Page 26 of Lies That Bleed
I’d been looking out into the tree line, but at his stopping me, I peered down to follow his gaze.
“What thehellis that?” I whisper-screamed.
The giant golden egg that lay at my feet was bigger than a small child.
Kohen’s head snapped up, and then in one swift move he yanked me closer to him and tucked me behind him, shielding me from something.
I growled against his back. “I don’t need you to protect m?—”
The words died in my throat as I peered over his shoulder at the giant black, scaled… dragon.
Talanagi.
An ancient magical creature. It was… real.
Kohen and the dragon were in an epic stare down, and my heart hammered in my chest like a fragile bird. Kohen released the hand he’d been using to keep me behind him and pulled his broadsword.
“If I die, tell Anika to take care of my little brothers,” he said calmly.
Holy crap. He was going for it.
I was no fool. I took three slow but large steps backward. I wasn’t about to get in the middle of a fight with a Talanagi.
Part of me wanted to run back to the camp. Another part wanted to stay and watch even if it meant seeing Kohen die. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I wasn’t about to miss it.
I was wondering who would strike first when the dragon’s tail flicked so fast and hard it sent Kohen flying into a nearby tree. He hit the trunk with a thud and slid to the ground. The second he hit the mossy forest floor, he popped up as if nothing had happened and he wasn’t hurt. Then he ran right at the creature.
I barely blinked. I couldn’t look away. Kohen had balls of steel and no fear. He leapt into the air, sword arm raised, and the dragon shot a streamof fire right in Kohen’s direction. The Imbrian rolled midair and barely missed it, falling to the ground with a yelp.
He popped up a mere second later, his shirt bleeding from where I was guessing his staples had just opened up. Watching him fight was a thing of beauty. Technically, they hadn’t started the bonding process yet; no one had drawn blood from the other. The blood from Kohen’s old injury wouldn’t count. If Kohen wasn’t strong enough to make the beast bleed, the dragon would kill him.
Kohen needed a distraction. I didn’t know why I did it, or why I wanted to help him, but I stepped out into the clearing.
“Is this your egg?” I yelled really loudly, pointing to the golden oblong sphere.
The dragon’s gaze snapped to mine, and Kohen ran faster than my eyes could track, slashing out with his sword and dragging it clear across the dragon’s chest.
Blue blood dripped onto the blade and the bonding began.
Yes!
‘No, It’s mine,’a female voice called into my mind, and I froze.
I slowly pivoted on my heel, turning around. When my gaze fell on the creature behind me, my heart stopped beating. I was sure I was going to drop dead right there as I stared into the eyes of the most magnificent creature I’d ever seen.
She stood over ten feet tall, with feathers thatlooked like they danced with fire. They started gold at the base and moved to purple and even burnt orange. She stood erect on two large, taloned feet, and stared at me with glowing purple eyes.
A firebird.
They were real. All Talanagi were special, but firebirds were said to be immortal, escaping even death itself.
I wanted to run, get the hell out of this place so fast and forget I’d ever found the Talanagi hideout, but I couldn’t look away from those purple eyes. They peered right through me, challenging me to prove my worth.
Ignoring the sounds of Kohen fighting behind me, I thought of what Elaine said. That she’d specifically told menotto go for a Talanagi, that at times I was too cocky.
I held the beautiful bird’s gaze, my fingers twitching over my sword, and then my father flashed into my mind.
If I bonded a firebird, there was no telling what he would do. I knew he loved me and was proud of me, but… he was also very career-driven. He took threats to his leadership seriously. I knew he would never hurt me, but the thought of doing something that he disapproved of made me… uncomfortable. He might very likely make Valor his heir instead. I relaxed my hand, and even though I hadn’t felt the urge to look away, I did, and gave her my back, intending to leave this place and never think on it again.
