The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The boy's thin arms were held down on the blood-draw table by two doctors, their hands gripping him like iron.

They weren't risking any wiggling. The force was harsh, pressing deep into his skin.

"It hurts..." the boy murmured, his small voice shaking as he tried to pull back without thinking,

"Zach, honey, it'll be done soon," a nurse said gently, her voice warm and comforting. "We just need a little of your blood to save someone. She's a wonderful, kind woman. You're not afraid of a quick pinch, are you?"

Zach Valor stopped moving when he heard her. That soft tone settled over him, and he quit resisting,

He tilted his head, his innocent face-like something out of a classic painting- looking up at her.

"Really?" he asked, his voice quiet but genuine.

The nurse locked eyes with him, those big, trusting eyes full of hope, and felt a stab of guilt.

But then she remembered the hefty bonus she'd get if Mrs. Grayson pulled through fast.

Pushing the feeling aside, she nodded. "Yeah, little guy. One quick sting, and that nice lady gets to live. You're the bravest kid I've ever met-no pain's going to stop you."

Zach's expression hardened with resolve. "Okay! If it saves her, I'm not scared."

his big sister was gone for good-dead,

to change it, but he

if it wasn't his sister, he could save someone else. Another woman. He'd do

into his thin vein. Bright red

it quick, they'd chosen a big,

a jolt, racing up his small arm and into his

His whole body flinched.

one of the doctors ordered, his voice

on his lip, tiny teeth digging in to

his eyes, but he blinked them

to

he imagined saving her-the kind woman who might

lost his own. He didn't

pain,' he told

into the bag, and his lips turned from pink to pale

a fight against pain so intense he

was full, heavy with

should we stop?" The nurse's voice

at the head

already taken enough to harm Zach's growth.

wasn't enough for