Page 128 of House Ignis

Its face was a horror—perfectly, sickeningly round, and lined with rows of jagged teeth spinning like an industrial grinder. It had no eyes, only a ring of glistening sensory slits that trembled as it scented my fear.

A Burrowwyrm.

The tail was curled tightly around my ankle, lifting me toward that spinning maw. My scream tore out of me just as the creature lunged.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I didn't think I was going to die by a fucking Burrowwyrm.

Apparently, the Burrowwyrm had other plans.

My body screamed in protest as the wyrm's jagged, mineral-crusted hide scraped my skin, its violet crystals pulsing with a sickly, rhythmic light. Below me, the maw—a spinning grinder of endless, glinting teeth—lurched upward with a mechanical screech that shattered the silence of the woods.

Then, I saw a glint of steel.

A dagger flew with impossible speed, embedding itself deep into the side of the wyrm's skull. It howled, a shriek like stone grinding stone, and whipped its massive body in a blind fury. My head cracked against a tree trunk, white stars exploding behind my eyes as the world tilted.

Through the haze, I caught a flicker—silver eyes gleaming through the mist. Shadow tendrils burst from Asher, wrapping around the wyrm in a tightening, suffocating web of darkness.

Aether and Zya descended like twin storms. They landed on the wyrm's back, their claws digging deep into the crystalline hide. It roared again, twisting violently beneath their assault. Fire curled from Aether's ears, his celestial fur standing on end, while Zya's shadows flared wide, her predatory snarl echoing through our shared bond.

The wyrm turned its horrid, spinning maw toward Asher. Its throat bulged where the dagger was lodged—until the skin literally split.

Something smaller burst free.

A second wyrm—serpent-thin and lightning-fast, with violet scales and dagger-like teeth—launched from the main wyrm's throat and sank its fangs into Asher's shoulder.

His hiss of pain hit me before I even saw him stagger.

The bond flared.

Agony—not mine, but his—rushed through me. It was hot, sharp, and unbearable. My magic snapped free, instinctive and wild. Fire exploded from my skin, searing the air in every direction and lighting up the silver mist.

Thank the gods my fire worked. I'd been terrified my magic would be too unstable out here, dampened by the poison of the Veylaith, but it had answered my call with a roar. Maybe we were still close enough to the Ring for the Monoliths to anchor me. Or maybe, looking at the blood on Asher's shirt, the bond simply didn't care about the rules of the forest.

The main wyrm shrieked as the heat scorched its sensory slits and finally released its grip on my ankle.

I fell—fast.

Ten feet of empty air. But the shadows caught me. A blanket of cool night cradled my fall, and suddenly I was in Asher's arms. His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving against mine.

His shoulder bled where the viper-thing had struck, the dark stain spreading across his clothes. My vision swam and the earth tilted, but I was safe.

I watched, barely conscious, as the injured wyrm thrashed and burrowed back into the soil, vanishing with a sickening crack of stone and dirt.

"Darling." Asher's voice was hoarse in my ear. His hand found mine, guiding it to the center of his chest. His silver eyes—bright, intense, and clouded with worry—searched mine.

Through the bond, his pain was blistering, a raw thrumming in my own shoulder. But he pushed it down—forced it into the depths for me.

"I'm fine," I whispered. It was a lie. My body trembled uncontrollably in his arms.

"Are you okay, Flame One?" Aether's voice thrummed through the bond, sharp with a protective concern that made my heart ache.

"I'm fine," I told them all, my voice stronger this time. "Just seeing stars."

Asher's arms didn't leave me, not right away. He studied every inch of my face, his thumb tracing my jaw until I managed a small, reassuring nod. He smiled then—not a smirk, but something genuine and soft.

Gods, that smile did something to my heart that the Burrowwyrm couldn't.