Smirking, he threw a punch, and sent Kael hurtling to the far corner. “So youdohave it!” He smiled. I froze, staring at him in horror. “Master Rindais would like his book back, thank you. And whatever magic I can drain from you, I get to keep for myself.” He grinned. “How lucky for you that you get to be doubly useful to my master.”
I clutched the book to my chest, my mind racing. I couldn’t let him take it—not when it held the only chance Kael had of breaking free from the mage’s curse.
I gritted my teeth as I prepared to face him head-on. “Here,” I threw the book to the far corner of the kitchen, which was now shrouded in darkness. “Take it and leave us alone.”
My teeth wanted to chatter in fear at the look of fury on his face, but I clenched my jaw and spoke through my teeth. “Your master promised to leave me in peace if I gave him his book. Are you going to make your master an oathbreaker?”
Zaorak raised an eyebrow, looking down his nose at me. His laughter filled the room, cold and hollow. “Do you think his promises mean anything? Foolish little witch.”
Zaorak might have been handsome once, with his strong jaw, big muscles, brown eyes and shiny red-blonde hair, if it wasn’t for the madness that peeked through his mask. As he drew closer, all my instincts were telling me torun.
But I refused to let him win. Not when Kael’s life depended on my strength and courage.
As Zaorak drew closer to me, I braced myself for the inevitable confrontation, my heart pounding in my chest like the rhythm of a war drum.
There was a clatter and with a primal roar, Kael lunged to his feet, his claws extended like daggers. Zaorak met his attack head-on, his talons slicing through the air with deadly precision. Each blow they traded landed with bone-jarring force, the sound of the collisions reverberating through the tower like thunder.
I scrambled away, not wanting to be used as a hostage against Kael.
From what I could see, Zaorak was a formidable opponent. His movements were swift and unpredictable, his attacks relentless as he sought to overpower Kael with sheer brute strength.
“Don’t worry, Onyx,” Zaorak jeered, as they separated and circled each other among the rubble of the second floor. “When you are dead, I shall takeverygood care your witch.”
“Youwill not touch her, Zaorak,” Kael growled, his voice laced with anger and desperation. “This is between you and me. Leave her out of it and face me alone.”
Zaorak’s laughter filled the air, a cruel sound that sent a chill down my spine. “Oh, but where’s the fun in that, Kael?” he taunted. “You see, I've come to realize that the best way to hurt you is to hurt the ones you love.”
With a howl, Kael attacked, blowing a hole through the tower wall. Stones came tumbling down all around me as Zaorak and Kael hurtled to the snowy ground outside. I scrambled to follow, dodging the stones and the mortar dust still falling from the broken tower.
The air crackled with tension as I watched the two figures locked in combat outside. Kael fought with a primal ferocity that sentshivers down my spine. His movements were animalistic, fueled by raw instinct and a desperate need to survive. But despite his strength, I knew he was at a disadvantage. He could not shift into his dragon form without risking his own life.
But I surmised that Zaorak could. He seemed to be toying with Kael, grinning as he relentlessly attacked, his movements swift and merciless. Each strike landed with a sickening thud, and I swore I could hear Kael’s bones crunch with every blow.
I clenched my fists, the urge to intervene clawing at my insides. But I knew better than to foolishly rush into the fray. The shifters were too fast, too brutal in their fighting. Any attempt to help could end in disaster.
Instead, I remained crouched in the shelter of the tower, now half broken from the fight between the two dragon shifters.
As the fight raged on, I could see the toll it was taking on Kael. His movements grew sluggish, his breathing labored as he struggled to fend off Zaorak’s relentless onslaught. It was clear that he was reaching his limit, his strength waning with each passing moment.
Desperation clawed at my chest, urging me to do something, anything to help him. But before I could formulate a plan, Zaroak delivered a devastating blow that sent Kael crashing to the ground below.
I gasped in horror, my hands flying to my mouth as I watched Kael struggle to rise. But Zaorak was relentless, his attacks raining down upon Kael with merciless precision. It was clear that he had no intention of letting up until he had achieved his goal: the destruction of his rival.
Summoning every ounce of courage within me, I made a decision. It was time to stop hiding. Time to do or die.
I crept out into the night, the snow making it difficult to see what was happening, despite the full moon. Slowly, I made my way through the snow drifts, making my way to the sound of snarls. But before I could reach Kael, a powerful force knocked me off course, sending me crashing into the earth with a bone-jarring impact.
A heavy weight landed on my back, almost flattening me to the ground. Struggling to draw in a breath, I looked up through my tangled hair to see what had happened. A blood curdling roar shook the heavens, and I screamed in terror. That was when I understood—Zoarak had finally shifted into his dragon form. And he had cornered me, flattening me under his claw.
Pain exploded through my body as I lay sprawled on the ground, my vision swimming as I struggled to regain my bearings. And then, through the haze of agony, I saw him.
Kael, battered and bloodied, struggling to stay upright as he faced Zaorak, his eyes blazing with determination. Despite my pain, I couldn’t give up, not when he needed me most.
The bitter wind howled through the night, cutting into my skin like shards of ice. I struggled to free myself from under Zaorak’s massive claw, his grip tightening around me like a vice. Pain lanced through my body, jagged and raw as I felt my ribs crack under the pressure. My breath came in short, panicked gasps, each one a desperate battle against the searing agony that gripped me, but I refused to give in to despair. I couldn’t let Zaorak win, not when Kael’s life hung in the balance.
“Seranni.”
His voice reached me, soft but steady, cutting through the chaos. I turned my head, my vision swimming from pain and fear, and found Kael standing just a few feet away. The firelight caught inhis black eyes, which burned with a mixture of fierce love and steely determination.
