Chapter 4

Jayla was just taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air when her internal radar screamed a warning.

A sharp whistling sound cut through the wind from her left flank. A blade of compressed water, razor-sharp and moving at lethal speed, sliced through the air toward her neck.

Her body reacted faster than her mind. She didn't step back; she dropped. Her center of gravity plummeted as she bent backward at an impossible angle, her back nearly touching the ground.

The water blade missed her nose by a fraction of an inch. It slammed into the rock wall behind her with a loud crack, leaving a deep, smoking gash in the stone.

The attacker didn't pause. A young female with sea-blue hair burst from the bushes, a sharpened bone spike in her hand. Her eyes were red with fury.

"Die, you bitch!" she shrieked, lunging forward to drive the spike into Jayla's heart.

Jayla snorted. Instead of retreating, she stepped into the attack. Her right hand shot out like a viper, her fingers locking around the female's wrist with unyielding force.

She squeezed. She targeted the pressure point precisely. The female howled in pain, her fingers spasming open. The bone spike clattered to the ground.

Using the female's own forward momentum against her, Jayla pivoted at the hips. She yanked the attacker over her shoulder and slammed her face-first into the muddy, leaf-covered ground. The impact knocked the wind out of the female.

Before the girl could gasp for air, Jayla dropped one knee onto her back. She wrenched both of the girl's arms behind her back, pinning her to the earth like a butterfly on a board.

The entire counterattack took less than three seconds. It was fluid, brutal, and absolute.

"Who sent you?" Jayla demanded, her voice cold enough to freeze water. She stared down at the back of the girl's head, her eyes devoid of mercy.

The female struggled wildly, her cheek pressed into the dirt. She spat out a mouthful of mud and blood. "I'll kill you for what you did to my brother!"

Brother. The word triggered a rapid search in Jayla's newly acquired memories. She matched the blue hair, the facial structure. This was Riona Butler. Jordi's sister.

Jayla's grip on Riona's arms loosened by a fraction. The killing intent in her eyes faded, replaced by a weary resignation. She couldn't kill the sister of the man she was supposed to heal.

Suddenly, a horrible scraping sound echoed from inside the cave. It was the sound of scales-ruined scales-dragging across stone.

Jordi had heard the fight.

He was crawling out of the cave. The sunlight hit his eyes, making him squint in pain, but he didn't stop. He dragged his mutilated lower body across the rough ground, his hands clawing at the earth to pull himself forward.

"Riona! Run!" Jordi screamed, his voice raw and desperate. He was trying to get to Jayla, to put himself between her and his sister.

His fingernails tore as he scrambled over the rocks, leaving bloody smears. He didn't seem to feel it. He just kept pulling himself forward, a man willing to be torn apart to save his family.

Seeing his desperate struggle, something twisted in Jayla's chest. It wasn't her emotion; it was a phantom guilt left by the body's previous owner.

She let go of Riona and stood up. She walked slowly toward the crawling Jordi, her hand outstretched to help him up.

"Jordi, listen to me..." she said, trying to soften her tone.

But to Jordi, her approaching figure was the angel of death. He saw her hand reaching for him and panicked. He scrambled backward, his hands frantically pushing against the dirt.

His torn nails dug into the soil, blood mixing with the mud. He didn't seem to register the pain, his only thought to get away from her touch.

"Don't touch her! Take me! Do whatever you want to me, just let her go!" he sobbed, his mind completely shattered by fear.

His reaction-the visceral, physical revulsion, the absolute certainty that she was about to torture his sister in front of him-hit Jayla like a physical blow. It was a slap to her operative pride.

Riona scrambled to her feet, throwing herself in front of her brother. She bared her teeth at Jayla like a mother wolf protecting her cub.

Jayla stopped. Her outstretched hand hung in the air for a moment before she slowly curled her fingers into a tight fist. She pulled her arm back to her side.

She looked at the two of them, the fierce sister and the broken brother. Brute force and sweet talk weren't going to bridge this chasm of hate.