The incoming blade was swift, faster than Kieran had time to process. There was no fancy movement to be done, no time to evade, only enough separation to react using primal instinct.
He raised his arm with a forearm reinforced with blood to defend his neck. Rhaenys' second attack echoed his surprise attack unleashed upon Adeia, aimed at his nape.
The blood formed wasn't smooth, seeming more like a mix between scales and a tough hide, but not resilient. It had stopped Rhaenys' swift attack but had done a mediocre job.
Her attack bit into dense bone, eliciting a sharp inhale and retreating from Kieran. He regarded her cautiously, his expression shaded with extreme vigilance.
A hearty chuckle escaped from between Rhaenys' carmine lips.
"Why did you just step away so? Scared that I'll bite? I don't…" she paused with a brief, chilling smile, her expression contorted with intoxication reaped from rife carnage. "But my blades do, darling."