Ylva stood hidden in the shadow of a nearby alley, grocery bag still clutched tightly in her claws. She watched Jason being escorted toward the massive palace on the hill by the two elves. They weren't dragging him. They weren't threatening him. In fact, they were treating him with respect, almost reverence. From this distance, it was clear he wasn't in immediate danger.
She considered leaving him behind.
It would have been the easiest choice. She could simply turn around, disappear back into the woods outside Eldrath, and never look back. No more babysitting a strange human who talked too much and caused endless trouble.
No more risking her neck for someone who had only been in her life for a handful of chaotic days. Leaving him would finally grant her the long-lasting freedom she had always sought — the freedom to roam without her father's rules, without her mother's jealousy, without anyone telling her what to do or who to mate with.
