"ARGH—!"
The impact was definitely immediate.
More than anything, for a dragon that hadn't needed to fight or feel pain in a very, very long time, it hit him in a way that was unexpected.
His body jerked, the restraint he had been maintaining fracturing as a strained, involuntary sound to escape him, sharp and unrefined, before he could suppress it. Blood followed, thick and dark, soaking into his clothing and spilling down his arm in uneven trails.
For that single moment, control slipped.
Then he forced it back.
He forced his breathing to steady, straightening despite the pain settling deep into his bones. His hand tightened around the wound, not to pull the scale out, but to keep himself from showing more than he already had.
She studied him, the amusement still lingering in her gaze.
"Still thinking you can talk your way out of this?" she asked lightly.
