For that bitterest lesson, she’d hated them all.
And that night she’d learned her most vital piece. To thine own self be true. Not just with honesty, but with charity first. For no one else would ever stand up for her when it mattered most.
In the end, you come into this world alone.
Alone you will leave it.
Feet first.
She’d entered this world fighting, with someone else’s blood on her fists, and that was exactly how she intended to go out.
Grinding her teeth, she caught the largest Adoni warrior a punch to the jaw that sent the giant bastard reeling.
Then, turning, she flipped the next one from his feet and delivered a punch to his throat. Her ears buzzed from the rush of blood. Fury coursed through every part of her as it demanded more and more of their life force.
The beast in her was awake and it was starving.
They surrounded her. Outnumbered her. There was no way she’d survive them all. She knew that beyond a doubt.
She didn’t care.
War wasn’t always about survival for yourself. It was about protecting what you loved. Preserving those you held sacred so that they could carry on after you. Making suretheyhad a future. And if that meant sacrificing your own for theirs, so be it.
One life for the many.
Medea felt a piercing pain in her side.
And still fought. Even though the pain threatened to send her to her knees, she refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her fall. Her mother had raised her better than that.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind.
With a vicious hiss, she moved to clobber her attacker, then froze as she caught sight of the most insanely gorgeous man in any world.
“Falcyn.” His name was a prayer on her lips.
“You had to know I wouldn’t leave you behind.” He cradled her to his chest and ducked so that Shadow and Blaise could cover their retreat.
Tears filled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Morgen let out a fierce shriek.
Falcyn turned on her and fire-blasted her. Then he took Medea back to his cavern, where Maddor quickly joined them. He laid her down on his bed so that he could inspect the wound in her side. “I can’t leave you alone for five seconds, can I?”
“It was more than five seconds, dragonfly. Do I need to buy you a watch?” She hissed and slapped at his hand as he touched a tender place.
“Oh! Hey!”
“That hurt!”
“Yeah, I know.” He shook his hand.
Scowling at him, she fished his dragonstone from her bra and returned it to him. “Don’t even start with me.”
His jaw went slack. “How did you manage to get it back?”
“Ain’t no bitch going to handle my man’s rocks while I’m around. Really?”
Maddor’s eyes bugged at her words. “I’m going to wait outside.”
