Chapter 22: Avani

I had a moment of pure terror when I saw that fire about to engulf Merethyl. I scooped her up and raced outside, thankful that the blast hit me and not her. Even for me, that was painful. I’m pretty sure my back is scratched, and my wings are probably torn. It hurt pulling them in, but it would have hurt worse landing on them.

Now, as she straddles me, watching the blazing inferno behind us, I feel like I need to do damage control. So, I revert to what always works for me. Arrogance.

When I make a joke about her wanting to be on top, she responds as I expect. She practically leaps off of me. If we were alone, I might have considered taking a more flirtatious approach, but we’re not and there are still many injured out here in the forest where they are easy targets for hunters.

We get up and I move to find Kayid. He had been unconscious when Merethyl had found him. Since I had smelled his blood on the hunters, I’m not surprised. As a shifter, he may have advanced healing, but it’s no