Read Fatal Ties: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Lillim Callina Chronicles Book 7) for Free Online Page B

slip away like whispers in the wind. No, I had to end this now.
    I tore forward like a comet, hoping to end the fight before the giant got back up. The muscles in my legs corded with effort as I sprang upward in the air in a flash of energy that turned the ground beneath my feet to ash.
    As I sailed through the air, katana raised overhead so I could bring it down on the creature’s jugular, Hrym backhanded me, and since his hand was almost as big as I was, it was like getting slapped by a moving barn door. Stars shot across my vision as I crashed onto the deck of the ship and skidded several feet. My head pounded in pain as I shook myself in an effort to get my vision to stop spinning. It felt like every bone in my chest had broken, and even through my Dioscuri fighting suit, it felt like I’d been cut to shreds by the deck.
    “You broke my nose. You’ll pay for that insolence,” the giant cried as crimson goo poured from his trashcan-sized nostrils and splashed against the deck. He tried to wipe the blood from his nose away with the back of one hand, but he seemed so woozy he mostly just wound up smearing it across his snowy beard. Good, that meant we were both still recovering. If he’d just shrugged off my blow, I’d be in trouble.
    “That isn’t all I’m going to break,” I said, getting to my feet. “So you can just add it to my bill. Trust me, I’ve got loads of insolence left to spend.” My bones creaked and popped as I faced the still-recovering giant. What can I say, if there was one thing I was good at, it’s taking a punch.
    “You dare mock me?” Hrym bellowed, fixing me with an icy stare that caused ice crystals to spread across my chest. Holy frig, that was nuts.
    “It’s a thing.” I shrugged and met his gaze. It felt like someone had dumped ice water down my soul’s back.
    “Maybe.” The ship listed beneath me as he spoke, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the crashing waves or from the giant hopping to his feet like a backup dancer at a Beyoncé concert. “But I’m starting to think you can’t beat me.” A smirk played across his blackened lips. “I don’t understand why you didn’t just stab me in the face when you had the chance, but I’m sure there’s a good reason.” He reached for his axe with one blue-nailed hand. “Who the hell punches people when they have a sword?”
    It was a fair question. The answer was simple. I hadn’t known what to expect from him in the way of physical fortitude. Since drawing energy from Isis was the only thing keeping me on my feet, the absolute last thing I wanted to do was shatter her on his skin. My hand, well, that would have healed. Now that I knew he was squishy on the outside, I’d be more than happy to introduce him to the pointy end of my sword.
    “I didn’t want this to be over too soon,” I replied, slashing my sword idly through the air between us. Blue light leapt from the blade, casting ominous shadows across the deck of the ship. “I’ve got a lot of issues to work out on your face with my fists.” I shrugged. “Besides, punching someone in the face is strangely satisfying. It’s why Superman still hits people even though he’s strong enough to throw the planet into the sun.”
    “Has anyone ever told you, you’re annoying?” the giant said, and as his massive fingers closed around the tree-like handle, I sprinted toward him with all the speed my magic could muster. My footsteps resounded across the disgusting deck of the ship as lightning crackled in the sky above.
    “I get that from time to time,” I said as he drew the axe and flung it at me in one smooth motion.
    I dropped to my knees and leaned way back as I slid forward. The blade passed over me in a spinning arc of death as his foot came flying toward me. As it did, I drove the palm of my left hand square into the arch of his iron boot. I’m not going to lie. It hurt. A lot. Almost enough, I wished I’d had a better plan. Unfortunately, I didn’t. So