Memories of her sisters being slaughtered, of enemies and friends alike falling under the rutting beasts with which she’d mistakenly allied herself, plagued her ceaselessly. Dragging in a deep breath, she threw her legs over the edge of the bed and walked to the window to stare out at the sunrise creeping over the mountain. Such a different view, here, in this part of the world. The moist tang in the air, the croak of rainbow frogs and the echoes of parrots felt like ghostly ruminations from another life. Pilar sighed and hugged herself, wishing she had never agreed to Aaron Bartel’s plan. The remembrance of his touch made her sick, as did the thought of what she’d done, all in the name of revenge. She’d always harbored resentment against Yasmin, the woman who once called herself queen. Yasmin had supplanted Pilar in her mother’s affections, and she’d forced Pilar to give away that which Pilar held most dear. Before Yasmin, Pilar and her mother spent every moment together. Pilar learned to hunt, to track and to defend at her mother’s side.
