65. Chapter Sixty-Five
Pain like I haven’t felt since the day he stole my eye ricochets through my body. My left wing is almost useless. The move was unexpected, the fire temporarily blinding my orb, and I paid for it. Now we’re talon-locked and he’s grappling to latch onto my throat.
Again and again, I slam my tail into him. He grunts with each blow, but doesn’t let go. I need him to let go. Panic scrambles my thoughts.
I can’t die.
I can’t die.
I can’t die.
Our front claws are intertwined, leaving my back ones to rake against his belly repeatedly.
We have so much fat on our bellies for this evolutionary purpose.
But I dig into him as if my life depends on it — because it really fucking does.
The ground is so close, I can smell the bodies below.
Hear their screams. Taste their fear and excitement.
Reaching deep into my Fyre, extracting every bit of magyck available, I look between us and sacrifice my flesh to focus on his chest with all the fire available.
It’s molten and destructive, bubbling through his hide and bits of mine.
I use the pain to fuel my focus. I’m used to pain. My whole life has been pain.
It’s an old friend at this point.
He roars and releases his talons. My relief is temporary as cold air splits between us. I’m able to even out the descent, but barely. The wind rips into my torn wing, throbbing throughout my entire body. It forces me to wobble, making it impossible to steady.
Before I can gather my bearings, he’s slamming into my good wing, knocking me off kilter. My body tumbles in the air, tail over maw.
Kyrielle’s smile, her laugh, makes me grit my fangs and use elemental magyck to create a wall of air that slams me to a stop in the air. Then I turn it into a jet of air to catapult myself at him. Jaws wide open, I shoot toward him at the speed of a falling star.
Our chests collide with a crack. I taste victory as his throat fills my mouth. Clamping down, I frantically dig all four claws into anything available. Shredding and destroying everything possible.
Unfortunately, he’s doing the same. Pain is white hot everywhere, but I use it to fortify myself. The ground is barely two thousand feet below. Too close.
I can’t be the one to touch it first. I just can’t.