Blazing Glory by Angelique Voisen Page A

croak,
but only animalistic noises came from his mouth.
    Damn
stupid and reckless mate.
    His eyesight cleared a little, but
Blaze wasn’t anywhere close to running. Blaze had his back to Levi. The air
sizzled around him, and bright vermillion flames came to life over his
outstretched, burned hand.
    The Biter let out its horrible
mocking laughter. Whatever hopes Levi clung to died the instant the tiny flames
sputtered and went out.
    Blaze grunted with obvious effort
and tried again, but the flames died the moment they came to life. Collapsing
to his knees, Blaze let out an anguished, frustrated cry.
    Levi managed to crawl to him and
nudge his side with his muzzle.
    “I’m sorry, Levi,” Blaze whispered.
His uninjured hand sunk into Levi’s bloodied fur.
    Hold
on, Blaze. I have one last trick up my sleeve, or fur.
    “You both were truly amusing. Shall
I turn you two into my children, so you can see your city burn?” the Biter
taunted.
    “Fuck you,” Blaze hissed.
    Blaze’s grip on Levi’s fur
tightened. Levi could taste his fear and growing despair, but there was relief
there too. Relief his nightmare was ending and Levi was there with him. It was
almost enough, but Levi was one selfish bastard.
    Even if his life ran out, he wanted
Blaze to live. He sure as hell didn’t spend the last few months searching for
Blaze, only to see him die.
    Levi gathered the last of his
strength, hoping it was enough for what he intended. When Blaze loosened his
hold, probably with a last suicidal attempt in mind, Levi swatted him gently
back.
    “Fuck, Levi—”
    Levi didn’t hear the rest. Ignoring
the pain in his side, he sprung at the Biter. He sunk his vicious claws and
teeth into the creature’s leg. It let out a surprised and pained howl of rage.
The sound was music to Levi’s ears.
    He just hoped Blaze was smart
enough to do the right thing for once, and didn’t let his sacrifice go to
waste.
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Watching in horror from the
sidelines, Blaze felt time come to an abrupt halt.
    Is
this really happening?
    The Biter easily shook Levi off its
leg as if it was shaking off a pest. Levi flew like a bloody brown stuffed bear
and hit a gravestone. The howl of pain Levi made and sickening crunch of bones
sounded real enough to Blaze. This was real.
    “No. You stupid
fucking bear! Didn’t you promise we’d both live?” Blaze’s good hand
curled into a tight fist. His burned hand fell stiff and useless by his side.
“Get up, Levi. Get up!”
    Levi didn’t move. He didn’t even
twitch.
    Inside, Blaze felt torn up and
useless. Whenever he tried to conjure flame, his innate ability seemed to draw
farther inside him, refusing to come out. Even calling a tiny disc of flame felt
like he was lighting his own skin on fire—like he was pulling out something
heavy inside of him, but the more he tugged on it, the heavier it grew.
    The Biter’s reptilian yellow eyes
settled on him, and its massive jaws opened to a ghastly smile, showcasing its
disproportionate fangs. It lumbered toward Levi’s unconscious form.
    Levi couldn’t die. If Levi died,
Blaze would soon fade and wither away too. It was a selfish thought, but it was
the only one keeping him fighting.
    For the first time in months, Blaze
realized he badly wanted to live to see another day and move on to better
things like Levi said. To have Levi by his side, working, eating, and talking
together. Fuck. Why did Levi have to do such a foolish thing?
    It made him seething mad.  
    “No. Get the fuck away from him,
you monster.”
    Blaze’s words had no effect. At the
fringes of his vision, he could see the mass of zombies, but he didn’t care.
Fury swept through his entire body. He took a several steps toward the Biter,
seeking the lost magical reserves he knew was still there. This time, before
the metaphysical energy fled, he grasped a firm hold of it.
    “No more playing around. Take my
life if you want, but I have to save Levi.” Blaze didn’t know where