Page 23 of Temple of Magic and Bone

The water was freezing. Sharp pain bit against his skin as he swam toward the fiery red of her hair. The creature had her caught in its teeth, and she was thrashing to get loose.

Vanth plunged his dagger into the creature's equine neck, the blade going deep. The creature bucked hard against him, its strong back colliding with him and sending him shooting backward through the water. He swam back toward it and plunged his knife into its belly.

Elektra had kicked herself free and was swimming fast towards the shore. The monster in the water gave up on her and turned its attention back to him.

Instinct drove Vanth to reach for his magic, and he sent a warning pulse of his death power toward it. The creature shrieked and bolted on stone hooves through the water and as far away from him as possible.Vanth breached the water and sucked in lungfuls of warm air.

"What in the ever-loving fuck was that?" he called out as he swam to the shore. Elektra pulled him out of the water, her face pale with shock.

"That, my boy, was a selkie," his mother said. She looked him over. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Not me, but it had its teeth in Elektra."

Bright blood was seeping through her jeans. "It's nothing. It didn't have me for very long."

"How far away are we from your father's house?" Vanth asked his mother.

"I'm not exactly sure. Navigating this way isn't an exact science."

Vanth crouched down and reached for Elektra's jeans. "Show me how bad it is. Fuck knows what was on those teeth."

"Stop fussing. I'm fine."

Vanth sat down on the grass. "I'm not going anywhere until you show me."

He wasn't sure if fae instincts were guiding him or not, but the sight of her blood was making him feel crazy. He had been crazy to follow her into the water with a creature he had no idea how to defeat.

Elektra hissed in annoyance at him and pulled up the leg of her jeans. Bite marks in a large crescent had punctured the flesh of her calf, the skin around it jagged and torn from where it had pulled away so suddenly from her.

"It's nothing. It didn't have me long enough to cause any real damage. We can patch this up when we get where we're going," she said, her tone laced with annoyance.

Vanth grabbed her ankle to keep her from pulling away from him. "It's not nothing. If I don't wrap this, then you will be leaving a trail of blood through the forest that will no doubt attract some other larger predator to attack us."

His backpack had somehow stayed on during the tussle in the water, and he had never been so grateful that he had placed a waterproofing spell on it. He rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a small first-aid kit. In his line of work, accidents tended to happen. He pulled out two white patches and pulled off the protective tape on one side. They had been a gift from a med mage friend of his and were guaranteed to heal her in the next few hours.

"This might sting a little," he warned before he placed the patch over one side of her leg. Elektra made a soft hissing sound but didn't object to him placing the other patch on the identical ring of bite marks on the other side of her calf.

"Do you always fuss this much?" she asked.

Vanth ran his thumb over a spare patch of skin. "I haven't decided if I am going to kill you still for breaking into my house, princess. I don't want some selkie claiming my prize. I need you to be fighting fit or it wouldn't be fair."

Elektra only laughed at him. "I love that you still think you stand a chance."

Vanth stroked his thumb over her soft skin again and smiled at the goosebumps that rose in its wake.

"Maybe I stand more of a chance than you think," he whispered.

Her gray eyes widened, and he quickly looked away. It wasn't the time or the place.

Vanth pulled her jeans back over the patches and reached into his bag again for a small vial of black sand. He opened it and sprinkled the sand over the blood that she had left behind. Instantly, it began to smoke and disintegrate into dust.

"We can't be leaving a trail or allow any creature from here to get their hands on your blood. I really don't need to deal with you being under some monster's spell right now," he shot her a wry smile. "None but mine anyway."

Eiline called out to them from the other side of the glade. "Can we keep moving? I can feel the madness returning, and I don't know how much longer I can hold it."

"We are coming!" he shouted back. He stood up and slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder again. "After you, princess. I need to ensure you aren't dripping on anything as we go."

Elektra reached out and placed her palm on his chest, and the hammering beat of his heart slowed as it calmed. "I'm okay, Tarael. Thank you for jumping into the water after me."

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