Page 152 of The Blackened Blade

But how would I get its attention? And how could I get it to follow me?

I grip the blade one hand and slide my other hand over it, wincing slightly with the sting. Blood begins to drip through my fingers as I place the blade back into its sheath on my thigh. And squeezing my hand, I allow the blood to drip to the ground.

The beast stills, its snarling and growling stopped as its nostrils flare. Its eyes meet mine, a lower growl falling from its mouth as I dash to the treeline.

“Micai!”

I hear my name but don't respond or turn around. I needed to focus on moving as quickly as my feet would take me.

I run, ignoring the rocks cutting into my feet as I move, and try to put as much distance between me and the beast as I could.

I could tell it was following me, its heavy steps sounding too close for my liking.

I reach the forest with the beasts growls growing closer in my ear.

Lets hope I can outrun it.

CHAPTER 39

Idash through the forest, my dress tearing and ripping from the trees and branches catching it as I move.

The beast growls behind me, but I’m not the same girl it had fought before. I quicken my pace, pushing my legs to move faster as the forest around me begins to blur, creating more distance between me and it. Scraps and cuts form on my arms and legs from branches and rocks catching me, small droplets forming a trail down my arm, mirroring the one on my cut palm.

The beast bellows, picking up pace to match me and closing the distance between us again.

We move together through the forest, heading deeper inside and further away from the academy.

I slow slightly as the beast nears and lunges from behind. Twisting around, I whip my blade out and take a swipe at its torso as I tumble beneath it. It lands in front of me, turning around quickly as I grip my Elven blade.

Its unearthly blue-eyes narrow toward my hands. It growls again, before moving toward me. It reaches me just as I kick off a tree behind me, thrusting my blade toward it.

It dodges and I land behind it, twisting back around and jumping toward its unguarded back again, but it quickly dodges me, and my blade catches on a thick tree root below it.

I try pulling the blade out but the beast lunges for me again and I have to dive to get out of its path. I quickly twirl around but am just a second too late as the beast is upon me.

It hovers over me, its cold icy breath brushing against my skin as its teeth fall inches from my face. Would this be my end? Would the beast finally take its meal? Or would it somehow spare me again for its own cat and mouse amusement?

It leans down toward me, its eyes in line with mine. And never before have I seen such luminous blue eyes; so huge and monstrous and yet so deep and endless. It's then that I notice its eyes are no longer pin-points; no longer crazed or mindless.

It had become the beast I had first met, one of intelligence and of the huge predator I knew before.

It bares its teeth toward me, a low growl pouring from its mouth as it sits face to face with me. It opens its jaw and I instinctively close my eyes.

I didn’t want to die again, I couldn’t…I had too much to do in this life; my revenge and freedom and…Annex and Ezra.

No. I promised myself I would never give up and that I would always fight.

I open my eyes, ready to give this bastard the fight it never expected from me, when I suddenly feel something warm and wet on my hand.

The beast leans down, lapping at the wound on my palm. Did the bastard want a little taste first?

I try to move my hand, but he growls and I freeze. He continues licking my hand, until all the blood is gone and the wound is fully clean, and…healing?

The skin was slowly closing, the cut healing quickly on my hands.

I narrow my eyes at my hand and then toward the beast, who has moved to the scratches on my arms and legs and doing the same to them. What the hell was happening?

Was it helping me? But why?

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