Ivories seal over the rippled, muscular arm of the predator; but such meek efforts couldn’t make a dent in his power over me. It wasn’t enough…my failing strength resists. His sweaty, dusted musk fills these flared nostrils. Incisors clench, bracing against the waves of pain as his feet scrap and hook over my body. A keel sound rises from between my lips as he continues to shift, gaining leverage with each raking heel. Pinions strain pitifully, their energy reserves are bone dry. He presses me down, straddling my spine between his legs, digging those nasty toes into my hips.

The grasp on his ankle slips, losing ground.

I brace for the feel of teeth when his groan of pain reaches my ears, but the demon seems to enjoy toying with me – he doesn’t bite in retaliation. I hear the winged king, but his presence has become a fading ray in the corner of my mind. He is a glimmer of hope amid a darkening world. Mini stumbles toward it, fueling my tormented soul with hate and breathing on the fire, my will to survive. ‘We have to’, she whispers, cutoff by the raspy laughter which fills the hot air.

For one harrowing moment, my pained, quivering muscles grow still. Ears tilt sideways; there was no mistaken the fading drum of feet. Disappearing! He…I imagine scene of his sprint, his escape…those foaming waves plunge my spirit into dark waters. My throat tightens and the precious air in these lungs dissipate. No…fresh tears spring forth; my subconscious crumbles. I hear his garbled speech – unfamiliar words that I’d never translate. Lips inch apart, releasing him and allowing my head a final boon as it falls against the ground. Pressure and pain grow in my chest.

‘Please…’ she whimpers, but I don’t have the strength to fight any longer.  

An ebony face springs in the front of my mind. Chocolate eyes are narrowed, glinting with the same savagery as my tormentor. ‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper to that angry face. A hot breath lavishes the delicate corridors of my neck; enticing the dirty hair and skin beneath to writhe in dread. His teeth scrap dangerously, following the hot path his tongue takes. My body resists, quaking and tensing…but these red rimmed eyes flutter shut as another wave of pain threatens to extinguish my awareness.

Branches crack… thunder? I blink, irises tilt up just in time to see a winged creature dive past the snarling canopy. A golden eagle. The crushing weight is flung from mine! A spark of hope ignites in my chest, lungs gasp a breath of air – sharpening my consciousness!