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Emilia
Emilia soaked in the heat that poured off Ra’as in waves. If she kept her eyes closed, it was easier to remember that she was safe in his arms.
But the truth of the matter was that the creature that held her was only partly the Ra’as she knew. The other half of him was his wild Kotenka side, fierce, strong, and driven by an instinct to chase down prey.
He might carry her to safety as he promised in the moments when his eyes had faded from red to their usual blue for a moment.
Or he might pin her to the forest floor and tear her to bits.
He would never do that. This is Ra’as. Whatever else he is, at his core he would never allow himself to hurt me.
She felt him leap and opened her eyes for a moment to see that they had narrowly avoided a wave of muddy water sluicing off the hillside to the rocky valley below.
He leapt again, clinging to a tree trunk with those massive claws.
The water was moving faster now, washing away anything that wasn’t rooted deep in the forest soil.
When Ra’as jumped again he landed on a large boulder. But the water slid over the rock and the big Kotenka lost his footing.
They were swept off the rock and Emilia closed her eyes again, convinced that they were going to die.
Dyrk and Mimi are okay. That’s the only thing that matters.
The ground dropped out from under them.
Then they landed with a bounce.
She opened her eyes to see that they were suspended in the air. Below them, the forest floor was a muddy river.
“I’ve got you,” a growly voice whispered.
She blinked up at Ra’as to discover that his claws were sunk into a tree trunk, his tail twisted tightly around a branch.
Before she could catch her breath, he jumped.
Emilia screamed as they flew through the air and then landed on another tree.
“Oh,” she murmured.
He launched them off the tree again, and this time she managed not to scream. He was bringing them closer to the house, and farther from the side of the mountain.
And he was so strong. She knew to her bones he would never, ever let her fall.
By the last jump, she was cheering and crowing with joy as they flew.
A corresponding rumble in his chest told her he was having fun too, in spite of everything.
At last, he landed on the lawn with her still cradled in his arms.
He flew for the labyrinth without hesitation, leaping over the hedges instead of opening the whole thing.
She could feel how agile he was now, his movements fluid and graceful in spite of his incredible size.
Finally, he landed in a crouch on the far side of the labyrinth.
When he straightened, she leaned back to look up into his eyes.
“Thank you,” she told the incredible creature that held her, which was both Ra’as, and not Ra’as.
