Page 32 of Demon Monster's Little Human

Rhogar moves first.

He closes the space between us in a heartbeat, claws slashing for my throat. I barely shift in time, his strike grazing my jaw, the sting immediate, sharp.

I counter, slamming my fist into his ribs, twisting. The impact cracks against bone, but he doesn’t slow.

We collide, wings flaring, claws tearing through stone and flesh.

The others don’t interfere.

They watch.

Waiting to see who bleeds first.

Rhogar fights like a war-forged beast, brutal, unrelenting, his strikes carrying more than just rage, more than just betrayal. He wants me dead.

I block one hit, but the second lands, claws raking deep into my side.

Pain flares.

Liora gasps.

I snarl, ignoring the burn, slamming my head into his, using my body to throw him off balance. He stumbles, but he doesn’t fall. Not yet.

He spits blood, grinning. “All this for a Purna whore?”

The words ignite something in me.

I lunge, sinking my claws into his throat, squeezing.

His eyes widen. For a moment, the world narrows to just this.

His blood drips between my fingers, his pulse struggling beneath my grip.

The others shift, waiting.

Kill him.

I should. But Liora moves.

Her hand brushes my arm—just barely, just a whisper of contact, but it’s enough.

Magic flickers. Soft, weak, but there. She’s losing control. Instead of helping, she’s adding to the injury!

It pulls at something inside me.

I falter.

Rhogar takes the opening.

He slams his knee into my ribs, claws tearing against my wounded side, twisting.

Agony bursts through me. My wings falter, my body sways.

Another moves, a second gargoyle, lunging, aiming for Liora.

I react without thinking.

I throw her into my arms, wings snapping wide.

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