Chapter 241 Chapter 240
Soraya immediately scrambled onto his back, joining Rayena, and he raced back out. Letting out a loud roar, he received growls of responses, and soon he was joined by other tigers, speeding out of the palace.
They broke into the dried-up forest, with sharp stalks and exposed roots, but they kept cutting through the obstacles that knifed in the wind while still being heavily chased.
Something whizzed past Rayena, hitting the trunk in front of them, and she saw it was an arrow. She screamed, ducking her head, and Soraya followed suit, gripping Morvan tight as he sped along, avoiding the shots.
"Ah!!" Soraya screamed, gripping her stomach suddenly. "I've been shot!" she cried out in pain.
Rayena froze several seconds.
Morvan turned back, giving a powerful roar, and the tigers around him formed a protective circle behind him while he sped forward.
A blast exploded behind them, and when Rayena looked back, she saw they had started a fire. Most weretigers were already ahead, so it caught the werewolves by surprise, forcing them to retreat.
Rayena let out a sigh of relief, her head dropping low. They’d shaken them off for now.
Morvan continued to run through the empty forest, not stopping till they arrived at a hill with a cave underneath. He rushed into the space and urged them down his back. Soraya and Rayena slipped down, their lower bodies numb from gripping his fur tight. He reached for the supplies they had hidden, wrapping a blanket around himself and reverting back to his male form.
Soraya collapsed to the ground, her dress already smeared in blood, the arrow still lodged at her side.
"Rayena, please put pressure on the wound!" Morvan commanded, reaching for her satchel and pulling out several vials. Rayena instantly raced to her side, ripping a part of her dress as she applied pressure on Soraya's bleeding side. Soraya sobbed through clenched teeth.
Morvan returned with three vials, uncorking one with his teeth and pouring the content onto the wound.
Soraya screamed, sweat beading on her forehead. "It hurts!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Sorry. That'll help neutralize the poison," he murmured, carefully cleaning the area with a towel soaked in spirit before making incisions on her skin to help draw out the arrow. The instant it was out, he disinfected the whole area and applied the second vial.
Soraya gasped, in too much pain to cry out. He quickly bandaged up the area and handed her the last. "It's a strengthening potion. Drink this," he said.
Soraya accepted the bottle from him with shaking hands and emptied the content into her mouth, gulping it down. She grimaced as the bitter liquid made its way down her throat, then slumped against Rayena, exhausted.
"Are they still after us?" Rayena asked, looking out the opening, voice hoarse.
"I doubt it," Morvan answered. "If they are, my men are still out there fighting. Skilled fighters, those ones."
"You're... alive," she croaked, reaching to hold him. Morvan held her outstretched hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it.
"Yes, I am."
In spite of the pain flowing through her, Soraya reached to hug him. Morvan was startled at first, but he soon wrapped his hands around her, his hold tightening as seconds slipped away.
Rayena looked away, heart twisting at the intimacy of it.
Soraya gave a teary chuckle. "I thought you were dead. We both did. How are you still alive?"
"A good number of us went into hiding the moment war broke out. We couldn't afford to let history repeat itself," he answered in a gruff tone.
Rayena's throat constricted as she gazed at him, but she forced the question out. "Is Xenon really dead?"
Morvan's expression turned grave. He lowered his gaze, lips thinned.
The cave was starting to spin around her. Her vision tunneled.
"Answer the question, Morvan. Please..."
Morvan exhaled. "His Majesty isn’t dead," he said carefully, and Rayena's chest felt like it would explode from relief. "but I wouldn’t say he’s alive either."
Rayena’s entire body went cold. "What… what does that mean?"
"I’d rather show you," he said.
Anger and desperation clawed up her throat. "Morvan—"
"The journey to our hideout is still far. It'll take us a day at least. We have to start moving now."
He turned to Soraya. "You have strength to travel?"
Soraya met Rayena’s gaze, fear and determination warring in her eyes. She swallowed, nodded, and pushed herself upright.
"Yes," she whispered. "Let’s go."