Page 98 of Immortal Burden

I was almost fucking tapped out and she was making me do this?

“No!” she cried, shaking it off like it was nothing.

Draco came at her. “Foolish child!”

She blasted him with a bolt of her blue fire.

It smacked into his chest, but only had him wincing slightly, his sure-footedness not the least bit compromised.

She levitated off the ground to even their two-foot height disparity. And then she swung his own sword against him, aiming for his throat, intending to decapitate him.

I jolted in shock as his hand shot out so fast that I barely saw it.

It clamped down around the blade itself.

An eerie smile of triumph spread over his face as he tightened his grip, blood oozing from his palm and dripping down the blade.

Instead of releasing the sword, she held on tight, her palm glowing with magic intended to strengthen her grip.

The effort proved futile in the next second as he thrust his fist into her gut.

The strength behind it ripped her from the sword and propelled her twenty feet away into what was left of one of the rookie training buildings. She smacked into it brutally hard, ricocheted off it and hit the ground with a bone-chilling thud.

I waited with bated breath.

She didn’t get up.

She didn’t move a muscle.

I watched as Draco’s partially severed hand healed in a literal instant.

He retrieved his broadsword and advanced on Mia, spinning it around like it had no more weight than a feather. The look in his creepy eyes told me all I needed to know.

He was going to kill her.

“No!” I bellowed, bolting forward, ignoring Lucian’s weak protests.

I knew he was right. Logically. We were both weakened. Using what little reserves I had left, I should teleport us to safety.

But I couldn’t leave Mia.

“Stay your hand, youngling,” Draco rumbled, sensing my approach.

Like hell, I would.

I went to fire my magic but, to my horror, it only sparked briefly before it sputtered out.

“You were warned,” Draco spoke.

How the fuck had he known I was running completely on empty? Even I hadn’t known.

He reacted before I could take another step, thrusting a bolt of black lightning my way.

Shit.

I knew right away that I didn’t have the speed to dodge it.

I braced myself, ready to take the hit, hoping like hell that it wouldn’t blow me to bits when it struck, that it would maybe just incapacitate me. Fuck, even that would be dire because, with Mia’s current state—both physically and mentally—I was the only one who could push Draco back long enough for us to retreat.

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