Page 137 of Sunsplitter

And it fuckinghurt.

Another teleport. Another. Another. Fi’s insides were melting. She recognized the skin-scalding, viscera-singeing sensation ofdematerialization, just like how her transport stones worked. One jump was a strain on fragile mortal flesh. After several in a row…

When they finally stopped, Fi collapsed into a dry retch. Her stomach was on a mission to crawl out of her throat. It took several ragged breaths, down on her knees, before her skin stopped writhing like a coat of fire ants. What a wretched method of transportation. Tears blurred her eyes as she finally forced the motor function to look up.

Glowing golden irises stared back.

The aedari loomed over her, as tall and otherworldly as their first encounter, despite his simple human shirt and trousers. His long ears were tipped in golden plumes. They alsomoved, flattening against his head in what Fi interpreted as bird-person angry. Wings spread from his back, layers of energy feathers as bright as sunlight.

They were alone.

No snap of static on her tongue. The aedari had struck too quickly, must have teleported away faster than the daeyari could track.

So much for the plan.

When the aedari reached for her, Fi struck back like an angry mongoose.

He’d taken her sword, tossed to the ground out of reach. Fi Shaped raw energy into her palm instead. The daeyari capsule in her pocket was too strong for bare flesh, so she dragged energy from her own muscles, condensed into a silver dagger blade in her hand.

Strike hard, Ixli had said. Fi swung for the aedari’s throat.

Gold snapped against silver. The creature’s flesh was like metal, the resistance absurd. Energy burned the skin of Fi’s palm as she drove her blade in a meager inch. Maybe two.She’d known a dagger wouldn’t decapitate, but she’d hoped to slow him down at least.

The aedari snarled and batted her arm like a gnat. Her dagger vanished as he grabbed her wrist, pressure so tight, Fi swore she heard something crack. Through the pain, she lashed with her free hand, clawing at his cheek with energy searing her fingertips.

He pinned her other arm. Fi writhed as he held her in place.

How odd, when he opened his mouth. Not the flesh-rending maw of a daeyari. This creature’s teeth were mostly flat, only his canines longer than hers.

Fi still flinched when he lurched for her.

She shouted as teeth clamped her neck, his mouth scorching hot.

Then, an explosion of pain that turned her vision white.

Fi burned from the inside out.

Every muscle turned molten, liquid fire coursing from her fingertips, through her chest, combusting at the spot the aedari’s mouth met the base of her neck.

No pierce of fangs. No ripping flesh. Just burning.

Fi needed to get his mouth off her. She needed to escape the hands digging bruises into her arms. She needed to fight and claw and snarl, but she couldn’t seem tomove. Her useless muscles locked in place. She tried to Shape a current but found nothing to grasp.

Because this bastard aedari was ripping it out of her.

Energy drinkers. Fi rioted at the tearing sensation of energy forcibly pulled out of living tissue. She screamed at the burn of flesh exposed to too strong a current, energy shredded out of muscle and viscera, a scorching path, a fire brand where it concentrated at her throat.

Then, an equally wretched cold.

After the initial blaze came the slake of ice, like shards of glass beneath Fi’s skin. Energy depletion. Muscles exhausted oflife-giving heat, weak and shivering. The numbing cold sliced through flesh and sank into her bones.

The aedari kept drinking. He sucked a deep draught of her energy.Swallowed, hot and revolting against her throat. Fi clawed useless nails against his arms, too weak, a helpless husk in this immortal’s hands.

She couldn’t die like this. She couldn’t leave Antal alone.

He’d have seen the aedari grab her. She’d promised they’d do this together, that he’d be there when she needed him—

Something yanked Fi backward, out of the aedari’s grasp.