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“Disgusting, vile, despicable creatures!”

He landed back to all four paws before he ran forward and slashed at the wall, almost catching his claws on a long hanging tapestry. He dragged his claws down the length of the wall, making horrible, guttural sounds, before he slammed his spiked head against it.

“What happened?” What was causing him to be like this?

His head snapped to her.

Amalia froze.Perhaps I should not have spoken.

“What happened?! Your kind is what happened!”

He slithered forward low to the ground as he came towards her with his eyes narrowing. When she took a step back, his jaws snapped, creating a sharp sound that made her halt.

“Witches had already started taking Mahesh apart before I got there.” He stood at his full height when he got to her, and his eyes narrowed further. His lips were curled back to give a hate-filled stare. “They had been plucking him, forcing him to bleed so they could steal both his scales and blood. And he was stillalive.”

Amalia stood her ground.

She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, at least, she very much hoped he wouldn’t. He promised her, and she hadn’t done anything to deserve it.

He is hurting.She could see it in his eyes. Although filled with anger, there was also sadness. She could see it more when his eyes crinkled at the sides.

“They made me kill Mahesh. He was in so much pain.”

As she stared up at him, she eventually noticed that blood had tracked from his throat. Her eyes widened. They quickly shot down his body to see his forearm was injured and still fresh, like he wasn’t able to heal.

“You are wounded.”

She stepped forward to touch his arm so she could inspect it.

He pulled it back sharply to keep it away from her.

“Do not touch me! Do not touch me with your revolting magic. They made me kill my own kind!”

He shook his head, twisting it side-to-side like he wanted to shake the memory of it.

She wouldn’t be able to do anything for him if he didn’t calm.

“I have three to add to my collection, but there were more! I should have been able to kill them, but I did not have the strength to face them alone. And Strolguil did not even engage! I was almost beaten by nothing but a coven.”

Amalia raised her hands in hopes he would lower his head so she could cup his jaw. He’d never told her, but she knew he liked it when she reached for him like this.

He didn’t lower his head, instead he bared his menacing fangs.

“Please,” she said softly while taking a step forward. “Let me help you.”

“Help me?! How can you help me? I will not allow you to touch me with your magic!”

Amalia shook her head. That wasn’t what she meant.

“You are enraged, let me help calm you.”

“I am filled with so much anger and hatred right now that your soft touches will not help me! I ran, like a coward!”

Amalia winced. She didn’t think running was cowardly.

She took another step forward, ignoring the warning sounds he gave her as he stepped back. She kept reaching.

“You did what you needed to in order to survive. You will fight again.”