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"Your arm?" he asked

"It’s fine" It actually burned like fire, but that didn’t much matter now

Ethan and Catcher went in for another volley; Catcher tossed fireballs while Ethan spun forward, going in low and catching slices across the dragon’s abdo onto his back

You good, tiger?

Fine, he said, clier But now I’m pissed

With what I’d swear looked like fury in his eyes, the dragon slapped its tail at the fireball, sending it flying through the air Catcher dodged, but not fast enough It caught hi his jeans and the skin beneath

"Shit!" he said, and fought for control

FIRE, the dragon said

It was learning, had figured out how to use its scales’ resistance to fireballs to launch theot another shot at its abdo around it "Jonah!" I called out, but aforward into the grass

He didn’t get up immediately, and I had to tell myself he was a vampire and could take care of himself, that he’d just had the breath knocked out of hion now, before it hurt anyone else

I put e, pulled Pain shot through e of the steel

I turned the blade on its side, watched the drops of blood roll down the blade as if with purpose and into the inscription Catcher had etched there Blood ic, and fire burst across the blade, which quickly spread from handle to tip

"With blade and blood I bind you," I screa the words that Catcher had composed

YOU CANNOT BIND ME I AM EVERYTHING

"You are pain and death"

SHE GAVE ME LIFE, POWER

"And you killed her, so don’t lie to me With this blade and blood I bind you!"

The dragon screaht out of the stadiuent it was, but I was pretty sure it wouldn’t fall for Mallory’s bait twice That meant this was our one and only chance to take it doithout more injuries, ive up, or go with it

If I didn’t stop it now, it would destroy o More people, more sups, would be injured and killed More homes and businesses destroyed The apocalypse would continue