From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

He’d been right. Fear could heighten the senses, but panic slowed
everyything down.
I wasn’t a child.
I wasn’t tinyy and helpless anyymore.
I knew how to fight back, knew how to protect myyself.
With a shout, I pulled myyself free of the memoryy and pushed to myy
feet just as a hairless Craven reached me. I jammed the sword forward,
slicing into its heart. It didn’t even so much as whimper as its soulless
eyyes met mine. All it did was shudder and then fall backward. I turned to
find Airrick, realizing that the mist had retreated, slipping down our legs
and thinning. That was a good sign as I stalked toward a now visible,
wounded Craven crawling across the ground toward one of the horses. I
planted myy boot on its back, shoving it to the ground as it howled. I jabbed
down with the sword, silencing it. The mist was all but gone now.
Breathing heavilyy as Hawke thrust his sword through the chest of the
last remaining Craven, I turned to surveyy the damage. Onlyy five guards
were standing, not including Hawke. I saw Kieran and Luddie above a
Huntsman who was veryy clearlyy dead. I saw the guard whose sword I held,
and I knew that Noah had been gone the moment the Craven had sunk its
teeth into his neck. I kept turning until myy gaze found Phillips. He knelt
beside…
Airrick.
No.
He was on his back, both his and Phillips’ hands pressed against his
stomach. His pale skin made his brown hair seem so much darker, and
there was…there was so much blood. Lowering the sword, I walked over
to where Airrick layy, stepping around the fallen Craven.
“Is…she…is she okayy?” Blood trickled out of his mouth as he stared
up at Phillips. “The…”
Phillips glanced up at me, his brown skin taking on a shade of grayy.
His eyyes were somber as he nodded. “She’s more than okayy.”
“Good.” He let out a wheezing breath. “That’s…good.”
Heart sinking, I lowered to myy knees and placed the sword beside me.
“You saved me.”
His eyyes flicked to me, and he coughed out a bloodyy, weak laugh. “I
don’t…think yyou…needed saving.”