Death's Lethal Embrace

Four: Cinder

I felt her hot breath fanning across the top of my head, and the heat of her body even beneath her armor, an inappropriate shiver of delight slithering down my spine at the cold contact. I was excited, relieved even, that she hated the Fae as much as I did, only I hadn't realized the depth or longevity that her ire ran. Her voice alone made the ground tremble and shadows writhed, gathering at her back, forming two giant sail-like formations.

I twisted my head around, my eyes growing wide as their shapes fanned out into two gorgeously crafted silver wings. The skin pulled tight between each joint, and veins of red pooled like raindrops, gathering at the bottom of their lethal tips. The world spun as it all hit me: she was real, she was death. Her eyes caught mine a heartbeat before the Fae lunged towards me, his mouth spread in a horrifying sneer, canines bared and bloodshot eyes weeping, reaching for me with hooked talons.

In a blink, her hands were on my waist, tossing me behind her rather roughly. I bit my lip against the cry of pain as my bruised hip hit the ground. The fight sounded as if two full-grown lions were tearing into each other. They bit, scratched, stabbed, and tore flesh from bone. My ears rang at the meaty smack of her knuckles against his face, and I scrambled to move away when the fae male suddenly flew above my head, and she stalked past me to grab him, slamming him into the brick wall so hard he sunk into it. Her fingers were tight around his neck, and I noted with concern that a decent-sized blade stuck out of her side. I didn't dare approach her, too enthralled by the violence of her nature.

She slammed him once more against the wall, and clouds gathered above us, the air cooling rapidly. I chased my hot breath, feeling light-headed with shock.

"You are lucky I am fond of you, human. This one desires you very much." Her voice shocked me out of my panic, and I could only stare at her. She didn't look back at me, but there was a deep warning in her tone when she spoke next. "Cover your ears."

I obeyed immediately, and not a second later, the world exploded. My vision flashed black, then white as power erupted, and warmth slid down the sides of my head, the ringing returning tenfold. Dust and cracked brick were all that remained as the fleshy pulp of what used to be a body slid down the wall. She spat on his corpse and finally turned to face me, her wings unfurling behind her. I couldn't hear anything past the ringing, a freezing numbness coursing through my bloodstream.

She took a step towards me and my body reacted, scrambling back. What the fuck, what the fuck? She just obliterated him without moving a muscle!

A cruel grin spread across her bloodstained lips. "It is not wise to run from a monster, little one." She purred, crossing the distance between us, her footsteps faltering as she bent to grab me, noticing for the first time the knife in her side.

She frowned, studying the metal with annoyance. I cried out for some unknown reason as she abruptly grasped the hilt and tugged, ripping it free of her flesh. Blood streamed from the wound, bright red against the freshly fallen snow.

"You idiot!" I found my voice, launching myself forward and pressing my hands to her wound. "Do you want to die of blood loss?" Reality came crashing down when she simply reached down and plucked me off of her, and then my ass was against the wall.

I stared wide-eyed, her gaze molten, like fire warming a blade. I felt like the steel, and the pounding in my core, the hammer. I swallowed, opening my mouth to talk when she snarled, the sound ripping right through me. I realized after a moment that perhaps she wasn't as calm and collected as she appeared to be. My heart softened just the slightest, aware that it had to be overwhelming for her.

Her fingers clenched around my throat but it wasn't to the point of bruising yet.

"It's okay." I rasped, twisting in her grip to catch her eyes, watching the pupils retract. I forced myself to stay still, gritting my teeth, shock draining from my system and pain taking its place.