Page 66 of Clash of Storms
"Ah,"Fáfnir mocked him."She belongs to you. Or no...."He paused."I cannot sense a mating bond, which means she is anyone's for the taking."
"She is mine, and I will slaughter any who dares touch her."
He could sense Fáfnir dwelling upon him.
Finally, the pressure began to ease."I have no quarrel with you. If you were Zini, I would crush your bones and use them to pick my teeth, but you are not. And you have brought me a generous gift. I accept it. Take your female and go. But quickly, before I change my mind."
There was an enormous roar nearby.
Fire belched through the gloom and a man screamed.
"You dare disturb my slumber?" growled the inhuman voice as Fáfnir surged fully awake.
It seemed as though half the hillside suddenly moved. Wings rose in pointed peaks above the monstrosity, and amber eyes blinked open.
Sirius fought to keep his feet as the earth suddenly split open. Alldrekicould manipulate certain elements to some extent, but this felt like Fáfnir was tearing the very earth apart.
Go? That sounded like an excellent idea, he thought, as he bolted to where Malin lay hidden.
* * *
Shouts echoed in the distance.The earth split open, and huge gouts of fire roared through the cracks.
Malin was forced to scramble out from her shelter before the rocks crushed her, but she didn't know where to go or what to do.
Where was Sirius?
Screams rent the air as part of the mountain broke apart. No. Not a mountain. Malin's eyes widened as two enormous half-calcified wings broke through the wreath of mist, amber eyes blinking like a pair of swollen moons.
Her mouth dropped open.
He Who Should Not Be Woken had clearly disobeyed his moniker.
"Malin?" Sirius's voice echoed through the mist.
A shape formed in the vapor, and her heart burst in a wave of relief as she caught a glimpse of that familiar, ground-eating stride. Perhaps the mist obscured her vision, but he didn't seem quite as tall. And his hair was shorter. She took a step toward him, before the prickling down her spine forced her to stop.
Malin froze as her worst nightmare emerged from the shadows.
Roar. His green eyes locked upon her, his mouth twisting in a faint half-smile that reminded her mockingly of Sirius.
Suddenly her heart was racing. "Stay back," she warned.
"Malin," he said in Sirius's voice, holding up his hands. "It's me."
What magic was this? Malin wavered.
"Sirius," he added.
"Prove it," she snapped. "What does the Blackfrost call me?"
"Impossible. Among many other things."
She couldn't quite reconcile his words with his appearance. She hated Roar. She despised him.
"Stubborn. Delicious," he added, "though we're pretending that kiss never happened. And ridiculously romantic."
It was definitely him, though the sight of him in his bastard brother's body made her uneasy.
