Page 56 of Wild Bond

I waited, my blood pumping in my ears so it nearly drowned out everything else. The griffin twisted suddenly to avoid another griffin. I used the momentum as I was flung sideways to swing one leg over the griffin’s neck just in front of its wings. I clamped down hard with my thighs, trying for dear life to stay on.

It occurred to me then that I was essentiallyridinga griffin and that several other griffins surrounded us. The griffin had flown us directly into the battle.

It was at that same moment that I also saw the black dragon above me in the air, though he was still quite a distance away.

I made eye contact with Rake.

His eyes went wide. I saw sheer panic and dawning horror on his face and in those blue, blue eyes.

The griffin suddenly pitched forward, and I lost my grip on its neck. I was flung into the air and felt utterly weightless for a moment . . .

Then I was falling.

Ihadheardsomeonesay once that your life flashed before your eyes when you were about to die, but mine didn’t. Not that I put much stock in the saying, because whoever could have an informed opinion on the matter would in fact be dead and unable to report anything.

But all the same, I saw nothing. No flashes of memory or reminders of past deeds or mistakes. Nothing.

All I felt was an overpowering surge of regret.

Regret for the things I would never get to do or experience, the places I would never get to see, and the one that hurt the most . . . the regret for who I was leaving behind.

All these thoughts passed through my mind in the blink of an eye. From one moment to the next.

The wind whipped around me, tugging at my hair and clothing as I plummeted downward. I thought I heard Rake scream my name.

But then everything was drowned out by the keening roar that thundered in my ears and down the bond. A roar that was both a lament and a fierce denial, a desperate plea, and a furious challenge. A sound I felt down to my soul and that could only be issued by the one being whose own soul was bound to mine.

Skye.

Her presence in my mind suddenly overwhelmed me, as if a barrier had been torn down between us, the bond having been muted or muffled and abruptly becoming louder than ever.

There was barely time for Skye to warn me before my body struck something hard and stiff, but at the same time flexible and leathery.

The impact knocked the air from my lungs.

Skye’s wing. I had just crashed onto Skye’s outstretched wing.

My realization came a moment too late, and I bounced and then rolled down her wing towards the saddle still attached to her back. Unfortunately, my momentum carried me past the saddle, and it was only by some miracle of the gods that I was able to grasp onto one of the dangling leg straps before sliding off completely. The strap pulled taut as I dangled over the side, yanking my shoulder so hard it felt like my arm might tear from its socket.

I gasped in a mixture of agony and relief as for the second time in about as many minutes, I was able to gaze down at the ground far below with only my precarious grip keeping me from falling to my death.

Skye’s relief washed over me. She tried to help me by angling her body as I dug deep, ignored the screaming pain in my shoulder, and forced my arms to pull me up and into the saddle. All my strength drained away as I rested my head against Skye’s warm scaled skin, closed my eyes, and just breathed.

My heart beat madly in my chest.Thank you, I finally whispered in the bond. Sending with it all the love and gratitude I felt for the magnificent creature beneath me.

Skye hummed with happiness. She was relieved that I was safe and proud that she had been fast enough to catch me in time.

It made me smile and mentally shake my head at her.

The sounds of battle had faded, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes just yet to see why. I just breathed and sank into the bond, as my body trembled slightly.

I opened my eyes as Skye landed in the clearing not far from where Zade was once more tending to Valla. Nothing else moved in this small section of the forest. All our would-be attackers were dead, their bodies crumpled in heaps on the ground where they fell. The charred remains of a griffin had also fallen amidst the carnage.

Skye assured me in the bond with a flurry of images that once Rake and Naasir knew I was safe, they had taken care of the remaining griffins.

Hopefully, the griffins would return to guarding the mated pairs and their nests and decide we weren’t worth the trouble. I knew that group had been only a small portion of the creatures. The nesting grounds went on for miles. I couldn’t imagine how much harder a larger number would have been to deal with.

As I dismounted from Skye’s back, the ground shook, and Naasir landed beside her. Rake leapt from his back and strode over to me.

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