I sneer, an overwhelming heat rising into my chest. “Close enough to hear, and yet you did nothing to stop them?”
“I couldn’t give away my position.”
“I needed your help.”
“Not my fault ye ran in headfirst.”
“It was the right thing to do.”
“And it almost got ye killed.” I’ve barely taken a step toward Jyn when Feng scoffs. “Hey, where do ye think yer goin’? I’ve still got questions, Leaf Water.”
“We’re done here,” I growl, turning away.
“Ye slayed it, am I right? Ye killed the beast and hid it somewhere so that ye could claim fame and fortune for yerself!” Shegrabs me roughly by the shoulder. “If ye won’t tell me, I’ll ask yer woman—”
Anger flares up from my core. It’s sudden and blinding. It’s not in my nature to snap, and yet I can’t control myself when I whip around and grab Feng by the throat. I pin her against the post of a nearby tent, snarling in her ear with a fury I have never experienced before.
“Leave us alone!”I seethe. My blood is on fire, my heart a war drum. “I’ve already told you, I don’t know where the dragon is. Now, cease this incessant barking and return to the mountains whence you came.”
Feng gawks, startled by my about-face. She gasps against my hold, clawing at my wrists. “Yer eyes,” she rasps, her own wide with alarm. “They’rered.”
27
Ipull back, genuinely confused andappalled by my own behavior. This isn’t me. I would never harm a fly, let alone another person—crazed, flesh-eating cannibal aside. I don’t understand what’s happening. It’s true that Feng is an annoyance, but not so much that I would think to harm her for it.
I stumble back, my hands trembling uncontrollably. I can’t catch my breath. Everything is too hot, my skin too tight. The scents of the village grow overpowering, burning in the inside of my nose. When I run my tongue along my top teeth, I am alarmed to find that they are…sharp.
“Sai!”
Jyn’s voice cuts through the air. She runs and throws her arms around me before I have the chance to look at her.
“What’s wrong with ’im?” Feng wheezes, recovering her air.
“Sai,” Jyn whispers against my ear, holding me close. With one hand in my hair, she presses my face down to the crook of her neck. “Breathe, Sai. Calm down, right now.”
By some miracle, I do manage to draw breath, drinking in the scent of her jasmine-scented skin. Her voice is a balm over mynerves, her touch warm and soothing. It takes a few moments before I am finally able to clear the haze from my mind.
“Jiejie?”one of the nearby village girls says, timidly approaching us. “What’s the matter withgege?”
“He’s not feeling well,” Jyn replies quickly, ushering me back toward our tents. “Run along to your parents now.”
“But—”
“Now, little one.”
“Wait a fuckin’ second—” Feng starts after us. “The fuck’s the matter with ’im?”
“A fever,” Jyn says, and rather convincingly at that. “Step away, lest you catch it.”
“That’s no fever. What’s—”
“Move,”she says urgently against my ear.
Jyn ushers me away, but I can feel the daggers she glares in Feng’s direction. We don’t stop until we find ourselves in the confines of her tent, the entrance to which Jyn immediately ties shut.
“Sit,” she commands.
I do no such thing, too frazzled to listen. Instead, I scramble over to the porcelain washbasin tucked away in the corner and brace my hands on either side of the bowl. I stare at my reflection, the details of my face rippling with the water, but there’s no denying it. I’m aghast to find my dark brown eyes are now a near-glowing crimson.
