Page 15 of Liar Witch

Everyone in Cawshome will be able to see this. The destruction is so bright, so loud, that I wouldn’t be surprised if they saw it across the isles.

“Nilsa,”Opal whispers in my mind, claws digging into my neck as she stares with me.“What have you done?”

My mate… is doing this?

I look up, just in time to see a glowing star shoot away from the top of the tower, propelled away by the force of the explosion.

It’s her.

I don’t know how I know. I justknow.

She’s heading straight for the ocean in an uncontrolled free-fall.

No.

She can’t swim.

I dive into the waves, uncaring of Opal’s spluttered protests as I strain to get to her in time.

Vampiric speed never seemed slow before now.

Her body is still glowing as it hurtles into the water at a velocity that makes me cringe. It’s only a few hundred metres, but it feels like miles separate us.

I reach the spot where she disappeared and dive, ignoring the way Opal bites and claws at my braids to stay on.

Is it my imagination, or is the glowing spot beneath me… getting closer?

That’s all the warning I get before I’m splattered against the snout of Cas’s leviathan and launched out of the water with Nilsa beside me.

The beast lets out an unholy roar that assaults my sensitive hearing as I cling onto Nilsa with one arm and his scales with the other.

Goddess.

I can smell her blood.

Berries, herbs and that touch of perfect sweetness.

Her neck is right next to my face.

My fangs drop.

No. No no no no no.

If I let go, she’ll fall into the ocean again.

If I don’t, I’m going to drain her.

Sweet Goddess. Herblood. It’s everywhere.

I just have to have a taste.

With my last drop of willpower, I launch myself away from her and head-first into the waves.

Chapter Five

Valorean

The sight of the Claw being shattered into a hundred pieces by Moonlight is pretty fucking spectacular.