As if on cue, the lion got to his feet. He nodded his head, looking at her, and then he turned and ran away. She didn’t follow. She watched as he ran off into the trees, disappearing from view.
“Be happy,” she whispered.
That was what she wanted for the creature.
She wanted him to be happy.
Safe.
Free.
She wanted him to know that no matter what happened to him, he was going to be just fine because Tabitha believed in him. Once he was gone from sight, she turned back toward the castle. She was close. She could see the towers peeking up from the tops of the trees, and she knew that she’d be there in less than an hour if she managed to keep the same pace.
Ursula wasn’t going to know what hit her.
Tabitha was coming at full force, and she was going to kill the witch no matter what it cost.
No matter what it took.
Her people deserved to be avenged.
Her parents deserved to be avenged.
And now Tabitha knew there were other creatures on the island. She knew she had to prepare to meet more than just Ursula. She had magic flowing through her veins now, and she felt different.
In the past, when she’d used her powers, she’d felt drained and weak when she finished, but not this time. This time, she felt...energized.
Strong.
Healing the lion had given her something she hadn’t expected, just like sleeping with Felix had given her something she hadn’t expected. For years, Tabitha had been under the impression that using magic only made you weaker, but maybe there was something the mages didn’t know.
Maybe using your powers for good gave you more of them.
Maybe you were only drained when you used your powers to harm people.
If that was true, then she was about to be drained dry because she was going to summon every fucking ounce of magic within herself to kill Ursula.
“I’m coming for you, witch,” she growled, and Tabitha marched on.
Chapter 14
Felix was surprised to see that Tabitha had left.
Perhaps that wasn’t fair. After all, he couldn’t expect a sweet witch like her to sit around waiting for him to return, but it was slightly annoying that she’d just ditched him.
Hadn’t she known he was coming back?
Miffed, he decided to try to find her. He leapt up and headed toward the castle. He flew, of course, because that was the way he was going to find her. He could see so much better in the air that it was crazy.
Why hadn’t he been doing this entire life?
Oh yeah. He hadn’t actually known he was a drag
on until less than an hour ago. Felix flew, soaring back toward the castle, but he flew low and close to the trees.
He heard a voice and he slowed, hovering just above the treetops. He felt himself gliding through the air the way a fish glides through water. It was a strange sort of feeling, but he didn’t mind it.
He paused there, listening. He didn’t have to strain himself to hear Tabitha talking. She wasn’t alone.