Page 131 of Devour
“I thought—Is there a way out?”
He doesn’t answer that question. Perfect.
Rhythmic thudding shakes the ground. “He’s coming for you,” Haze says.
I still can’t see more than a faded silhouette in the darkness. “Who?”
“Rygnar. Green draken, real asshole.”
“Huh,” I squeak out. “Why don’t you just let him have me? Why—What are we even doing?”
I still can’t see him, but I sure can feel him when he shifts to face me. His body inches from mine. “I’ve never been good at knowing when a battle is lost. I will keep fighting until my last breath. If you’ll let me, I’ll fight for you too.”
I suck in a long breath, dizzy with the implication.
“I still hate you,” I breathe.
“Good. Your hate is right, Dove. You should hate me. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that means I hate you in return.”
And then, he’s gone. Wind rushes past me. A beast roars. And then, soon, there is a chorus of them. Howling, and rumbling so loud I cover my ears with my palms.
I don’t hear if he’s spoken to me, but I feel Haze’s hand on my arm, so gentle despite the danger. He tugs me, and somehow, my feet obey. I am running, running, with the man I hate. The man I stabbed in the chest just minutes before.
There is light ahead. Soft, glowing green light.
I glance over my shoulder, and I see the draken for the first time. But it isn’t only one—there are a dozen. Massive creatures that move like serpents. Their bodies slither, but their four feetstomp. Their tails are covered in armor, sparkling and hard, each one in a different color.
Their jaws are sharp, their eyes glowing in the dark.
Those things are coming for me.
Haze yanks me behind him and then throws his arm up. He has no weapon, but apparently, he doesn’t need it. Inky black magic swirls up, building a wall between us and the creatures.
“I can’t fight them all,” he says, panting. “We have to climb out.” He points to a spot to his left.
I nod quickly, even though I suspect that is a task far beyond my abilities.
A roar and raking claws slash at the magic wall. Seconds. It only lasted seconds before the hoard of draken come flying through the magic like shattering glass.
Haze throws more magic at the beasts, but there are too many. Black magic sends one flying to the ground but another simply replaces it. Soon, there are more than a dozen.
I stumble backward, away from the tsunami of monstrous reptiles.
Something rattles behind me then cracks the ground next to my foot.
“What—”
Everything stills as I turn my gaze up, up, up. Up a red-scaled leg then chest. Then to jaws filled with razor sharp teeth.
This drakai is taller than the ceiling in the sanctuary. Fifty feet—Is that even possible? I didn’t know they got that large.
The rumble in the lizard’s chest is soft. I don’t dare move but my wide eyes do not leave its dripping fangs.
The chaos behind me stops suddenly. But I don’t look away from the beast hovering over me.
The drakai clamoring for the right to be the one to eat me alive have stilled.
“Amora,” Haze says, voice strained. “Amora, she is mine.”
