The entire pile shifted and collapsed outward beneath us. The girl screamed and grabbed at my torn shirt and a shield that wasn't mine solidified around us.
Jagged wood and stone bounced harmlessly off her powerful Veehm. But the shield didn't stop the world from turning end on end or the blinding pain in my midsection at each impact.
The world stopped moving and silence returned, save for our gasps and grunts of pain.
After a few moments, she breathed out, "Let's get out of here."
I didn't object as she helped me to my feet, her shield around us only dissolving when we'd cleared the volatile pile, her Poeir blasting from her hand every few feet to clear a path.
My arm draped around her shoulders, my bloody hand inches from her exposed neck, I itched to take the shot. One fluid motion and that would be it. We would all be rid of her and her deadly presence.
But something stayed my hand.
No. Not something. I knew exactly what.
She hadn't tried to kill me. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise, I knew it was true. I'd seen the broken beam glow, the blaze of Poeir in her eyes, the razor-sharp focus. She'd struck exactly where she'd meant to.
Even now, she stabilized me by sheer will, her Veehm fastened tight around me as she helped me over and around larger accumulations of debris, holding in my blood. If she were to simply drop me where I stood, I'd bleed out in minutes. But even after all I'd done, she hadn't let it happen.
The strange scent of her blood was intoxicating. Nearly as potent and desirable as an Oria's. Tasting it had been a mistake. To avoid the frenzy, I'd made sure to swallow it before my teeth could absorb it. But somehow even that hadn't been quite enough to curb the burn in my throat for more. Colleena would need to get her healed up as soon as possible. It would take at least twelve hours for the small bit I'd ingested to clear my system. Whatever she was, if she was going to continue to be with us for the foreseeable future, I needed to find out.
The girl stopped, glancing around, her body trembling against me. "I'm all turned around. Is that the right door?" she asked, nodding toward the one in front of us.
"No, but it's the closest."
"Is there another purple door over here?"
"Just the one. But there is a hallway we can take around to get back to it."
She glanced back at the mess she'd help create and nodded, sweat beading down her ashen face, leaving trails in the dust covering it.
My com buzzed somewhere in the torn remains of my jacket. I pulled it free with a Veehm, dropped it into my bloody hand, and answered.
"I'll meet you both at the Infirmary," Rilyin said, a smile in his words.
I glanced up to see Rilyin at the observation room window, grinning down at both of us. He waved and disappeared from view.
I swore under my breath. I'd been so focused on the duel I hadn't heard his arrival.
"What?" the girl grunted.
"Nothing."
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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...
