Inseparable (Rise of the Iliri Book 4)

by Auryn Hadley

  "Yeah. I hear that's what they all say."

  "Well, I'm sure not gonna fuck ya with those two standing beside me."

  Sal glanced at his crotch, and then back to his face. "I'm not buying it."

  "Fuck yeah, I get hard. It happens in battle, too," Raj shrugged defiantly. "Doesn't mean I planned to use it. Trax said to shake you up a bit, get that chip off your shoulder or he'd take it out on us. Was just supposed to be a little hazing, but my dick gets hard anytime I'm in a confrontation." He jerked his chin up. "Happens to most men."

  Sal shook her head in disgust and turned away.

  He scrambled after her. "Sal! I'm not gonna touch you, but just stop."

  She sighed and let him catch up. "What?"

  "Can't you like read minds or something?"

  "No. Well, yes, but not yours."

  "Ok?"

  "Only iliri and grauori minds. Well, kinda. It's complicated. I can't read minds, I can just talk in my mind with people I'm linked with."

  "Fuck. Then that's out."

  The disappointment in his voice convinced her. "Ok. Fine! I'll make sure Sturmgren knows."

  "Seriously? You just sit down and chat with General Sturmgren?"

  Sal looked at him strangely. "Yeah."

  "You do know that most of us don't get that, right?"

  "And most of you haven't bitten a king either. What's your point?"

  Raj actually chuckled at that. "Fair enough. Thanks. I mean it."

  With a sigh, she turned to the barracks one more time. Raj fell in beside her like there had never been a problem between them. She wanted to bite the idiot but refrained. They walked in silence for a bit, but before they were back to the practice arena, the moron had one more question.

  "What's with the tattoos?"

  "It's an iliri thing."

  His eyes roamed her uniform. "So all of you are inked?"

  "Some more than others. I think I have more now than Cyno, but I had more to say."

  "Say?"

  Sal stopped and turned to him, pinning her ears to her skull. "Ok. Look, I really don't give a shit what you want. I don't care what you need, and I don't care if Azure lives or dies. Can I make that any more clear to you? None of this is my fucking problem. You learn to use your weapons, or you don't. You don't try to convince me to make your life easy by slipping poison into my water. I couldn't care less that you want to fuck me. It's how I was designed. But don't ever try to drug me again. Next time, I'll let them all kill you."

  Shooting him with one last murderous look, she turned again and walked back to the arena.

  "What are you going to tell them?" he asked.

  "That shit's been dropped."

  "K. And I ain't gonna say shit, ya know?"

  "Oh I know," she promised. "You say shit; I'll kill you. I'm not joking Raj. I'll kill you, and the Conglomerate can't do a single thing to me."

  "Yeah. I kinda see that."

  Chapter 15

  Drago Trax drilled them until well after sundown that night. To make up for lost time, he'd said. When they were finally dismissed, the humans were exhausted and the iliri were more than a little annoyed. That's when Drago passed her a blue envelope. The seal on it was from Ran Sturmgren. Sal read through it while she walked back to the barracks with Reko. Evidently, the General wanted to meet with her over lunch. Most likely, it was about her dropping the charges, but she had a few other things to talk to him about, so it worked out.

  When the two iliri reached the barracks, she told Reko, "Grab a bath, and meet me in the hall," as she tossed her scabbards over her shoulder.

  "You still have your friend coming by?" he asked, meaning Arctic.

  "Yeah. He was here already but had to step out for a bit. It doesn't take long, man. Explaining it all takes longer, and you won't need us close for that." Sal chuckled. "Not if you're anything like me, that is."

  "K," Reko said. He looked at the ground a moment, then flicked his eyes up to her quickly before dropping them again. "Sal?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I wouldn't trust them. They'll try it again, you know."

  She reached out and grabbed Reko's hand, waiting for him to look at her. "I won't be in my room for a while, Rek. I got this covered."

  "Your brother?"

  "Yeah. Devil Dogs are just upstairs. There's no rule against it so no one can say a thing." Her other hand dangled the keys to Zep's room.

  "K. Then let me get clean, and I'll meet you back here."

  He turned toward the bathing area while she went to her assigned room. Sal grabbed a few items and shoved them into a pack. Some of her stuff had been moved. Her uniforms were wrinkled, and the mattress sat on the bed perfectly straight. She just shook her head, grabbed her packs, then closed the door behind her. If she made an ordeal out of this, it would only encourage them.

