Blood. Rip, claw, rip, rip, more, dig, dig into flesh. A huge, pulsating sac swelled before me. I sliced into it, laughed when blood drenched me, and kept ripping. All around me, wet, hot redness shuddered. “Enough!” A force clamped me and tossed me aside. I flew through the air, landed on all fours, and charged my assailant. He tripped me and I fell. The air burst from my lungs in a rush. My head swam. The reality came back with ponderous slowness. I lay on my back in the grass, my body slick with reptilian blood. Slowly the rage faded and I saw Raphael. “Are you hurt?” I asked him. “Nothing dire.” The dragon’s corpse lay on its side, a dozen half-formed heads sprawling like the stalks of some disgusting flower. A big hole gaped in her gut. It looked like someone had tunneled through her. Teddy Jo stood bent over near her, breathing hard. “Did I do that?” Raphael nodded. “You ripped apart her heart. That’s what finally killed her.” “The apples.” I tried to get up, but my legs refused to obey. Raphael scooped me up. “Are you okay?” “Overdid it.” Drowsiness swept over me. My muscles turned to cotton. I stuck my ugly head against his neck. I felt dirty and awful. My stomach clenched. If he hadn’t pulled me out, I would’ve cut and sliced until I passed out. Slowly it sank in: we won. “I’ll take care of the apples,” Teddy Jo said. “You take your lady home.” Raphael looked at him. “Good fight,” he said. “Yeah,” Teddy Jo answered. “We didn’t do too bad. I live down in the Warren. Look me up if you wanna have a beer some time.” Raphael carried me off. “Don’t forget the boy,” I whispered. “I won’t. We’re going to get the boy and drop him off with my mother. Then I’ll take you to my house. I have a garden tub. We’ll get nice and clean and then crawl into our bed and sleep until noon. Would you like that?” “Very much,” I said and licked his neck. “Raphael . . .” “Yes?” “I killed them. The boudas who tortured me and my mother. I went back after Academy, and I challenged them and killed them all one by one.” He licked my cheek. “Come home with me,” he said simply. I held on to him and whispered, “You couldn’t keep me away.”