Finaan #2
“Hold,” Wregen whispers again as the bottom looms in front of us.
I steel myself for the lurch that’s coming, thanking the gods for his magic.
As soon as we’re free of the shaft, Ruxi whips their wings out, flinging me to the side with so much force, I wonder if I’ll fly away despite their tight grip.
But they won’t let me go. I know that as surely as I know that Wregen’s my mate.
I glance back as Ruxi races toward the dark safety of the caves, relieved when I don’t see a single unicorn.
“Will they follow us when we cross out of álfheimr?” I yell, my heart still galloping in my chest.
I’m not sure if he’ll hear me, but he glances over with a quick shake of his head. “We should be free once we leave their realm,” he casts into my ear. “Unless their queen wants you more than I think, or I’ve managed to piss Balin off enough for him to ignore her orders and give chase.”
Something catches his attention and he spins his head to look behind us.
I do the same, terrified of what I’ll find.
And it’s exactly what I dread. The unicorns made it to the bottom and they’re racing after us faster than before.
As if they face less resistance this far below the surface, the elves’ mounts reach speeds I can barely comprehend.
They’re closing on us fast—much too fast—and I have no idea how we’ll make it.
And then Wregen turns back to me. “I’ll be back,” he purrs as Ruxi’s claw opens and they drop him. Before he can reach the ground, though, he shifts, a male elf one moment and a vicious black serpent the next. He extends his bat-like wings and pivots in the air, throwing himself at his attackers.
I was frightened before. Now, I’m terrified, a tremble rolling down my spine to chill every inch of skin and the organs beneath, all of my bones, even the tendons that hold them together.
I can only watch his long form undulate in the air, my breath caught in my throat.
His wings flap enough to keep him aloft as he races toward them, collapsing into his body the rest of the time, to create a terrible, terrifying monster with a shockingly narrow profile.
As I watch, my dread turns to awe at his wile.
A grin emerges on my face, and my frozen lungs thaw, letting me breathe freely again.
He’s confusing our pursuers, who are trying desperately to take him down before it’s too late.
His movements are so random and fast, it’s impossible to know where he’ll be by the time an arrow reaches him.
They’re spit-balling, their bolts too slow to reach him before he shimmers away.
Twice, they manage to draw blood, the blades catching enough of his hide to wound him. But that’s not enough to poison him, I realize, as he continues his assault. They’ll need to pierce him—probably with more than one arrow—to have any hope.
And then he’s in their midst, too close for them to keep shooting and risk injuring one of their own.
He flips around before anyone could have predicted and yanks one of the elves from his unicorn, grasping him above his groin as his untouched mount rears up, spins, and races away.
I’m not sure what he’s going to do for a moment—whether he’ll release his prize—but he clamps down.
The legs tumble to the field below as the rest of him slides down Wrath’s throat.
Brutal. He’s so fucking brutal.
Silence descends on the cavern, all of the yelling and bellowing of the elves stopping at once, even as their unicorns continue to dance around Wrath’s writhing form.
For a moment, it looks like the others will continue their attack.
But Balin raises his fist and the herd slams to a stop and spins in unison.
They race away as quickly as they came, the black beast snapping at their tails until they’re too far for him to follow.
His joy whispers through me, an exultation at his victory. Over Balin, I assume. I don’t know what it is between them, but I’ll find out. His hatred for Wregen makes him a threat to all of us. I need to understand how dangerous he really is.
Ruxi slows, their wings barely disturbing the air as they swivel to face Wrath.
He’s flying toward us in a lazy path, his fearsome body lithe and spry.
His lips lift and he aims toward the ground, shooting at one of the legs of the elf he killed.
As he approaches it, he glances toward me and winks before extending his tongue, wrapping it around the ankle, and sucking it into his mouth.
“Ewww,” spills out of me before I can stop it.
I don’t know why that disgusts me so much more than his other meals.
There’s something about returning to a discarded body part—maybe the intentionality of it, because it’s a conscious decision instead of one made in the throes of the fight. It turns my stomach.
His laugh echoes around him, filling the cavern. He spins toward the other leg and I close my eyes. “Seeing that a single time is plenty, thank you very much,” I mutter under my breath.
Ruxi squeezes their claw gently, and I look down to see the field approaching quickly. A sigh rustles through me and out my parted lips. We’re safe. They wouldn’t release me if those elves still posed a threat.
“Well, that was fun,” Rata announces from the dragon’s back. “I didn’t know it would be so exciting traveling with you elves. You might have gotten me cheaper if you’d told me we’d be having such an adventure.”