A Gift from the Goddess by Dawn Rosewood novel Chapter 92

Chapter Ninety–Two 

“My last words?” I asked, my breathing heavy. ‘Yeah... I guess I have something to say.” 

Or at least, I have something to do. 

“Fuck you,” I spat. 

And with that, I grabbed the blade firmly within my one good hand and pushed it backwards with all of my strength in one quick movement. Strong enough for it to fly right into Thea’s face, sending her straight to the ground. 

I waited a moment to make sure she was down before proceeding to throw the sword into a corner as far away as possible. With two injured hands, it was impossible to wield it so removing it from the field entirely was better. 

I didn‘t waste time after that though. Somehow, even though I was still weak, I then slowly managed to get back on my feet. I had to use the wall to support me, pressing against it until I could stand on my own unsteady legs. 

However, my legs were probably the least of my current issues. After all, with two severely damaged hands and a sword wound to my shoulder, the condition of my body was already terrible. 

Despite my grim situation though, I was thankful for one thing at least. Thankful that she hadn‘t anticipated my attack. I‘d picked up on the fact that she was acting as though she‘d already won. Her grip had been loose, barely even trying to hold it steady against my chest, and that had cost her. A mistake born from her over–confidence. 

“You bitch,” she yelled, getting back to her feet. 

But I didn‘t wait 

Immediately, I stepped forward and kicked her directly in the chest with all my strength, sending her flying right into the opposite wall. 

...And everything instantly swayed around me. As if the walls were living creatures. 

I wanted to throw up. 

FOCUS 

Before I could fall down, I quickly shot my leg out to the side and steadied myself, allowing me a short moment to balance again. 

“You think that will be enough to hurt me?” I heard her say from somewhere in front of me. 

And with that, a blow was then suddenly dealt to my face, stinging pain replacing where her hand had just been... and, before I knew what was really happening, the ground looked a lot closer than I remembered it being. 

I reached out with my arm, grabbing for the wall desperately, and thankfully prevented myself from completely falling down at the very last second. 

“You think a child like you is worthy of such a thing?” she continued. 

...And it was followed by yet another blow. This time it was a kick to my ribs that forced all the air out of m y lungs… and a metallic taste to fill my mouth. 

‘*“It‘s a good plan... but you need to adapt better,‘*‘ | suddenly heard Aleric‘s voice say in my head. They were the words he‘d said to me the day we were sparring in the gym, an echo of a distant memory now. 

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*You can‘t expect the other person to just stand there and not counter it. You need to think ahead more. Visualise how your opponent will move.”** 

But that was easier said than done when it was already taking all of my energy just to not pass out. I could forget about using any of my abilities to sense her moves right now. I would be lucky if I just somehow managed to survive the next few minutes alone. 

Though I couldn‘t help but think it was a little ironic. How, of all times to recall that memory, I was remembering that day in the gym right now. Because, just like how Aleric had been during that practice fight, I now, too, didn‘t have use of my hands anymore. With one dislocated thumb and another with slices embedded into it from the sword blade, it was almost as if the roles were reversed. Though, obviously, I would rather my hands be handcuffed behind my back as opposed to my current painful situation 

... But maybe that was the exact reason I had dredged up the memory. 

Just a little longer. I wanted to survive... for just a little longer. 

And so I pushed myself off the wall, immediately turning my body as I saw her move in for another hit, and narrowly managed to dodge her attack. Once again, it seemed she had underestimated me severely and was surprised by my quick evasion. In fact, she had underestimated me so much that she didn‘t even expect me to use her own momentum against her, kicking her leg out from under her mid lunge, and sending her flying back to the ground. 

It was the same technique Aleric had once used against me. I‘d spent so long trying to win against him that day that I must have learnt a few of his tricks in the process. 

But the move came at a cost though, one that immediately took its toll as the whole room began to sway once more. Worse still, it was followed shortly after by specks of black dots that began to cloud my vision. I wouldn‘t be able to keep this up for long. My body was already past its limit. 

“You stupid…,” Thea started, pulling her leg up in what would have been an attempt to kick me from the ground. 

But I quickly jumped away as fast as I could. 

Although, that ended up being maybe a little too fast. 

The sudden jerk to my body caused me to wince from the pain and I grabbed at my shoulder, teeth gritted. 

“Enough!” Thea roared, now completely furious. 

...And I cautiously took another step backwards to be safe. 

Her eyes were filled with nothing but malice as she got back on her feet. So much anger... so much hatred. It was as though she wanted my death more than she even wanted Selene‘s in that moment. I could feel the sheer frustration and aggression rolling off of her in waves. 

*This was the creature inside my head all these years. 

“Why are you prolonging the inevitable? Do you think you can actually win against me? In your condition?” she sneered 

And I barely dodged another hit to my face, avoiding it by not even an inch as her fist flew past my eyes. I didn‘t respond though, instead I just silently countered the attack by kicking her knee out from the side, focusing everything on just my will to keep going. The move was weak but it at least forced her to spin into a crouch in order to prevent herself from hitting the ground again. 

Unfortunately for me though, she didn‘t let it stop her for long. Instead, she took advantage of the new position and used it to try and counter kick me, this time aiming for my shins in an attempt to submit met 

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chawki Ninely Iwo 

o the floor. If she could manage to get me down, we both knew the fight would be over. I wouldn‘t have the strength to get up again. 

And, though I did end up successfully jumping backwards to dodge her attack, I quickly realised she‘d done just that anyway. 

Checkmate. 

Whether her last attack hit me or not, it didn‘t matter. No, she had just been betting on me being too injured to have any real sense of spatial awareness, jumping away from her until my back was suddenly pressed up against the corner. 

...I was trapped. 

“Answer me!” she demanded and threw another punch towards me. 

...But I moved quickly, bringing my sliced up hand in front of my face and grabbing her fist before it could make contact. And, as a result, I could feel the cuts there begin to bleed once more. 

“You keep...,” I tried to say between breaths, my body beginning to slump. Already my grip on her hand had slackened, forcing me to release her. “You keep underestimating me... because of what I am. Because... because you think you‘re better than us.” 

“If you think we‘re equals then you‘re grossly mistaken. Possessing a piece of a God does not make you better than what you are. The fact you have even tried to fight me like this is proof of how delusional you are.” 

“But I wasn‘t...,” I said weakly, now starting to slip towards the ground. “I wasn‘t trying to win, Thea. I knew i t was over... the moment you pulled that blade back out of me.” 

“Then I don‘t understand. What was the point in attacking me? In causing yourself further needless pain?” 

“The point was... the point was to distract you... to keep you here... Just long enough for....” 

And then the thunderous sound of footsteps suddenly exploded from the top of the stairway, a melody of growling to accompany it. 

I’d never heard such a sweet song before. A fitting tune to die to. 

It was the sound of allies... the sound of my pack. 

Brayden had done exactly what I hoped he would do. He‘d rallied up an attack unit. Not just a few stray warriors who had been standing around upstairs... but a real force, with substantial enough numbers to be able to handle someone like Thea. It meant he had figured out that I was planning to delay her. 

We stared at each other silently for a moment, our faces resolute as we both refused to let the other get what they wanted. But unlike Thea, I wasn‘t playing a game as bad as hers. For her, the situation was growing more dangerous as every second ticked by. 

...How we‘d kissed. 

Thinking back now, it had been her voice screaming at me to pull away from him that day, filling my head immediately with doubt instead. But then... didn‘t that mean the feelings I‘d had for him were genuine during that moment?