Page 95 of Fallen Star

I pull out my dagger.

Riven’s sword flashes, slicing through the icy air to meet the dark angel’s attack.

The clash of metal rings out, and ice surges from his blade, snaking toward her and forcing her back.

She recovers with startling speed and lands in the snow, crouched low, her wings spread wide. Her midnight eyes gleam with malice, and she hisses, a sound that chills me to the bone.

“She’s fast,” I mutter, shifting into a defensive stance.

Wide stance. Center your weight. Use your opponent’s momentum against them,I think, remembering what Riven taught me in the cave.

He nods, as if he can read my thoughts, his sword steady in his grip. “Stay close.”

The dark angel lunges again, whipping her wings forward. A gust of wind howls toward us, sharp and biting, carrying shards of snow and ice.

I scream and throw up my arm, calling on my air magic to buffer the attack.

The wind slows just enough for Riven to step in front of me, his sword flashing in a defensive arc that drives her back.

“Stay behind me,” Riven orders, cold and steady.

“Not a chance.” I reach out with my magic, pulling water from the snow at my feet.

It gathers in glistening droplets, hardens into razor-sharp shards, and with a flick of my wrist, I hurl them at her like tiny bullets, putting wind behind them to propel them faster.

The dark angel’s lips curl into a cruel smile as she turns to me. “What’s this? A fae with both water and air magic?”

My stomach rises into my throat, and I steal a quick glance at Riven.

He’s not looking at me.

Instead, he runs toward the dark angel and strikes, his sword cutting through the air in a deadly arc.

His blade catches her shoulder, drawing blood.

The scent hits me in a wave of mouthwatering sweetness, and my fangs ache to descend.

Not now. Please, not now,I tell myself, forcing my attention back to the fight.

The dark angel’s wound heals, and my hunger ebbs. Slightly.

Recovered now, she comes at me with terrifying speed.

I duck and roll like Riven taught me, narrowly avoiding her blade.

That was close.

Too close.

I come up behind her, my dagger ready to strike, but she spins faster than I expect.

Her wing slams into my chest, sending me sprawling into the snow.

The impact knocks the breath from my lungs. My dagger flies from my grip, landing in the snow across the clearing, and a massive white blur explodes from the trees.

Ghost.

He barrels into the dark angel with a growl that shakes the ground, colliding with her in a blur of teeth and claws.

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