Page 83 of Golden Star

Sapphire

The dark angelcontinues to drink, and I’m trapped beneath him, body frozen, heart pounding.

It’s like he’s pulling the very essence of me out with my blood, sifting through it, searching for answers. It’s intoxicating. A pull that tugs at the last shreds of my will to fight. And as he continues, my breaths slow, every muscle in my body loosening as my mind threatens to submit to darkness.

But no.

I won’t give in.

Not like this.

Especially when I still have one more weapon at my disposal.

My magic flickers weakly inside me, buried under the suffocating weight of his power. And even thoughmy vision swims, the edges of my world blurring into darkness, I don’t let go. I can’t. If I do, all will be lost.

And so, I push past the heaviness in my limbs and strain to see above him—at the small piece of ground I can make out behind him, between where his wing ends, and the sky begins.

I need to be there. Not here.

Project,I think, but nothing happens.

I’m still underneath him as he draws more blood from me, pinning me beneath his weight, my body sinking into the frozen ground.

Focus,I tell myself, and an image of Zoey floats through my mind, unconscious and bleeding at the base of that tree. If I don’t make it through this, she won’t either. My aunt and her parents will never know what happened to us, and it will all have been because of me. Because I couldn’t get my act together and use my magic when I needed it the most.

I refuse to let that happen.

So, I draw a breath, gaze out at the slit of the ground I can see above his wings, andpush.

In an instant, I’m there, standing behind him in my projected form.

He’s hunched over me, his back facing me, his wings spread wide. They touch the ground on both sides, barely allowing me to see above them.

But I take one step forward, then another. As I do, Iget a better look at myself pinned under him, unconscious as he continues his feast.

I’ve seen myself like this before—that first time when Riven found me in the forest, and then when Zoey and I were testing out my magic in the tower. But this…

This is different.

If I don’t do something—now—I might never wake up.

Quickly, I scan the area around me. Zoey’s still unconscious and bleeding by the tree. But I can’t go to her now. All it will do it delay what needs to be done. And much to my relief, her chest is still rising and falling, so at least I know she’s still alive.

Finally, I see it.

My dagger, barely visible in the snow, glistening in the starlight.

I move, grasping it, holding it in front of me.

Gripping the hilt, I return my focus to the dark angel.

He’s consumed with drinking from me. But still, I need to be quiet. If he hears me and sees me, the upper hand I currently have will be lost.

Don’t think,I remind myself.Feel.

I break into a sprint, my vision narrowing to the single point of his back—the vulnerable space between his wings. And then, with a soundless scream, I drive the dagger forward with every ounce of strength I can muster.

The blade sinks deep, cutting through fabric, muscle, and bone until it lodges in the center of his heart.

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