Page 12 of Catch a Tiger

A white, green, and brown blur was all she saw as she moved through the universe with the kind of speed she shouldn’t possess no matter what she was. Her magic guided her as bright spots of glowing green helped her navigate through the world until she was digging her claws up and into another tree.

It wailed against her vicious chaos, but whispered everything she wanted to know in the hopes she would take the pain away as she had for the other.

Fingers like knives, it moaned, shuddering as she slunk out farther along one of the branches.There is no remedy for this aching cold.

Her claws dug in deeper and it hissed into her mind like a wounded animal.

Make it quick, the tree begged and Vix watched as blood oozed out of it instead of sap.Please, make it quick.

The pain would linger no matter what she did, but she wouldn’t drag this out if she didn’t have to.

Then she focused on thethingthrashing around in her trap, magic binding it like a demon to this location…so close to thesource she wondered if Gabriel might actually know what she had planned.

It took him a while to figure out he was rooted to the spot, but there was a small circle he could pace like a caged animal.

Wings burst from his back, and she tilted her head as divine fire erupted in his eyes. Wrath tried to tear through her seal, but it wouldn’t work because she’d stolen things she shouldn’t have – things no mortal should possess.

Finally, he stopped and his chest heaved with that righteous fury.

As always, seeing one of them scattered her thoughts and sanity as her body tried to remember what she couldn’t. The visceral need to slaughter them—extracting information as she did…

It was the most familiar feeling in the world, not that she knew why.

A dark grin spread across her face and she flexed her claws, feeling nothing but ecstasy as she threw herself from the tree.

There was a brief moment where it felt like she was flying and then she dropped onto his back, right between his wings. Her claws dug into him and Vix waited as she held on while he did everything in his power to get her off, but she was in the perfect position between his wings with her claws digging into his throat.

It wouldn’t kill him, but the blood drenched everything and sprayed across the snow with burning heat when shetore.

Feathers sliced into her, but she ignored it as she ripped into him over and over – keeping up with his terrifyingly fast healing. This one was stronger than the other, but not by much.

Finally, he summoned it.

Silver gleamed despite the cloudy day and that blade made of stars tried to stab her through the eye.

Sliding down his back, she felt the whistle of his deadly blade ruffle the dark mass of tangled curls covering her head. Vix dropped to the ground and tore through the ligaments of his ankles with her claws, eyes closing for a brief second when his knees thudded into the earth so hard she felt the world shudder.

Every time she did this, that earthquake threatened to shatter her mind.

She snarled when his abominable blade pierced her side, but the pain was too cold to distract her when she was made of ice.

Gripping his hair, she summoned her own blade, the one she’d stolen so, so long ago.

Angels were like cockroaches – practically impossible to kill and she’d fucked up the last one. This time, she had to do it right.

She swung the blade in a perfect arc, using all her strength to cut through his neck in one clean slice. “Decapitation kills damn near everything,” she whispered, repeating the words Kenji had said so many times sheneverforgot them.

Silence that promised more snowflakes echoed in the forest the moment his head slid free of his body and the universe froze, almost as if it couldn’t believe what she’d done.

Unfortunately, decapitation didn’t kill angels.

Kicking the body to the ground, she eyed the fingers that twitched before focusing on the snarl of the angel who wasn’t quite dead yet.

“Vile creature,” he snarled. “Who are you to commit such blasphemy?”

Vix smiled at him, glad this one would speak with her. “I’mvile?”

“Revolting.”

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