So, I'm back again.

I'm doing these between preparing lessons and playing with my dog so there's bound to be mistakes, typos and slightly disjointed parts, but please bear with me and remember - I am a review where.

Although I'm the proud owner of the entire series and, since lunchtime today, the beautiful colouring book, I still have no rights to the series, characters or Fleetfoot.

Thump - thump - thump - thump - thump.

The beating of her leopard's heart, the drum of her paws racing across the loamy forest floor, the bellows of her mighty lungs, it all wrapped around her in a symphony of wildness, of freedom. As her hind legs bunched in preparation of leaping into the forest canopy, Lysandra let out a roar of joy, her senses tingling in satisfaction as the denizens of the surrounding forest fell silent, as the wind rushed past her sensitive whiskers and her paws found sure footing in the branches before launching her to the next tree.

Up ahead she could see the tree cover becoming more sparse and so, mid-jump, she shifted. Her body changed from that of her beloved snow leopard into a swooping, beautiful falcon between one heartbeat and the next, no hint of pain, just a burst of exhilaration as her wings caught the air currents and she shot out of the trees into a wide, beautiful meadow.

Which her wonderful eyes she could see all manner of creatures, from a tiny field mouse rushing for cover to a deer pulling off the bark of a tree just barely shadowed by the edge of the forest and a soft-feathered owl waiting out the final hours of daylight before beginning his hunt.

Joy raced through her at the knowledge that she could be any one of these and more with just a thought. After so many years, this was freedom!

Seeing a small bole scurrying through the meadow she banked, letting the wind currents and thousands of years of instinct guide her before she tucked in her wings and began diving —

Aedion opened the curtains, light flooding the room and tearing her from her dream.

A dream, that's all it had been.

Sunlight gleamed off her golden hair, longer than she liked to wear it these days. Playing her hair through her fingers, watching it catch the light, she again wondered at the different hues, the slight waves that transformed it from merely beautiful to breathtaking.

Dropping her hair she let her eyes travel to her toned, muscular body. A body built for stealth and speed, for combat. So different from the body she had called hers for so long. That body had been lithe and supple but soft and curvaceous, not the rock solid mass of muscle she now wore, with only a select few soft spots in the most feminine of places.

Even in recent months, on the occasions when she had taken various human forms to gather information or supplies, she had never come close to a body like this. Admittedly, this body wasn't human, rather it was fae, but she'd worn the human form of it too and that was hardly any softer.

No, Aelin Galathinius' body was a thing of beauty, as wild and ferocious as any of the forms that Lysandra had worn but still it felt like a cage.

For three weeks now she and Aedion had travelled north accompanied by the armies their queen had rallied. For three weeks she had been unable to shift into anything but this human or fae body.

How she longed to feel the wind in her feathers, the brush of leaves and twigs against her fur, the currents of the sea over scales or hills.

She had no doubt that it would be a thrill comparable to any of her favourite forms, to run wild in this body, to hurtle through the forest as Aelin had done those months in Wendlyn, a fae Prince at her side.

But, as always when she imagined that scene, it wasn't Aelin and Rowan, but a fae form of Lysandra, Aedion at her side.

Aedion, whom she wished would stop looking at her with anger, guilt and even grief in his eyes.

She hadn't been ready to accept his advances in Skulls Bay, small as they had been. And though she had huffed a laugh at his declaration that day on the beach, amused by his male, fae arrogance, she had felt a knot ease deep inside when he'd told her with such conviction that it didn't matter how long he had to wait. That it was her choice.

But so much had changed since the day, the instant, Maeve had taken Aelin. Since Lysandra had told them of their queen's plan. She knew that when he was being logical, Aedion didn't blame her for her part in all of this but she also understood that each and every day he had to look into the face of his beloved cousin only to be reminded of the suffering his queen was being subjected to, the doubt about whether or not she was even still alive, the guilt of his own accusations.

Every day they had to face the world with their masks in place, to present a perfect facade. To ignore the fact that their king was desperately searching for his mate and the knowledge of what it would do to him if he was too late. If he failed.

Getting out of bed, Lysandra again sent a prayer to Temis, the goddess of wild things, that her own magic would be enough, that they would survive another day without Aelin Galathinius' wildfire.

Sent a prayer to Malaysia that her Queen, her friend had the strength to hold on.

That their king and queen would return to them soon