Page 197 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Graeson ran harder as the drakonis towered over Kal. He whistled, and the creature snapped its head in Graeson’sdirection. Snarling, it turned, its tail swinging around and its previous victims forgotten.
As Graeson taunted the creature, Kallie slid beneath the creature’s belly as the man she was protecting cowered in a crouch.
The drakonis bore its razor-sharp teeth, and saliva hung from its canines. An odious stench dripped from its mouth. As it inhaled, a small light ignited within the back of the creature’s throat. The moment the creature was about to exhale a river of fire at Graeson, it choked on its scream as Kallie shoved her blade through its stomach. A cry poured from its mouth, the sound shattering a glass window into thousands of pieces.
As the drakonis collapsed, Graeson jerked forward, his lungs dropping into his stomach.
"Kal!"
What had he done? He grabbed his chest, his fingers curling into the fabric, threatening to rip it to shreds as he looked on with horror.
Silence blanketed the space as the soldiers turned toward them. The rest of the drakonises in the vicinity either had been slain or had flown off, escaping death. Most of their group had survived this first attack, but he had never thought Kallie wouldn’t. He reached for the bond. It was still there, but he couldn’t tell if his mind was playing tricks on him.
"That was close."
Graeson snapped his head up. His heart stammered as Kalisandre stood on the other side of the drakonis’ limp form.
She tossed her hair back, shoving it away from her face. "Thanks for the assist, Gray," she said with a wink. She swiped her hand across her forehead, smearing dark blood across her skin. As if feeling the foreign liquid, she looked down at her hand and shivered in disgust.
"Thanks for the assist? You nearly died!" he shouted, running to her and grabbing her waist.
She placed her hands on his chest and smirked. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. "I had it covered."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "By the gods, woman. What am I going to do with you?"
"You’ve been chasing after me this entire time, and you’re just now asking that?" She clicked her tongue. "I thought gods were smarter than that."
"Halfgod," Graeson corrected. He wiped the blood from her forehead, then brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes bounced across her face.
Kallie took a step closer, their breaths mingling in the space between them. He didn’t know who leaned first, but he supposed it didn’t matter. Especially not as a man stumbled over, interrupting.
"Thank you," the soldier Kallie had shielded said, panting.
Taking a step back from Graeson, Kallie nodded at the man and turned her attention to the soldiers. They both knew they wouldn’t be able to sustain this pace for much longer. Throughout the capital, the fires had started up again after an onslaught of explosives early in the fight. Whether luckily or unluckily, Kallie and his party only encountered drakonises. The soldiers had to be somewhere, though.
"We need to find Rian and the others," he said.
"Which way?" Kallie asked.
Graeson closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming his senses. He could hear Kallie’s breathing slowly evening out. Behind them, he heard the scraping of a sword on the ground as a soldier stood on shaky legs. Groans and hisses escaped the lips of those wounded in the battle. Further away, though, there was the clash of metal, followed by the now too familiar screech of the beasts.
"That way," Graeson said, pointing.
Kallie’s knuckles blanched around the hilt of her stained dagger. "We finish this.Today."
Then they were off, sprinting down the street toward the cries of the dying. But as they ran, all Graeson could think about was that he hoped the day would not finish them first.
They rounded a corner, then another. The familiar pound of wings beating against the wind sounded behind them. Graeson spun as a soldier nocked back an arrow. Before Graeson could move, Kallie sprinted past him, shouting.
The soldier didn’t hear her, though. The bowstring became taut as he inhaled. Then, Graeson’s heart leaped into his lungs as the man took aim and Kallie ran in its path.
Chapter 82
KALLIE
The sharp crackof glass shattering, like a thousand needles clattering on the stone, pried Kallie’s eyes open. She should have been dead or at least severely injured. Instead, she stood in one piece, unscathed.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" Graeson roared, eyes blazing like melted iron.
