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Her e tree trunk Thick buttress roots tripped her, and she tu over the cloth that covered her wound Nausea rose Viola vo to her feet with Fluffy’s help and forcing herself onward
She wheezed shallow breaths, every inhalation acting as a blade to her lungs Knowing she could go no farther, Viola dropped She leaned against a barbed tree trunk The sharp tips stabbed her back, adding to her collection of injuries, but she didn’t care Her vision wavered Her head swam
Blood rushed inside her ears, the ring deafening “I’ Mommy needs to rest a bit She can’t…she…” A sob bubbled from her at last She had failed her child She had failed herself What proved theto rush to the rescue Not this time
Not that she needed to be rescued She wasn’t sooddess in distress, even when she was in distress But she’d tasted the wonders of having a partner Now, she was addicted
Did he miss her at all?
A bitter laugh escaped her Of course, he did He wanted the key that she didn’t possess
Three males—two vae, stopping when they spotted her The vanized them Kinsman of someone she’d doomed
The berserker evinced glee The last time she was here, he’d hit on her, and she had rebuffed him
Fluffy’s hackles lifted, a pungent odor filling the air His greatest defense Few could withstand the stinging aroma He bared his sharp little teeth and screeched so loudly while spinning in circles
The ied and stepped back But they didn’t flee
The taller vahty goddess now Dressed in rags and covered in filth Finally, the outside matches the inside”
Viola flinched Soht Rallying what little strength she had left, she cli between her baby and her ene between her baby and her enemies
“Hello, gentlemen,” she said with as lad you found iveness seether I hear there’s a banquet afterward”
“I will enjoy shredding your body into too many pieces to count” The berserker’s voice dripped with relish
“You can have her body,” the second vampire said, “but only after we’ve drained it”
“Fluffy,” she intoned, and he knew her well enough to guess her expectation