Page 14 of Naga General's Mate

Another blow landed. Mila’s head snapped back, but she didn’t cry out. Her eyes flickered with defiance even as tears streaked down her bruised cheeks.

“Nothing to say?” Kurg grabbed her throat. “No more clever words?”

Blood dripped from Mila’s split lip now. Her gaze found Brivul’s, holding steady despite the pain. The mating bond pulsed between them, each beat of her heart echoing in his chest.

Kurg’s rings left fresh cuts across her face. “Worthless human filth.”

The beast inside Brivul roared. His scales rippled with barely contained rage as Mila stumbled backward. The vow of noninterference warred with every instinct demanding he tear Kurg limb from limb.

“Look at her trying to stay strong.” Kurg’s boot caught Mila’s ribs. “Proud little thing. Aren’t you?”

A whimper escaped Mila’s lips as she curled in on herself. The sound sent shockwaves through Brivul’s body. His vision flared bright red, his scales bristling as his tail coiled tighter.

“Should have learned your place.” Another kick. Another muffled cry of pain.

Brivul’s fangs extended fully. The general in him calculated exactly how many seconds it would take to end Kurg’s miserable existence. The mate in him demanded blood.

Something inside Brivul snapped. The sound of Mila’s cries shattered the last threads of his control. His tail whipped forward, catching Kurg across the chest and sending him flying into the clinic’s wall.

“Touch her again and die.” The words emerged as a guttural snarl.

Guards rushed forward. Brivul’s warrior instincts took over. His tail swept two off their feet while his fist connected with a third’s jaw. Bones crunched. The guard dropped.

“Kill him!” Kurg bellowed from the floor.

Brivul moved like liquid death, each strike precise and lethal. His claws raked across throats. His tail crushed windpipes. The scent of blood filled the air as bodies hit the floor.

A blade flashed. Brivul caught the wielder’s wrist, snapped it, and used the guard’s own knife to end him. More guards poured through the doors.

“Mine.” The word rumbled from deep in his chest as he scooped Mila into his arms. Her slight weight felt right against his scales, even as she trembled.

Glass shattered as Brivul crashed through the clinic’s window. His tail propelled them forward, carrying them into the neon-lit streets of Jorvla’s night. Shouts and footsteps echoed behind them.

“After them!” Kurg’s voice carried over the chaos.

Brivul wove through the crowded streets, his powerful tail launching them over vendor carts and through narrow alleys. Plasma bolts sizzled past his head. One scorched his scales, but he barely felt it. His entire world had narrowed to the precious bundle in his arms.

The sound of pursuing boots grew closer. Brivul ducked into a side street, his heart pounding. Mila’s breath came in short gasps against his chest. The bruises on her face made his blood boil anew.

“Hold tight.” He clutched her closer as he scaled the wall of a nearby building, claws finding purchase in the rough stone.

More shots rang out. Brivul’s tail lashed, knocking a shooter off balance as they reached the rooftop. He sprinted across it, leaping the small gap to the next building. The city spread out before them, a maze of shadows and artificial light.

The guards’ shouts grew fainter, but Brivul didn’t slow. He couldn’t. Not while his mate’s blood still stained his scales. Not while Kurg still breathed.

The mating bond thrummed stronger with each passing second. Every protective instinct roared at him to get her somewhere safe, to heal her, to kill anyone who dared harm her again.

Chapter 7

Brivul

Brivul’s tail propelled themdown the side of the building, each movement calculated to avoid jostling Mila’s injuries. Her shallow breaths against his chest drove spikes of rage through his heart. The mating bond pulsed with her pain.

Neon signs cast purple and red shadows across the grimy streets. The stench of rotting food and unwashed bodies assaulted his nostrils as he wove through the market district’s back alleys.

“Stay with me.” His voice rumbled deep in his chest as Mila’s head lolled against his shoulder.

A group of drunken Jorvlen stumbled into their path.

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