“Down here!” I yelled back.
Silence. Then Drury and the villagers all started talking at once.
“Lady Mottern is alive!”
“Fetch her a warm blanket! And some hot cider!”
“She saved us from the Razors!”
More shouts sounded, along with claps, cheers, and whistles. My smile widened. I started to move forward, to head into the woods and climb back up to the castle, but that icy wind howled over the riverbank, making my teeth chatter again.
I stopped, closed my eyes, and reached for my newfound magic—or perhaps it was the same power that had been inside me all along. Either way, it only took me a few seconds to transform back into my usual, comfortable, beastly self.
“There,” I whispered, my breath frosting in the chilly air again. “That feels better.”
And it truly did.
Still smiling, I left the riverbank behind to head back to my castle and my people. Oh, I would tell Drury that I had broken the curse, and I would shift back into my human form for all of the villagers to see—tomorrow. But for tonight, it was cold out, and I wanted to be warm, and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than by putting on my fur coat.
And that was just part of the beauty of being a beast.
About the Author
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.
In addition to her Elemental Assassin series, Jennifer is also the author of the Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, Section 47, and other fantasy series. She has written more than forty books, along with numerous novellas and stories.
In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.
For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit her website at www.jenniferestep.com or follow her online on Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, Amazon, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter.
Happy reading, everyone!
Other Books
by Jennifer Estep
The Crown of Shards series
Kill the Queen
Protect the Prince
Crush the King
The Gargoyle Queen series
Capture the Crown
The Section 47 series
A Sense of Danger
The Elemental Assassin series
featuring Gin Blanco
Books
Spider’s Bite
Web of Lies
Venom
Tangled Threads
Spider’s Revenge
By a Thread
Widow’s Web
Deadly Sting
Heart of Venom
The Spider
Poison Promise
Black Widow
Spider’s Trap
Bitter Bite
Unraveled
Snared
Venom in the Veins
Sharpest Sting
Last Strand
E-novellas
Haints and Hobwebs
Thread of Death
Parlor Tricks (from the Carniepunk anthology)
Kiss of Venom
Unwanted
Nice Guys Bite
Winter’s Web
The Black Blade series
Cold Burn of Magic
Dark Heart of Magic
Bright Blaze of Magic
The Bigtime series
Karma Girl
Hot Mama
Jinx
A Karma Girl Christmas (holiday story)
Nightingale
Fandemic
The Mythos Academy spinoff series
featuring Rory Forseti
Spartan Heart
Spartan Promise
Spartan Destiny
The Mythos Academy series
featuring Gwen Frost
Books
Touch of Frost
Kiss of Frost
Dark Frost
Crimson Frost
Midnight Frost
Killer Frost
E-novellas and short stories
First Frost
Halloween Frost
Spartan Frost