Tritteon had crept closer, stopping in a crouch on the other side of the mosaic, his black eyes narrowed, his shoes now gone. He wasn't going to waste time on a Veehm after what I'd done. He was going to get rid of me with his own two hands.
I held perfectly still. My instincts knew better than to budge. He had to make the first move. That was the only way I could hope to succeed. Of course, this would only work if he and I were equally matched. Luckily, my instincts seemed to think we were.
Tritteon stepped to the left and I relaxed my body, opening my senses up to every possibility.
He stopped. I could've sworn I saw a twitch of apprehension in his eyes. He really didn't trust me at all. He probably thought I had some crazy plan up my sleeve.
I grinned as if to say I sure as hell did. I just wished it was true.
A true, feral-beast snarl rippled through Tritteon's inhuman body and I couldn't stop the cold fear that spread outward from my chest.
"No! Heat! Remember heat!" Lexicon shouted.
Tritteon lunged, closing the space between us before I could blink.
I saw his clawed hand coming at my face as if in slow motion. I moved, diving to the ground in time to see his shadow pass over me as I slid under him. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet and I slid to my knees, hot energy blossoming to life on the left side of my chest. It fizzled down into my arms, the Veehms I desired forming easily in my hands, though I wasn't sure how it happened, and I shot one at the rubble behind me and the other at the thick dust on the floor in front of Tritteon, momentarily blinding him.
I jumped to my feet and bolted through the cleared path, willing another Veehm to form with its desired purpose in mind. It sprang to life in my fist. I threw it, blasting another ten feet of rubble out of my path—my path toward the pillar leaning precariously sideways against a handful of beams in the ceiling.
I reached the foot of it and chanced a glance behind to see where Tritteon was. A short scream of surprise flew out of my mouth and I jumped, grabbing hold of the bottom of the pillar and hauled myself up. It shook violently as Tritteon slammed into it, causing the entire thing to shift a little, snapping two of the beams which fell to the floor in an explosion of dust and wood. And something sharp grazed my heel.
"Do you really think that wise," Tritteon growled, "heading up into a FengDohrn's instinctive area of expertise?"
"I dare you to try and follow me," I said, pointing one glowing hand behind me at Tritteon, hurrying up the lopsided beam on hand and feet, using the grooved symbols covering it as hand and foot holds to steady myself. Heat, I told myself over and over. Heat.
He smirked, stepping back, and nodded as if to say, challenge accepted. And when I looked back again, he'd disappeared.
I swore and sped up, reaching the first beam the same moment Tritteon appeared, eyes black, climbing the pillar twenty feet away effortlessly, directly in the path of the second iron door I'd spotted at the opposite end.
"Now what?"
"Why are you asking like this is my fault?" Lexicon said. "I never told you to come up here."
"Sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"Apology accepted. Now, keep him away and try to get around him without immediately giving away your intended destination."
A warm sting began to envelope my foot, starting off hot at the spot where Tritteon's claw had grazed it. I looked down. Two small rivulets of blood had wormed themselves around to my toes and I'd left a trail of smeared prints all the way to where I was.
YOU ARE READING
The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One
Teen FictionHer memory was taken. Her skills were not. Her very presence is a threat to everything he has ever cared for. They might make a powerful team... if they don't kill each other first. Once upon a time... In a land where the most powerful can be ki...
