Page 35 of Bred By Fafnir

Oh god, I’m sorry Fafnir.

I’m sorry, my baby.

I messed up.

Bad.

“Help!!! Help!” I scream. It’s lost in the wind. Something large and heavy knocks into my side,hard. Stealing the breath from my lungs. When I look up, it’s into the snarled maw of a dark colored, horned… wolf?

I’m going to die.

I’m so far away from home.

I’d hoped I’d be buried by Dad. Another unmarked grave. There’s no one who knows what I wanted. I never said it out loud.

“Valoryx!!!”

It snaps for my throat; I give it my arm instead. The pain is instant, crushing. I scream again, but my eyes fill with tiny black dots. “Valor—" my words cut off in another violent scream as the beasts’ teeth are ripped from my arm. Around me is carnage. A familiar deep, snarling growl makes a crazed laugh sound from my throat as I tuck my arm to my chest, trying to gauge how truly bad it is in the dark.

Notterrible.

Not good.

Denial. Denial. Denial.

The blood is warm, though.

That’s nice.

When the sounds of carnage end, a giant nose digs under my shoulder, trying to shift me up, a low keening, worried sound leaves my scaled, furry friend.

I lift a shaky, bloody hand, sinking it deep underneath Val’s chin, into his mane and scratch. “Let’s go get your dad.”

It takes me longer than usual to climb up onto the beast, even with his tail's help, but the adrenaline hasn’t slowed yet. My heart is pumping so hard I can feel it in my ribs, slamming against them as if caged. Oh, fucking hell, I really thought I was about to die.

“Halthara!” I bark over the wind, my pronunciation shoddy at best. My head tucks deep into his warm fur as he launches into the night. I realize belatedly I’m not even sure that’s where Fafnir is.

But itcouldbe.

Ithasto be.

twenty-four

Lenora

The village center is quiet, desolate due to the storm, but the large building that serves as its mecca is a beacon in the dark. I nearly sob at the sight of it. My arm is a mangled bit of agony, the skin there shredded. Now that I can see it in the light, it seems to hurt worse. My stomach revolts at the sight as I slip down Val, falling on my ass. My heart pounds against my ribs as I get to my feet. When I start for the door, hoping for a nice quiet entry, I hear a savage bellow from inside.

Valoryx does too.

Heanswershis master.

I can hear Fafnir bellowing commands to his mount. One’s no doubt meant to render anyone between him and his release slaughtered.

The response is immediate. As Val starts forward, intent on barreling his way through the doors, armed Bhaurnul males rush out. “Stop!” I scream, which gets the attention of the males.

The wind howls like mad, Val’s mane wildly tufted and smeared with my blood. They immediately misunderstand. I panic as they blow a dart at him, doing the only thing I can think of. Something incredibly taboo. When Val lowers his chest to the ground, leaving his hind high, readying for an attack, I scramble in front of him. Narrowly dodging the grabby giants attempting to wrangle me back. One snags my injured arm, making me scream in pain and wobble a bit as I stumble in front of the currentlyless helpfullion-lizard. I grip both of his larger horns on the far sides of the crown of them that crests his head. My skull slamming against his much larger one with a painful thud, and I scream.

Not a scared kind, but as close as I can get to the odd bellowing vocal commands Fafnir gives. Val’s slitted eyes lock onto mine, snarling madly, shoving me as he jerks. I bare my teeth right back. I am in no danger, but they don’t know that. We have bigger fish to fry than an overprotective mount with good intentions and terrible execution.

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