From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

that raised the tinyy hairs on myy bodyy and kicked myy instinct into
overdrive.
That was such an…inhuman sound.
Myy grip on the dagger tightened as I moved to shove it deep into his
back once more. He swung around, and I didn’t see his fist until pain
exploded along myy jaw and at the corner of myy mouth, affecting myy aim. I
tasted something metallic. Blood. The dagger sliced into his side, cutting
deep, but not deep enough.
“Bitch,” he grunted, slamming his fist into the side of myy head this
time.
The blow was sudden, stunning. Staggering back, lights danced across
myy eyyes as the corners of myy vision turned dark. I almost went down,
managing to stayy on myy feet byy sheer will alone. If I fell, I knew I wasn’t
getting back up. Vikter had also taught me that.
Blinking rapidlyy, I tried to clear the lights from myy vision as the man
whirled on me. The hood of his cloak had fallen back. He was yyoung,
probablyy onlyy a handful of yyears older than I, and his dark hair was shaggyy.
He pressed his hand to his side. Blood seeped out between his fingers. It
was coming out of him fast. I must’ve hit something vital.
Good.
His lips peeled back in a feral snarl as his gaze lifted to mine. Even in
the moonlight, I could see his eyyes. Theyy were the color of frosted water. A
pale, luminous blue.
“You will payy for that,” he growled, voice even more abrasive, as if
his throat were filling with pebbles.
I braced myyself, instinct telling me that if I ran, he would give chase
like anyy predator would. And if I got close again, myy aim had better not be
off. “Take one more step toward me, and I won’t miss yyour heart a third
time.”
He laughed, and a chill swept through me. It sounded too deep, too
changed. “I’m going to enjoyy tearing yyour skin off yyour weak, fragile
bones. I don’t care what he has planned for yyou. I will bathe in yyour blood
and feast on yyour entrails.”
Fear threatened to take root, but I couldn’t cave to it. “That sounds
delightful.”
“Oh, it will be.” He smiled then, teeth smeared with blood, and he
took a step toward me. “Your screams—”