Page 9 of Of Blood and Banes
“Daeja…”
As if in slow-motion, I fold to my knees. This fuckerisgoing to kill me.
“Shit,” Darian mutters under his breath. He catches me in his arms before I can fall face first. The strain on my throat disappears, gifting me a shaky breath.
A branch snaps off behind us and a menacing growl splits the silence, quaking the air around us.
“Fuck,” Darian hisses. He yanks me off the ground to my feet, pulling me back into his chest, his heart hammering against my back like it might jump through both of us.
Behind us, Daeja’s head-splitting roar blasts strands of my hair out in front of me. Birds stir in the trees, shooting into the starry night sky with startled cries.
Darian spins us to face Daeja. She flares her wings out to the sides, her lips curling and exposing her rows of vicious fangs. Every horn crowning her head and neck gleams in the moonlight, with her slitted white eyes hooked into Darian.
“Now’s…your chance…to run,” I rasp.
Darian removes the chain from around my throat and shoves me to the side. I stumble and fall to my knees, catching myself on my hands before I completely collapse. Another shot of pain explodes in my ribs, and I instinctively cup a hand to my side. When I pull my hand away, blood stains my palm.
I glance up as Daeja snarls and lunges toward Darian, who’s bolted in the opposite direction and leading her farther away. Daeja’s heavy footfalls shake the earth beneath me as she chases after him. I force myself up to my feet and turn to follow, but Darian doesn’t get far. Daeja races past him and whips around to face him head on, blocking his escape. She lowers her head with a growl, her black talons digging into the soil.
Darian goes rigid before he backpedals at a measured pace. Daeja takes a taunting slow step toward him, her mouth parting open and tongue flicking out between her rows of teeth.
She strikes like a snake, snatching his shackles’ chain and ripping him up off the ground. He kicks out at her neck with a grunt. But it’s no use—he hangs helplessly from her mouth, flailing in her grasp like a caught fish.
“Don’t hurt him,”I warn Daeja as I stumble forward, fighting against the pain rolling wave after wave over me, begging me to slow down.
Her head swivels to me, swinging him in her mouth, and her icy white eyes glare at me.“I ought to kill him just for threatening you. And eat him for putting his hands on you.”
I stop ten feet away from her.“I’ve got this, trust me. Just put him down.”
She snorts and tosses him to the side. He flies off several yards and hits the ground before sliding into the base of a tree with a thud. Pushing up to his forearms, he struggles to get to his feet. The moonlight etches all the angled edges of his shoulders and ribs, still blooming with bruises and cuts.
“Maybe a little gentler next time.”
“He doesn’t deserve gentle,”she growls, slinking in behind me.
I shrug lightly, partly agreeing with her, but not wanting to encourage any bad behavior. As I stop a few feet in front of Darian, Daeja lowers her chin just over my shoulder, and I pat the side of her muzzle.
Darian drags his gaze up to me, his eyes widening in shock. The color drains from his face as he realizes Daeja isn’t going to justnothurt me. Recognition dawns on his expression, and his fear of Daeja transforms into something greater.
A fear ofme.
Daeja roars from beside me, the sound sending my hair into a flurry, and ringing in my ears. As I hold Darian’s gaze, I don’t even flinch.
He jerks away, pressing his back into the tree trunk as he flicks his attention between Daeja and me. “You…you! I should’ve known you were adragon rider.” He spits out the last word.
I smile. He must not have been paying attention when Sethan mentionedmydragon.
“You’re not the only one with secrets, yourhighness.” I give him an exaggerated bow before I swoop the chain to his shackles and yank him up to his feet.
“Unarm me, you peasant.” He rips his chains out of my grasp, the metal clinking together at the motion as he snarls.
On second thought…maybe Ishouldlet Daeja eat him.
“Gladly…”Daeja snakes forward.
I hold out a hand to her. “Didn’t realize I shared that one. It was a hasty thought.”
She licks her maw and takes a half-step forward to lean into my hand.“Or a tasty thought.”
