“I’m not going anywhere with you, Voren.”
Seranni’s voice was low and raspy, and hearing the evidence of her abuse made my blood boil.
“You can’t be serious! You’re leaving me for—for this beast?”
“He isn’t a beast,” Seranni snapped, stepping closer to me, her chin tilted defiantly and her eyes flashing. “At least, he’s better thanyou!”
It was the worst spot she could have chosen to prick him: his pride. The man snarled, whipping out a hidden knife.
The blade gleamed unnaturally in the moonlight, its surface etched with glowing runes that made the dragon blood in me recoil instinctively.
“Kael!” Seranni gasped. “Be careful! The knife is enchanted.”
And then there was no more time to be distracted, because the man came at me, his knife slashing at my arms. He was not as unskilled as he looked, and soon I had no time to think of anything else but staying alive. Even without shifting, I was stronger than the average man, but even a weak man could do a lot of damage with a sharp knife. Especially if it was enchanted.
“Do you really think she cares for you?" he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “She’s just out for what she can get. Ask her. Ask her how she led me on, filling my head with thoughts of love and marriage, before cutting my feet out from under me!”
Seranni laughed mockingly. “I did no such thing, you crazy bastard!”
“Youbitch!”
The beast inside me roared, drowning out rational thought. My claws extended fully, glinting faintly in the moonlight as I crouched lower, ready to spring.
“I’m giving you one chance, boy,” I gritted out, my voice a guttural snarl. “Leave this place. Never approach Seranni again.”
“I willgut youand take her with me,” the boy snarled in response. “She ismine!”
“I was never yours!”
The words sent a flash of triumph through me, but I couldn’t afford to be distracted. I growled, cutting them both off, my claws flexing instinctively as I bared my teeth in a feral grin. “You have no idea what you're dealing with,boy,” I growled, my voice low and menacing. “I am not to be trifled with.”
The blond bastard laughed, a sound that grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. “Oh, I think I know exactly what I'm dealing with,” he said, his voice laced with arrogance. “A beast masquerading as a man. How pathetic.”
He was trying to infuriate me, and I stopped myself from reacting in rage with an effort.
A moment later, the boy lunged forward—too impatient!—slashing the knife down on my leg.
I dodged, my claws slicing through the air like twin blades of death. The blond boy stumbled backward, his eyes widening in shock as he realized the danger he was in. But it was too late for him to retreat, too late for him to escape the wrath of the dragon.
I moved with lightning speed, my claws slashing at him. Still, he held his own, dodging and weaving out of the way while he tried to strike me, but finally, I saw an opening. I unleashed all the force of my fury, delivering a thumping blow to his side. Bonescracked beneath my fist and he cried out in pain. I laughed, driven by a primal instinct that brooked no mercy.
The boy swung the knife at me blindly, its blade gleaming with a malevolent light as he slashed wildly. I barely had time to react, to dodge out of the way as the blade sliced through the air like a viper’s strike.
I felt a searing pain erupting from my side as the knife made contact, a burning sensation that threatened to overwhelm me in its intensity. Blood welled from the wound, hot and sticky against my skin, as I staggered backward, my vision swimming with dizziness.
Was the blade poisoned?
The boy took the opportunity to scramble away, escaping from me into the dark forest.
The woods loomed dark and ominous around me as I prowled through the underbrush, my senses alert for any sign of movement. I fought my dizziness, trying hard to track the boy’s movements. Where had he gone?
The hand I had pressed against my side was wet with blood, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked in the shadows.
I moved silently through the forest, my muscles coiled like springs as I searched for any sign of my adversary. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig sent a jolt of adrenaline coursing through my veins, heightening my senses and sharpening my focus.
The trees were thinning as I reached the cliffs and mountains that abutted the mage’s tower. Soon, there would be nowhere for either of us to hide.
This fight would be ending soon, one way or another.
