Click. The rifle’s safety disengaged with a faint snap. My fingers hovered over the trigger. I waited, counting in my head. One… two… three…
Then the shot rang out, echoing across the valley like a thunderclap. I recoiled instinctively, heart leaping, but Cassius’s low, approving growl reached my ears. A plume of smoke drifted from the impact point, and the distant scouts froze, alerted by the sound.
Relief and adrenaline surged through me. I had done it. I was fired. I hadn’t hit anyone, and I had sent the warning. My hands shook violently, and I gripped the rifle tighter, inhaling raggedly.
From above, Cassius appeared again, bounding down the ridge toward me. His eyes, amber and sharp, locked on mine. He lowered his body in a protective crouch, then slowly shifted back into his human
