Page 64 of A Bond so Fierce and Fragile (Compelling Fates Saga #3)

Frelina

F relina had always loved animals, but she’d have to reconsider her stance on birds as the vicious one before her snapped its beak at her again, and Frelina crushed herself against the stone to get away from the sharp bite.

It had already managed to rip into her, and her daggers had lain useless on the ground since the bird’s last strike. Blood trickled down both her arms and her side where it had taken a chunk out of her flesh.

Frelina whimpered as rocks bit into the wound on her side as she whirled to get away from another attack, sweat forming on her forehead and stinging her eyes.

When she’d thought of her death, she never imagined being eaten alive by a fucking bird. Weren’t they supposed to just eat plants and worms anyway?

“Fuck you!” Frelina screamed as the bird nipped at her shoulder when she wasn’t fast enough to avoid the next strike.

The bird screeched, almost as if in laughter, and it pissed her off even more.

As it came down on her again, Frelina jabbed out with her hand, and even though it wasn’t a hard blow, she managed to get a slap in, driving the bird’s face away from her own.

“Seems quite inefficient. Allow me, little one.”

She shot her eyes up at Kerym’s voice, and they widened at how his skin began glowing, how his hair started to shine and reflect the sun, and how the bloodshot lines in his eyes faded.

“Makes me look quite handsome, no?” Kerym grinned at her stunned expression, and her eyes swept over him, then moved to Pellie, who stood behind him, her eyes also wide, in not surprise but rather… vigilance.

They were as blue as Kerym’s as they moved from Frelina to the bird, and as Frelina followed them, she sucked in a breath.

In the bird’s place, there was now a woman. One who might be only a few years older than herself. One who appeared barely able to stand, letting out a sound of… sleepiness? Yes, it was a damned yawn that made the woman’s mouth form an O.

“What are you waiting for?” Kerym nodded toward the woman. “She won’t fight back.”

Frelina’s eyes went even wider. Did he mean…

Kerym rolled his eyes, and before even a muscle moved in Frelina’s body, he shot forward and slammed a fist into the shifter’s face, making her tumble to the ground, although her chest still rose and fell, almost as if she…

“She’ll be taking a nice, long nap.” Kerym reached out a hand when Frelina only stared at him. “You didn’t think I was going to kill her, did you?”

Frelina still only stared at him.

“You did.” Kerym’s eyes flew upward again. “It’s no fun when they can’t fight back.”

Fight…

Right. There was fighting.

If she strained her ears, she could hear it.

The screams coming from both the cliff and the ships beneath them.

She could smell the blood too. It must paint the water red now, judging from how much it tinged the air, from how the biting wind whirled the metallic scent all around them.

Frelina shook her head, trying to get her thoughts to gather.

But it proved to be a struggle, and she wavered as she finally stepped toward the Fae as he dragged a hand through his inky-black hair.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood.” Pellie was suddenly by her side, and then someone blonde…

“Come, you need to sit down.” Amalise snaked an arm around Frelina’s waist when her eyes snagged on Kerym again. “There is a spot here you can hide.”

For some reason, Frelina held back, even as she glimpsed shadows and metal reflections moving somewhere out of the corner of her eyes, even as she heard the sounds come closer, voices screaming to get them and birds snapping their beaks.

Kerym stood so still.

Like a statue, only his black hair danced around his face. Even his eyes…

“Wait,” she mumbled as she freed herself from the women’s hold and took the three steps needed to reach the Fae.

Placing a hand on his arm, she jerked.

Then Frelina doubled over.

There was so much pain. It was all around her. In her blood. In her thoughts. In her body.

She released him as if she’d burned herself, and Pellie was instantly by her side, but her blue eyes were on Kerym, her fingers tracing his face.

“Something is wrong,” he mumbled. “It’s… It hurts so much. I?—”

Pellie hushed him, her eyes filling with tears as she swallowed loudly.

“Kerym—” she started, but loud steps drowned her words, and Frelina realized their moment of reprieve was over.

Rebels stormed their small corner, and Amalise turned a white face in their direction before trying to get around them—to get help or get away, Frelina didn’t know, but it was useless.

They were surrounded in seconds.

Six men—two half-Fae, their pointed ears and tall frames betraying them, and the rest shifters, Frelina guessed, based on their strange smells—stalked toward them, low chuckles reverberating against the dark stone on either side of Frelina.

“We knew you’d lose,” one of the half-Fae taunted as his eyes roved over Frelina’s body, his tongue wetting his lips as he followed the blood that still flowed from her wounds. “But we did think you’d put up a better fight.”

