Grim screeches, a sound of pure frustration, but he banks away from the helicopter. And then we’re flying again, moving so fast that the wind tears at my hair and clothes. It feels like the air is being sucked from my lungs. I cling to him for dear life. I think I might even say a prayer or two or half a dozen.
I hate being up here so high off the ground, but the thought of landing terrifies me just as much as being up here.
Then we’re dropping from the sky, and I forget about every other fear except the fear of crash landing.
Grim was hit by too many bullets. He’s injured. Too injured to keep flying. It must be that. He’s about to crash land.
My vision turns spotty. The world spins around me in a nauseating blur of sky and ground and sky again.
I must pass out because the next thing I know, I’m jolting awake as Grim’s talons open and I land in a heap on the ground. Pain shoots through my shoulder and hip, but I’m alive.
I’m alive.
I groan, lying still for a few moments. The pain in my hip subsides. I move my shoulder, and it’s fine. I think I’m fine.
Grim’s dragon stands over me, smoke wafting from his nostrils. He’s breathing hard, his chest heaving.
“You saved me,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. My whole body is shaking. “I would really appreciate it if you didn’t kill me now…please.”
He cocks his head, studying me. I know he can’t understand me in this form, but we talk to animals all the time. I like talking to my dogs, and I know for a fact that they understand some of what I tell them. I’m hoping he hears my tone and doesn’t turn me to ash.
I force myself to take a few calming breaths. I need to keep my cool. Animals can sense fear. They can smell it.
The intelligence in his gaze should terrify me. Actually, it does terrify me, but I can’t show it.
“What’s going on inside your mind?” I ask softly.
I slowly get to my feet, my eyes never leaving his. My legs feel like jelly, but I manage to stay upright.
He’s looking at me with interest, but I’m not sure what kind. Does he want to be friends? Or does he want to end me?
“It would be great if you would let Grim—”
I don’t get to finish my sentence because my head starts throbbing.
It’s that same pain from before, sharp and searing, like someone’s driving a spike through my skull. Within seconds, I’m in agony, clutching my temples and groaning. I’m praying it stops, but it doesn’t. It’s more insistent than the last time.
“Nooooooooo! Stop it!” I finally scream. “Stop!”
The pain vanishes in the next instant, leaving me gasping.
I’m breathing hard and fast, my hands still pressed to my temples. There’s a ringing in my ears that slowly fades.
“What the hell?” I choke out. Why is this happening again?
Then I remember that I’m still in the sights of a huge dragon. I look up at him.
He makes a rumbling noise. He doesn’t sound menacing, which gives me some hope of making it out of this alive.
Before I can do anything, pain explodes in my head all over again, this time, worse than before. So much worse. It feels like my skull is splitting apart.
I think I’m going to die.
Through the agony, I hear something. A whisper that isn’t quite a voice. It’s just a word.
Human.
I stagger and fall to my knees. I’m going to pass out. I scream so loudly that my throat hurts.
