An unexplainable thrill rushed over my body. Every single nerve felt as if on fire. Nothing could stop me now. I would not let him run again. I tried to think, to plan, but my mind refused to work. It was like someone had reached into my skull and flicked the power off. Only the urge to chase remained.

The attacker's frame was right ahead. His head turned my way, eyes widening, confusion twisting into something close to fear. I could almost smell it from here, bitter and sour on my tongue.

Yeah. You better be.

Elira's arms hung limply, her body thrown over his shoulder like a broken doll. Her hair dragged and bounced with every step he took.

My mind screamed the worst outcome, but my heart demanded I calm down. She was probably only unconscious. I was still maybe four hundred meters away. With my speed, it would take no more than six seconds to close the distance. I tried to plan, but the crimson world before me shoved the idea out of my head. I was losing myself.

"DROP HER!" I shrieked, voice tearing the air. Even the grass seemed to hold its breath under my rage.

He halted, eyes locked on mine. A mad smile crawled across his face, tracing the scars that split his skin.

My arm shot out. Elira bobbed within reach, just a little closer, just a little more speed from my tired wings and I would have her—

His hand moved like a loaded sling.

"Sure, if you ask for it." He tossed her like a sack of potatoes. She hit the ground with a sick, crushing sound. The impact made the dirt split and scatter. Her body folded, limbs splayed, hair spread over the soil like a dark halo.

"No." A wet whimper left me. Tears burned the corners of my eyes. The crimson world folded into black around the edges. Shadows swallowed everything. All I could make out was his silhouette, a dark promise.

"I'll kill you!" The scream ripped from my chest, raw and animal. Hatred poured out of me so hot it made my lungs ache. Beelzebub skree'd from my shoulder and launched like a stone from a sling. He flew straight at the shadow, fur bristling, tiny teeth bared. I felt his fury as if it were my own. He hurt as much as I did.

My body shook against whatever held me back, muscles straining like coiled wire. Strength poured into me with each heartbeat, hot and heavy, and my nails forced their way out of my skin, pushing longer, sharper. My fingers cracked as the tips split free, pain and power braided into one. I felt myself calcify and bloom at the same time, as if bone wanted to harden into a weapon. I would not hold back. I beat my wings with everything left in me and cleared the distance in a single, burning breath.

The shadow ahead solidified into the man. His arms moved with cruel skill, swatting Beelzebub aside, the little hamster cracking against him and flying off. I felt that impact as if it had struck me. My wrath flared hotter.

I clenched my fist until my nails bit into my palm. I was next to him in a breath and my fist came down for his head. He slipped like smoke, faster than I expected. A hard, hot shock tore through my abdomen as his fist drove up from below. Air left me in a slam. I spat a mouthful of bloodied saliva onto the ground.

Adrenaline snapped me back. I twisted in the air, using the momentum to spin on my heel and land on my feet. The ground hit under me, rough and bright. I pushed off instantly, coiling like a spring. Beelzebub found him again, a furred bullet, teeth clamping into calf and tendon. The man howled and kicked, but the hamster held on, dragging tiny black veins across skin.

I struck again, nails scoring his shoulder. He blocked with an arm, but my elbow caught his jaw on the follow through. He staggered. I felt my strength answering every blow, raw power humming under skin. He tried to shake me, swinging wild, but my movements tightened, precise and hungry.

He backed, shadow curling at his feet, reaching like ink. I did not give him room. I closed the distance, slashing across his chest. Flesh opened, warm and shining. He twisted, yanked Beelzebub free, and the hamster flew off, shrieking. The man lunged, a brutal arc at my ribs. I folded, letting the hit graze me, then drove my knee up into his sternum. The crack of bone was a bright sound. He choked.

Blood smeared my knuckles. My nails grew colder, harder in my grip. I felt them prowling at the edges of my palms, eager. He threw a wild haymaker. I stepped inside its arc, my fingers finding the seam of his neck. My nails dragged, tearing through skin and tendon. He tried to pry my hands away, fingers clawing, but Beelzebub bit his wrist and would not let go.

Every strike fed me. Every bite from the hamster siphoned his strength. His swings slowed. His breath came ragged. I kept moving, relentless, a pure thing of motion and hunger.

My nails tore into him, long slashes gouging his chest. Beelzebub sank his teeth into the side of his neck, little jaws clamping hard while dark veins bled under the skin. We moved like one, faster than before. Blood slicked my claws, hot and bright.

He twisted, hard, and wrenched Beelzebub free. The hamster screamed, flew back, skidding across the dirt, then sprang up and charged again. For a moment, it was only me and him. He stepped backward, feet light, every move avoiding the line of my blade-fingers. His fists slapped against my hands when he could, blocking blades with bare knuckles, grinding my strike aside.

Rage made my vision narrow. I folded up the world and pushed through with everything I had. I used {Shadow Step} and pushed forward.

The air tore before me. He should have been caught off guard, yet he was not. His body vanished like smoke and then slammed into me from behind, elbow driving into my spine. Pain rippled through me, a violent spark that made my body twist instead of break. I turned, claws arcing through the air, slicing the side of his neck. Blood sprayed in a fine mist, heat splashing across my cheek.

He didn't flinch; his knuckles drove into my ribs like a pair of wooden gauntlets. I grunted, folded, then snapped upward with both wings flaring. The gust split the smoke around us, and I brought my fist up, catching his jaw. The crack of his bone sounded sharply, making me smile.

He stumbled back, spitting blood, only for me to crash into him again. Every strike we threw met flesh, skin tearing under impact, bone rattling against bone. My claws sang against his forearms. His knees slammed into my sides. The dirt under our feet gave way, breaking into shallow craters with every move.

I leapt for a quick attack, yet he was faster, catching my wrist midair, spinning, and slamming me down. The ground shook as the dust rose. My back screamed in pain, but I rolled sideways just in time, avoiding his stomp, and cut at his ankle. Blood leaked down his leg. I felt it splash my face, warm and disgusting. I grabbed his other leg and pulled as hard as I could. His body hit the ground with a violent thud, shaking the ground.

We rose together to our feet, like two animals chained by rage. I ducked under his next punch, let it graze my ear, and pushed my palm into his chest, forcing him off balance. He swung a wild elbow and met my temple. Dizziness overwhelmed me, but I moved through the pain, hands grabbing his shoulders. I drove my forehead into his chin, then twisted, using the impact to hurl him aside.

He rolled once and came back on his feet, blood trailing from his mouth. I rushed again. My nails tore through his side. But his steel-hard knee found my stomach. We broke apart, only to collide again in the next breath.

The world burned around us. Every movement left new scars on the ground, black marks in the dirt. Beelzebub flew between us, biting, scratching, clinging. His shrieks mixed with the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

He caught me in the ribs again. I answered with a claw across his chest. He tried to counter, but I grabbed his wrist mid-swing, twisted until the joint popped. His grunt was sharp, brief. I slammed my knee into his gut, sending him staggering.

We circled, both gasping, both bleeding. Steam rose from our wounds. My skin pulsed with light beneath it, veins glowing red, nails lengthening further. I was losing my humanity. I wanted to embrace my vampire.

I lunged again, spinning low, my foot cutting through his legs. He hit the ground hard. Before he could rise, I fell on him, raining blows: fists, claws, knees, whatever I had at my arsenal; each one a wordless scream. He tried to cover, to block, but my strength had grown too wild. Every strike carved deeper. His blood soaked my arms. His movements slowed.

I lifted him by the throat, feeling the pulse weaken under my fingers, and slammed him down again. The ground split under the weight of it.

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