He grabs my hand, keeping it from plunging the knife into his leg. “No. I would like to keep all my body parts intact. Ready?”
I thought I was, but I am wholly unprepared when Noxlyn simply shoots up into the sky. The momentum throws me against Rauk. He’s not surprised however, and is like a rock behind me. It’s not until we level out that I can peel myself off his front. “Does he always lift off like that?” I ask Rauk loud enough that he can hear me over the wind rushing past us.
“Yes.”
“Huh. Redara does like a running start.”
“I know,” he says back. I try to see around him to check on Redara, but I can’t see her. “She’s behind us,” he says. “Noxlyn being in front of her will make it easier for her to fly.”
I take in his words and feel grateful to Noxlyn and to Rauk.You okay back there?
I’m fine.
I blink against the wind. I think the adrenaline might be fading because everything is starting to hurt. The wind against my face feels so much stronger than normal, but I figure that’s because my face is sensitive from the hits I took. My ribs ache, and I feel like I can’t draw a full breath. I get panicky about not being able to get air, but I force myself to slow my breathing down and focus on something else behind the pain and my inability to breathe normally. But the more we fly, the more I feel like I can’t breathe. Panic starts to set in, and my heart starts racing. I grab at whatever I can find, which just so happens to be a leg. I turn my head trying to get away from the force of air against my face. “Harper?” I hear near my ear. Some distant part of my brain recognizes it as Rauk’s voice.
“I can’t...” I turn my head to the side, trying to get out of the rushing wind. I try to suck in air and just can’t. Tears blur my eyes, and panic crushes me. Suddenly, my body is moving. I don’t even know how, but one minute I’m facing out. The next I’m facing Rauk. Then those dark eyes are level with mine.
“Breathe with me,” he orders.
“I can’t...” I gasp on the words.
Hetakes my hand and places it on his chest. “Feel my breathing and match yours to it.” I shake my head, but he pushes my hand harder on his chest. “Breathe with me. Match your breathing to mine.” I manage to take in some air, but it hurts my ribs. I stop sucking in a full breath as pain lances my chest. “It’s just pain, Harper. Push past the pain and take in oxygen. Come on; I thought you were stronger than this.” Anger at him flares through me, and I suck in a breath. “Come on, Stabby. Do it again.”
I suck in another breath. “Don’t...call me...that.”
“Call you what? Stabby? How about Violent then?”
“No.”
“Savage?”
I suck in a breath in anger. “I’m not...a savage,” I grit out.
“Wild then.”
“No.”
“How about one of my favorites then? Fierce.”
“Would you like me to show you just how fierce I can be?”
“Not particularly. All right, I’ll just stick with my favorite one.”
“What? Stabby?” I demand in irritation.
“Well, that’s my second favorite one. My first favorite is,” he pauses.
“Is what?” I demand.
His eyes lock onto mine. “Dangerous.”
I consider it a heartbeat. “Okay, you can keep that one. I like that one.”
He smirks. “Of course you do.” The look on his face softens slightly. “Can you breathe better now?”
I frown. “You did all that on purpose.”
“Guilty as charged.”
