7 Deadly Instincts (The Sinfire Chronicles Book 1)

Gray gazed into the faces of his enemies. There was such hatred there…in all the eyes. But where was Blonko? He’d tried to kill them before during the Redemption Midnight. He had to be around somewhere.

“If you attack us, we will kill you,” Gray said simply. “And I’ll fucking kill the Magistrate if he comes for us because what we do will be in self-defense. This is your chance to leave this place alive.”

Blythe smiled, changing even then, her face elongating and growing scales. Her eyes were a terrible icy blue. She wasn’t her full dragon form—more of a hybrid, but she was huge and hulking. “We’re not going to kill you. You’re going to get lost in the Underdwell. It will be a great tragedy. And your fucking sponsor will never, ever be allowed another squad ever again.”

Pinch stepped in front of Gray. “Tillwick. You can’t—”

“But I can!” he hurled shuriken.

“And I certainly fucking can!” Kabe said, exploding into flames.

It was ten against seven—but Squad 23 weren’t just any recruits.

Pinch deflected every single one Duskdrop’s mana stars with her sword.

Midj gestured with both of her hands—one of her giant mana hands slammed half of their enemies into the desk. The other slammed in front of them just as Kabe hurled fireballs. They exploded against the golden magical hand, which also caught Duskdrop’s mana shuriken.

Rynn dashed forward and stood in the middle of the remaining recruits and vented her core. They rest of the people went flying.

But the elf girl had used too much mana. She collapsed but Gray was already channeling mana into her core.

Lucky he did. Kabe had a spear, and he darted forward, trying to skewer her. But she dodged it. In fact, she kept on dodging his attacks, rather easily, until she could get around to him. She then hacked into his leg, sending him to the floor.

Duskdrop had a long slender sword—glowing with mana, and he tried to stab her but she avoided it and backhanded him. It was like she knew where his attack would be.

But of course she did. Her adept ability was Clear Sight, which was tied to her Humility Resonance.

Even as Duskdrop staggered back, ice started to form around Rynn’s feet. She was frozen to the spot, at least for a moment.

The orphaned sister—Limborda screamed and attacked. She had a pair of short swords, magical in nature. Rynn couldn’t move to defend herself.

The woman suddenly fell to the floor, writing in pain.

Ames was standing back, throwing pain from a distance, and getting mana from the cruelty.

Tomi had shifted into her full Karijun form and she was slashing into Blythe. The dragonish woman snapped at the cat girl, but Tomi had thrown herself backward. She reached out with a claw.

And suddenly Blythe seemed to be under a crushing weight. She tried to move, but she was so slow, and that allowed Tomi the leap on her, grabbing her by the throat with her own fangs.

It was Tomi’s adept ability—she could weigh down the bodies of her opponents while speeding up her own attacks.

Since Tomi had Blythe right where she wanted her, Lilian rushed past her, already starting to flame up. Her sword was as bloody red as her core. The heat from the princess’s flames freed Rynn, which, which allowed them both to engage the next round of attackers.

Gray stormed forward and smacked the dog woman across the face with his stick. The explosion of mana shattered her face. He didn’t know if he killed her or not, and he didn’t care. He’d killed before, indirectly, and this felt cleaner. He’d given her a chance to walk away, and she hadn’t taken.

Fuck her for playing a game he couldn’t win. He scooped up the idol and tossed it under the bed. Maybe they’d survive the fight and still win the Reckoning. Might as well not give up until things looked completely hopeless.

A second later, jaws clamped onto Gray’s arm, flinging him back out onto the balcony. It wasn’t Blythe—she was fighting Tomi, no, this was one of the dragon sisters.

The other sister was there, but she wasn’t a dragon. She was the younger one with the white dagger in her belt.

Gray went to vent his core, but he never had the chance.

Deedaena Magnifica stabbed him in the side and left the dagger there.

Then she shifted, turned, and used her tail to bat him off the balcony and out into the Weeping Well. The wind hit him—chilly and foul—but that wasn’t all. Ghostly hands made of shadows, wind, and mana grabbed at him. It was like they had long rags on their disembodied arms—but it wasn’t cloth. It was pieces of their flesh, whatever they were.

Somehow, he knew they wanted to pull him down to the bottom of the Weeping Well and into hell.

