shouted.
He ignored her, his concentration on one thing and one thing only. Killing the draden. He fought until the sweat ran in rivulets down his temples, until his body became a mass of searing pain. Until his legs began to weaken.
The damn draden were winning. He didn’t know what else to do. What he’d done wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t enough.
Ah , goddess , what do I do?
The question tore through Olivia’s quaking mind as she fought the draden with a desperation beyond anything she’d faced in over five and a half centuries. Because she couldn’t fight them her way, by stealing their energy for herself. Jag would know.
But if she didn’t, if they didn’t dispatch the draden soon, they were both going to die.
Jag loomed over her, killing most of the draden that tried to attack her. She looked up and gasped at the sight of him. They were covering him. Covering him . Even as she watched, his movements began to slow, and he lurched drunkenly.
They were killing him.
“Jag, shift!”
“No.” His voice was low and flat, as if he’d already accepted his own death.
But he wouldn’t die if he shifted, dammit. They couldn’t hurt him in his animal.
My God, he was sacrificing his life in a hopeless attempt to save hers when all she had to do to live was steal the energy from the draden around her.
Which would give her secret away.
Which would destroy her life.
But what choice did she have?
If she did nothing, if she let the draden kill him, then saved herself, no one would ever know, and her secret would be safe. And the man who was sacrificing his life to save her would be dead.
“Jag, listen to me. You must shift. They can’t hurt me.”
He didn’t look at her.
“Jag, I’m draden-kissed!”
But he didn’t respond, focused only on staying alive. On keeping them both alive.
She crawled out from under the slash of his knives and pushed herself to her feet, her body still weak from the Daemon venom.
He swung to her, his gaze unfocused. “Olivia, no. They’ll kill you.”
“They can’t kill me unless I let them.” Meeting his gaze, forcing herself to watch the knowledge leap into his eyes, she spread her arms and let them bite her, then sucked them dry, not fighting them. Not needing to.
As his eyes went wide with understanding, she felt as if a knife had been plunged into her chest.
“They can’t hurt me, Jag. Shift!”
Staring at her, he did. Once more, that magic swept over him, racing over her skin like a sparkling spray. With an angry squawk, the draden who’d been attached to him shot into the air, then dove for her. As they covered her like a many-mouthed blanket, she saw the jaguar sink to the ground, the last of his energy expended in the shift.
She had to feed fast, or the draden would kill her before she could save herself, but if she caught Jag in the feeding…Could she hurt him in his animal form? She didn’t know and wasn’t about to risk it. He had nothing left to give.
Olivia stumbled away, covered with draden and still suffering the weakening effects of the venom. But as she moved, she fed. Slowly at first, then harder as she put distance between her and Jag. And harder still. Finally, she opened herself fully, drinking of the draden energy, growing stronger and steadier as the draden grew weaker until, one by one, they fell away from her, disappearing in tiny puffs of smoke.
Her skin was torn and stinging from the dozens of draden bites, her body still slow and lethargic from the Daemon venom, but she felt strong again, her life force fully replenished.
If only she didn’t feel the hard fist in her stomach, the terrifying certainty that her life itself had shattered.
She turned and returned to Jag, walking over the leaf-strewn ground on leaden feet. He remained on the ground, on his stomach, now, his chin resting on his paws, watching her approach through laser-sharp jaguar eyes.
He knows what I am.
Her limbs turned weak, her skin cold, as the
He ignored her, his concentration on one thing and one thing only. Killing the draden. He fought until the sweat ran in rivulets down his temples, until his body became a mass of searing pain. Until his legs began to weaken.
The damn draden were winning. He didn’t know what else to do. What he’d done wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t enough.
Ah , goddess , what do I do?
The question tore through Olivia’s quaking mind as she fought the draden with a desperation beyond anything she’d faced in over five and a half centuries. Because she couldn’t fight them her way, by stealing their energy for herself. Jag would know.
But if she didn’t, if they didn’t dispatch the draden soon, they were both going to die.
Jag loomed over her, killing most of the draden that tried to attack her. She looked up and gasped at the sight of him. They were covering him. Covering him . Even as she watched, his movements began to slow, and he lurched drunkenly.
They were killing him.
“Jag, shift!”
“No.” His voice was low and flat, as if he’d already accepted his own death.
But he wouldn’t die if he shifted, dammit. They couldn’t hurt him in his animal.
My God, he was sacrificing his life in a hopeless attempt to save hers when all she had to do to live was steal the energy from the draden around her.
Which would give her secret away.
Which would destroy her life.
But what choice did she have?
If she did nothing, if she let the draden kill him, then saved herself, no one would ever know, and her secret would be safe. And the man who was sacrificing his life to save her would be dead.
“Jag, listen to me. You must shift. They can’t hurt me.”
He didn’t look at her.
“Jag, I’m draden-kissed!”
But he didn’t respond, focused only on staying alive. On keeping them both alive.
She crawled out from under the slash of his knives and pushed herself to her feet, her body still weak from the Daemon venom.
He swung to her, his gaze unfocused. “Olivia, no. They’ll kill you.”
“They can’t kill me unless I let them.” Meeting his gaze, forcing herself to watch the knowledge leap into his eyes, she spread her arms and let them bite her, then sucked them dry, not fighting them. Not needing to.
As his eyes went wide with understanding, she felt as if a knife had been plunged into her chest.
“They can’t hurt me, Jag. Shift!”
Staring at her, he did. Once more, that magic swept over him, racing over her skin like a sparkling spray. With an angry squawk, the draden who’d been attached to him shot into the air, then dove for her. As they covered her like a many-mouthed blanket, she saw the jaguar sink to the ground, the last of his energy expended in the shift.
She had to feed fast, or the draden would kill her before she could save herself, but if she caught Jag in the feeding…Could she hurt him in his animal form? She didn’t know and wasn’t about to risk it. He had nothing left to give.
Olivia stumbled away, covered with draden and still suffering the weakening effects of the venom. But as she moved, she fed. Slowly at first, then harder as she put distance between her and Jag. And harder still. Finally, she opened herself fully, drinking of the draden energy, growing stronger and steadier as the draden grew weaker until, one by one, they fell away from her, disappearing in tiny puffs of smoke.
Her skin was torn and stinging from the dozens of draden bites, her body still slow and lethargic from the Daemon venom, but she felt strong again, her life force fully replenished.
If only she didn’t feel the hard fist in her stomach, the terrifying certainty that her life itself had shattered.
She turned and returned to Jag, walking over the leaf-strewn ground on leaden feet. He remained on the ground, on his stomach, now, his chin resting on his paws, watching her approach through laser-sharp jaguar eyes.
He knows what I am.
Her limbs turned weak, her skin cold, as the
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