinct alone, I thrust Gwev forward and she impales the man.

  I don’t have time to bask in the kill as I feel a tug at my hair and a caw pierces the air.

  Fuck, I hope that Ragna is still able to squawk about in her human form or else we probably have the problem of those monster birds coming at us.

  I’m yanked back ruthlessly by my braid, before I can check where the sound is coming from. I turn into the pull, kicking out.

  I turn in time to see the man falling to his knees. I slice through the air, satisfied when the sharp blade of Gwev slices through the man’s neck.

  His hands clutch at his neck as blood spills and I don’t spare him another glance. I turn just in time to anticipate the attack of another man and I throw a fist into his face, listening to the crunch of bone under my hand.

  Staying alert, I don’t miss the man who tries to sneak up on me from the opposite direction. He wraps a hand around my neck from behind and I bend forward, mercilessly tossing him off before he can tighten his grip.

  I turn back to the other man long enough to shove him forward. I slide a dagger from my boot and turn, aiming it right at the man I tossed off. I know I’ve hit the mark when he lets out a scream.

  Just as I’m directing my attention back to the other man, there’s a blur in my gaze and I watch as Ragna wraps her arms around the neck of one man. Her eyes meet mine over the man’s shoulder and she gives a wicked smile as her arms suddenly move. A crack rips throughout the small area before the man falls down, lifelessly.

  I glance around for the rest of the men, masking my surprise when I find the rest of them already dead.

  Some of the men have arrows piercing their body, their necks, heads, chests… Others have been stabbed repeatedly, blood spatter coving the area by them. A couple have injuries that I can’t quite spot, but which were obviously fatal.

  I turn my gaze back to Ragna, watching as the woman carelessly steps over the body of one of the men. Her pale skin is now covered in blood all over, even her dark hair is drenched in certain places.

  But from the way she ignores all of it, I know she doesn’t care.

  Holy fuck.

  I knew the woman was dangerous that much was clear, but this...

  For a minute I try to calculate how many men we have each killed but I give up. She killed the majority of them in the same time it took me to kill a couple.

  If she’s this dangerous, why doesn’t Walker utilize her in her human form more?

  The man has been getting beat by the queen’s guard for the last decade, all while having this ticking time bomb sitting on his shoulder.

  It makes no fucking sense.

  “Well,” Ragna says slowly as she nears me. She wipes a bloody hand off on her leg, smearing the red stain. “That was unexpected.” Her dark eyes meet mine for a moment before she tilts her head slightly as her face scrunches up in concentration.

  “What?” I ask, moving closer to her. Something is obviously off from the look on her face.

  She glares at me for a moment before that concentrating look returns to her face.

  I’ll never fucking say Walker is difficult again. His bird is even worse, and I just may kill her before the day is out.

  My eyes trail to the dead bodies.

  Okay, I may have to sneak her, but I will if I have to.

  Finally, her head snaps toward me and she squints. “One moment, girl,” is all she says before I’m suddenly staring at a bird.

  I blink at how quick and seamless the shift is. One moment I’m looking at the woman and the next I’m staring at the bird.

  Gods, that’s fucking cool, but also alarming.

  If I piss her off in her bird form, she could easily whip my ass in her human form within moments if she has to.

  Before I can say anything, not that she’d actually reply, the woman is off, flying up before she disappears from my sight.

  Holy fuck, what is she doing?

  I frown, trying to decide on my next course of action now that my unwanted ally has to decide to dip without any warning or explanation.