Page 114 of Bound to the Dreadlord

He tries to overpower me. I slip beneath his strike. My dagger cuts across his arm.

A shallow wound.

Not enough.

He snarls. "You little?—"

I do not let him finish.

I stab.

The blade buries deep into his side and a strangled noise escapes him.

I twist.

He crumples.

I step back. Breathing. Shaking. But not hesitating.

He does not get back up.

The silence returns.

The wind howls.

Blood stains the snow. I stare at it, and I can’t seem to process everything.

I hear him.

Veylan.

His approach is silent, but I feel his presence before I see him.

He stops at the edge of the clearing.

His gaze pins me, and my legs just freeze.

His silver eyes flicker over the corpse, then back to me.

Blood is splattered across my hands, my arms, my clothes.

I am breathing too hard, but not from fear.

He notices.

Then, I smile.

"You told me not to hesitate," I murmur.

Veylan does not move.

He watches me like I am something new.

Like he is seeing me for the first time.

The air between us changes.

He steps forward.

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