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."

him once that his big sister was gone for good-dead, no way

pleaded to change

it wasn't his sister,

moment he agreed, the needle stabbed into his thin vein. Bright red blood rushed into the

quick, they'd chosen a big,

shot through him like a jolt,

His whole body flinched.

of the doctors

tiny teeth digging in to stop himself

eyes, but he blinked

want to let the

he imagined saving her-the kind woman who might be someone's

his own. He didn't want anyone else

pain,' he told himself. 'I

kept flowing into the bag, and his lips

a fight against pain so intense

bag was full, heavy with his

we stop?" The nurse's

at the head

taken enough to harm Zach's growth. Any more, and he

still wasn't enough for