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Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that this is unreasonable. I have no idea where I’m going and if I get caught, I could end with a worse fate than the other two I’ve imagined. Still, terror grips me tightly and I can’t think straight.
The only thought bounding around my mind is to find a way out. I don’t know how I’m going to do that, but I know that there must be a way. But my mind keeps halting as I remember this is a floating island inhabited by demons.
That doesn’t slow my feet as I tear through the sidewalks, trying to avoid going back into the city. I’m terrified to run into other demons, and as I see some walk past, few even turning to look at me, bile starts to rise up in the back of my throat.
There’s one in particular, another Volvath that’s taller and thinner than Giroth. His eyes are burning a bright red against his black skin, and the thin horns on top of his head look deadly like weapons themselves.
His eyes track my movements, and my chest tightens with fear. This is what I was afraid of. This is why I am running.
I hate the way he’s surveying my body, like I am his for the taking. The idea of his fingers raking over my body triggers my gag reflex, but I force myself not to slow. Instead, I swerve down a side alleyway, and I’m relieved when he doesn’t follow me.
"Oh, shit," I mutter as I stumble out before another Gilak. He’s huge, hulking over the other demons and dark elves near him. He turns to look at me, and those horns start to crackle with a fire as he steps toward me.
Biting back a shout, I take off in the opposite direction. I can still hear the crunch of feet behind me, though the weight sounds much too light to be the Gilak I saw before. Still, I can’t take my chances.
As if to propel me forward, my body conjures images of what could happen if he were to catch me. In my mind’s eye view, I see him snatching me up, taking me back to his place, and forcing himself on me. I am so small compared to him that I fear I will break. I doubt I could survive the coupling, forget about the pregnancy.
"I can do this," I whisper encouragement to myself as my body tries to fail me.
Whoever is behind me seems to be growing closer, and I don’t dare to look back. I’m afraid I’ll stumble or run into something, and I won’t risk giving them a few extra seconds to get to me.
My lungs are on fire, and my entire torso burns with the exertion, but I refuse to slow down. They made a mistake when they took me. I never go quietly. I never just comply. I tried to, but now that I see it would all be in vain, there’s no reason to.
No, I’m a fighter, and if the demon gaining on me wants me, he’s going to have to try a little harder.
I feel a manic grin spread across my face as I dart around a corner and see a narrow alleyway between two buildings. "Found it," I say aloud, not caring if my pursuer hears me. If I can make it through there, I’d stand a chance to slip out of sight. It’s the only option I have right now.
I dig my heels into the ground, propelling me forward, and I practically fling myself through the air, pivoting in preparation to turn around the next corner.
Except, my feet don’t land. I blink, gasping out a soft, "What?"
I expect them to hit the ground, and that’s when my actions catch up with my brain. It feels almost unreal how slow my fall is, and my mind doesn’t seem to process that I’ve reached the edge of the floating island without realizing it.
My head swivels around, taking in the vast expanse of the sky, the gray clouds that shroud out the sunlight even here. The air tears at my hair as my descent starts, and I know I should feel worried or afraid or at least an adrenaline boost from falling.
But I don’t.
I’m not sure if I just used all my emotions up, but I feel almost peaceful when I, at least, see no more demons. I’m not ready to die, that much is for sure, but if that is my fate, then I’d rather it be on my own terms.
22
GIROTH
I’m able to gain on Cora as she stumbles at the sight of Gilak, but I’m not fast enough to close the distance just yet. She got a pretty big head start with my back turned to her, and her small form makes it easy for her to slip through the crowded pathways.
My heart thunders as she turns a corner, and I see where she is headed. I want to shout at her to stop, but I doubt she will listen to me. Instead, I pound my feet against the ground harder, and when she darts between the two buildings on the edge of the island, I leap forward.
I gasp out in relief as my arm circles around her waist, yanking her back. My stomach is pressed to the ground, my body in the prone position to support our weight. If I had been even a second later, I wouldn’t have caught her before she was out of my reach.
I’m surprised my arms aren’t trembling from the rush of adrenaline pounding through me as I pull Cora back up. A part of my mind wants to chastise her. How stupid is she to leap to her death like that? No demon would have jumped straight off the edge.
She knows she is on a floating island, and yet, she ran through the roads on the edge of the city with reckless abandon. The thought fills me with the same rage and panic that had been flooding me as I chased her.
But I hold my tongue. It’s clear that she’s not thinking straight. I know she is terrified, and although I don’t feel that is a good reason to attempt a ten-thousand-foot jump to her death, I understand that she wasn’t in the right headspace to make sense of where she was.
As I pull us away from the edge, relief floods through me. I had never felt such intense fear as when she took off, and while it doesn’t make much sense to me, I’m not going to dissect it right now. All I know is that it is a relief to have her in my arms.
I try not to think too much as I pull her closer to my body, needing more of her. Sitting still lets my emotions crush down on me, and I don’t understand half of what’s hitting me. Never have I been concerned for anyone or anything but my Ur’gin pups.