He thought he was doomed, but then he heard Pinch scream. She flew out on bright red rings into that clutching wind made of ghostly hands and snatched him away. They were in that awful, freezing, stinking wind for just a moment before the fae girl flew back into the palace, into another room below the fighting. It was another bedroom, but far smaller and darker. The walls were covered in black velvet tapestries showing all manner of defilement. Pinch’s bloodless blade lay next to them, still glowing and giving them light.

Gray looked down to see all the mana in his core being drained into the dagger. It was a killing blow. If he lost all of his mana, he would die, his very soul drained away.

Weaker. He was getting weaker, so weak, he couldn’t heal himself. His arm was bloody and broken…again.

“Fucking dragons,” he spat.

“No, Gray,” Pinch was breathing hard. “We have to…we have to help you.”

He went to pull the dagger out, but he didn’t have the energy.

Pinch didn’t have any trouble at all and pulled it out. She pressed her hand against the wound to try to stop the bleeding. He would’ve healed himself if he’d had any mana left.

No, the dagger had done its job too well. He’d been drained of mana, and he couldn’t think straight enough to try and get more. Even if he could manage to absorb some from his resonance, he’d lost too much. It was an eerie feeling—like when he thought he’d completely lost his core after the Final Hold match on Culling Day.

Pinch tried to kiss him, but there was nothing inside of him to react to her.

“No, Gray, you can heal yourself. You can…”

The dagger started to glow brighter and brighter and brighter. It didn’t just steal mana—it stole mana and then exploded.

Pinch reacted in a flash. She grabbed the knife and flung it out of the window they’d crashed through. Just in time. There was an explosion that ripped through the stone and filled the air with debris.

They were alive…barely…barely…barely.

Gray walked on the edge of consciousness. He was going to die. There was nothing to do to stop it.

He was on the floor, looking at some painting on the ceiling, but he couldn’t really see what it was. Maybe it was Malchutt up there. Maybe not.

Pinch was next to him, looking down into his face, her hand back against his side.

Memories of holding Ames came to him. Ames, while she died.

He knew that both the Quelling elf and Rynn could feel his life slipping away. He saw them—or could feel them rather—collapsing in the battle above them. Lilian, Tomi and Midj would have to take up the slack and fight those fuckers with everything they had.

Crippling him had crippled their entire time.

Pinch put her bloody hand onto his heart. “Gray, this isn’t how our story ends. It’s not. Do you know why?”

One of her tears dripped onto his cheek. He felt something in his core stir. He knew what it was. He found the strength to speak. “Pam, I don’t…I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Because you’re a fucking idiot,” she whispered. “Or I am. I’ve fought it for months now, since I first saw you.” There was so much emotion in her voice she could hardly talk.

What are you…even talking about?” Every word was a struggle.

“I’m not going to fight it anymore. Can you take mana from me? Can you find the strength?”

Just being near her was doing something to him. He didn’t know what it was, but he thought he could. “I think so. But Pam.”

She kissed his cheek. “It’s Pinch. Call me Pinch. Are we going to get married, Gray? Are we going to bond forever?”

He knew what she needed to hear. “Yes. Me and you, Pinch. The toughest fae girl in the Belly. The girl who dreamed of love like in the stories.” His voice caught. Talking felt impossible but he had to do it. “We’ll find a way out of this, you and me, and we’ll get married. We can build a home together. We can have our love story.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I knew we’d get married, you and me, but I had to fight it. I’m not going to fight it anymore. I love you.”

She kissed him on the lips, and he felt her core crack.

“No, Pinch, you can’t…” but even that kiss had such energy to it.

“I love you,” she whispered, her voice getting weaker. The darkness of her hair was draining away becoming white as the mana leaked out of her core.

And into his. He felt stronger—strong enough to sit up.

They were facing each other now. Her beautiful purple eyes were losing color as well, turning white.

Her hands were cold on the back of his neck, as she kissed his lips, over and over, and over. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

And with each word she became weaker as he became stronger.

She’d broken her core oath. She was becoming a husk right before his eyes. And he couldn’t stop her. He couldn’t do a thing because she was letting herself finally fall in love and it was destroying her.

Her lips were cold and the light was out of her eyes.

But his core had mana now, so much mana, and he kissed her back, but she was gone.

“I love you too, Pamalee Thornpinch. We’re going to have such a nice life together. We’ll eat such good food, travel, stay in inns, and make love all night long. You’ll get your happy ending, Pinch. All of your dreams will come true.”

His words—all those lies—fell on deaf ears.

She slumped over to the side, eyes open, staring, staring, and staring.

And not seeing a thing.