Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Zoe dove again, scratching down Jess’s back. She flapped her wings and circled, readying for another dive.
As challenges went, this one was almost boring. Without Jess moving, Zoe couldn’t show off her superior maneuverability. She also clearly wasn’t doing much damage. Given Jess was likely healing the wounds almost as quickly as she got them, they could be at it all day until one of them tired.
Zoe circled yet again, screeching out her challenge. Her patience was clearly starting to fray. She knew this wasn’t going anywhere.
This time, she dove toward Jess’s front. Talons out, coming in hard, Zoe aimed for the face. The eyes.
Austin could feel himself tense and sent a warning through the bonds. Her eyes would probably heal like anything else, but he didn’t want her to take the chance.
He needn’t have worried.
A surge of heat and adrenaline roared through the bonds. Zoe stretched, almost there, ready to make contact—and it was at that exact moment that Jess finally slashed, the movement looking lazy but still incredibly fast. Her claws dug into the bird’s body at the underside of the wing and ripped down to the beginning of her leg. Jess’s left hand came down a moment later, raking across Zoe’s other side and tearing through part of her wing. Zoe screeched in pain and surprise and fright. She flapped and fluttered and would’ve lost altitude, but Jess grabbed her by the neck to keep her from getting away. She then brought up her feet and clawed Zoe’s stomach.
Even from there, Austin could see the damage Jess was doing. Large tears in Zoe’s body gushed blood that fell in crimson drops like a rainstorm. Feathers fluttered down as Zoe thrashed in the larger predator’s hold.
Still holding the bird by the neck with one hand, Jess took the other and grabbed Zoe by first one wing, and then the other. Each contact elicited a loud crack. The sound must’ve been amplified by magic, because it blasted down through the crowd. She was breaking Zoe’s wings so that the golden eagle would be completely at her mercy.
Zoe still thrashed and squawked, trying to escape, but Jess changed her hold, grabbing Zoe’s legs and hanging her upside down. The broken wings hung limp, probably too painful to move.
Now Jess did fly. She dove down and then pulled out of it, did a sort of loop-de-loop, and dove again, all the while holding Zoe like a chicken waiting to be plucked. Like a prize to be shown off. Blood was flung every which way, dotting the field below. The flow tapered off, though. Jess was clearly healing her enough to keep her from bleeding out. The display was no less vicious for it. Zoe had come to make a mockery of Jess, and Jess had turned the tables.
The crowd fell into an uncomfortable hush, watching as Jess did one more tour of the dome before flying low and unceremoniously dropping Zoe to the ground. Zoe thumped down and stayed there for a long moment. The spot flared, and the bird shifted into her human form. She kicked out her legs, flipping onto her back, and then lay limply.
“We don’t need to worry about Ironheart making a statement,” Kace said softly. “I doubt anyone will be in a hurry to challenge her after this.”
Austin had to agree.
“She hasn’t used any magic, though,” Brochan murmured. “She’s still trapped in the dome.”
An issue that became obvious when Jess scraped her claws against it. Sparks flew all around her. Still it held. Sebastian hadn’t released the spell. He was showing that he held the power here, and with it, control over her. Over them all.
FIVE
“She’s not letting me take down the spell,” Sebastian said in barely contained panic.
He watched Jess climb to the top of the dome before scraping her claws against the magic. Sparks rained down, and zags of electricity rent the air.
He tried to pull the spell down again, to disintegrate it, to seep power from it. Nothing worked! She’d laid her own spell over his to lock it into place without changing any of the properties. It looked like he was intentionally keeping her magically confined.
“Crap, Nessa. Crap, crap. What do I do? I can’t run. Animals love to chase.”
“I thought ye said they shouldn’t be called animals.” Niamh sauntered up with a beer in her hand. How that woman always seemed to find alcoholic beverages, Sebastian did not know.
“They turn into animals, and animals love chasing gangly mages running for their lives,” Sebastian said, trying to break through Jessie’s spell lock. “Help me, Nessa. Maybe if you help, we can manage it together. Hurry, before the alpha decides to free his mate by breaking my neck.”
“I don’t have the power to even try,” Nessa replied, fear evident in her voice. “Why would she turn on us? I thought you said these people were loyal and trustworthy.”