“You just wait,” Amalise tried to sneer, but the words hollowed when one of the shifters howled with laughter. “We?—”

“For what? The wyverns who haven’t moved a muscle since the bloodshed began?

For the three Fae ships just floating out there, watching you die?

No one else is coming.” The shifter transformed his hand into a claw with which he swiped at Amalise, thankfully catching only air as the blonde jumped back.

Frelina pulled her to her left side, while Kerym and Pellie stood on her right.

She allowed herself one glance at the Fae, but he was still staring out over the chaos beneath them, his face twisting with so much pain that Frelina struggled to continue watching him.

“Kerym,” she hissed under her breath. “Kerym!”

Pellie leaned forward to meet her eyes, and Frelina didn’t like the bottomless sorrow deepening her blue ones as she shook her head.

So Kerym would be of no help. Frelina’s mind whirled, her hand moving to press on the deeper wound in her shoulder, trying not to fall into the muddled mess she’d been before.

Thankfully, it seemed more adrenaline began pumping through her body, and when the group neared, more of the shifters following their friend’s example and opting for those claws instead of weapons, she decided to do whatever she could.

“Someone is coming,” Frelina forced out.

The asshole Fae who hadn’t stopped staring at her laughed again, but she raised a bloodied hand.

“Kill us if you wish, but you won’t live much longer either.”

That had them at least halting, shooting glances around.

This was her only chance.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that your leader is trying to squash, but Rioner is on his way here. Those ships you mocked? They were a warning. A courtesy to our leader , who is trying to stop all of us dying, including you damned rebels!”

“Do you—” one of the younger shifters started, but the Fae snarled so loudly at him he closed his mouth again.

“Lies,” he spat. “Meyah told us they’d try to mess with our heads.”

“It’s not—” Amalise tried to break in, but another swipe of those claws, closer this time, had her gasp as Frelina pulled on her hand to get her out of the way.

“We’ve heard all about your mind-control powers,” the Fae continued, spit flying from his thick lips as he moved again, crowding them against the wall.

Everyone but Kerym, who Pellie couldn’t even get to move an inch now, even as she slapped him, cried at him, and pulled at his hand.

He just… stood there.

“That’s one of the Siphon Twins.” The Fae waved a hand toward Kerym. “Did he take his own energy? He looks dead.”

Frelina’s heart had never beat so hard as when the Fae drove a fist right into Kerym’s face, making Pellie cry even harder, clinging to him and begging him to move. But he still didn’t.

“Kerym!” Frelina screamed as blood formed a trail from his nose over his mouth and down his neck. “Wake up!”

“Shut up!”

Frelina didn’t have time to react as the half-Fae’s hand struck her instead, sending her face slamming into the stone with a crack she prayed wasn’t her skull breaking open.

She tried to blink, but it was pointless as the Fae punched her again, on the other side of her face this time, making her hurtle into Amalise, whose arms flew around her.

Frelina’s head lolled forward, and the blonde’s arms were the only thing holding her up as strange suns began flickering before her eyes.

“Frelina!” Amalise shook her, but it only made it worse, those suns spinning faster until she vomited—apparently to someone’s disgust, as she heard them exclaim “Just fucking kill her!”

“Frelina!” Amalise cried into her ear now. “Look at me!”

She couldn’t open her eyes. It was…

Too heavy…

Too much.

“Do you know who she is?” That half-Fae’s harsh voice was like nails being hammered into her head. “That’s Frelina Rantzier! Didn’t you see her eyes and hair? I shall want to have fun with her before we kill her and nail her to my ship.”

“F-fuck you,” Amalise spat as Frelina felt arms drag her away from her friend. “Leave her a?—”

Something hard hit flesh and bones, and Frelina squinted to see Amalise’s knees colliding with the ground as that claw swiped across her chest, making blood spurt all over the already dark ground.

“Pl… please,” Frelina whimpered as the Fae continued pulling her away from her friends. “K-Kerym,” she cried, but her words were only whispers, too low even for a Fae’s hearing.

Her head was turned away from the group when hands wrapped around her neck, and she didn’t have time to draw another breath before her air supply was cut off.

Red-lined eyes burned into hers, and she would have winced if she could at the vile breath fanning across her face as the half-Fae spat at her, “Do you know what your dear uncle did to us? He had us killed for sport in the streets. He’d chain some of us up until we died in our own filth, on fucking display!

Do you know what for? Stealing food from damned trash cans! ”