  Unlike most bases, in Myrosica, the military had gender separate bathing facilities. Supposedly, it was to accommodate the local customs. The women's bathing room was nearly empty. A few ladies reclined in the tubs, but the atmosphere was private. Sal slipped out of her clothes and stepped into a tub of warm water, dunking herself completely. She scrubbed furiously at her pale hair, rinsing it well, and had just started on her body when a dark skinned woman claimed the tub next to her.

  "Nice tats," she said, propping her leg on the edge of the tub, a razor in her hand.

  "Thanks." Sal hoped that would end the conversation.

  The girl refused to take the hint. She pointed at her own throat and nodded to Sal. "Blades?"

  "I guess word's already gotten out. Yeah."

  "Sorry to hear about it. Sucks what they did to you all. I'm Rayna, by the way. Devil Dogs."

  "Sal. We've met before."

  The girl laughed. "Yeah, in Prin. Not claiming Azure, eh? Don't blame you for that at all. They've become a joke."

  "Please tell me they weren't always this big of a mess?" Sal asked.

  "Well, no. It's been years, though, Sal. Five or so? Something happened up in Unav, and they've been pretty much fucked since."

  Sal nodded and rinsed the soap from her body. Then she leaned forward in the tub and ran oils through her hair, thinking the chit chat was over, but Rayna spoke up again.

  "I'm jealous, ya know. I hear iliri don't shave."

  Sal flicked her eyes over, watching the rhythmic swipes the girl made down her legs. "No hair to shave. They made us to be bald. I'm surprised we even got hair on our heads."

  "The men too?"

  Sal ducked her head, but it didn't stop the smirk. "The more iliri, the less hair. Most of the Blades didn't even own a razor."

  Rayna giggled. "Good to know. So what's the deal with Valcor Zepyr?"

  Sal looked at the girl closely, and she easily met Sal's eyes. "You will have to ask him," Sal said.

  Rayna shook her head. "Nah. Heard he has a girl staying with him for a few. Made sure it wouldn't be a problem. Said she's iliri." Rayna looked at her pointedly.

  "Yeah. I'm bunking with him tonight, and for a few, it looks like."

  "So you two a thing?"

  Sal huffed out a sigh. "Does it matter?"

  Rayna shrugged a little too innocently. "Yeah, kinda. I respect the Blades. Not gonna get in the middle of your shit, but he's damned nice to look at. Pass me the soap over there, would ya?" Sal handed the bar to her, and Rayna continued. "Look, Val's not like the other guys. He's not an ass, he's polite, and he's pretty. Put that all together and I figure it makes the most sense to ask."

  "He's not mine if that's what you want to know. Make a try for it if you're interested. He won't."

  "Yours? Damn." Rayna chuckled. "And what do you mean he won't?"

  "Zep won't flirt with you. He won't hit on you, and he's sure not going to try to get in your bed. That doesn't mean he wouldn't want to, but he sure won't try. If he's interested, the most you'll get is a compliment until you show an interest."

  "Why?" Rayna asked.

  "He's iliri. It wouldn't be rig
ht."

  The girl let out a strong, ringing laugh. "He's as human as they come, Sal. Except for that tattoo on his neck, we never would have guessed he came from the Blades."

  Sal turned her attention to a knot in her hair, carefully working it free. "Maybe on the outside. He's been iliri too long, though, and that's what you like about him. I don't know what he'll do, but I can tell you what he won't." When the strands came free, she stood. The water ran from her body and Sal grabbed a towel, stepping over the edge.

  "Hey, Sal?" Rayna asked before she could leave. "We heard about the other night. You're good on the second floor. No one's fucking with you up in the Dogs. K?"

  "Thanks," Sal said honestly as she left. "I owe you guys."

  Rayna groaned before yelling out to Sal's retreating back. "I don't have a fucking chance, do I?"

  Sal just shrugged and kept walking. The girl smelled like a human. She seemed nice enough, but she was completely human.

  Sliding a short black dress over her head, Sal tucked her navy uniform into one of the bags, then ran her fingers through her hair to help it dry. A query from Arctic tickled her mind, and she collected her bags and weapons, then made her way back into the hall. Reko leaned against the wall, waiting quietly, so Sal told her brother where to find them. A few moments later, he strode confidently through the halls, glancing around for pale heads.

  "Thought black wasn't allowed," he told Sal, eying her dress.

  "After hours, Raewar. No rules on what I wear off duty."

  Arctic pulled her into his arms, tucking his face deep into her neck. "Ayati, I've missed that. You smell amazing, demon."

  She pulled back to look at him. "Didn't know it bothered you that much?"

  On the other side, Reko chuckled. "You probably wouldn't understand, Sal."

  "This the guy?" Arctic asked. "Isn't he...?"

  Sal nodded. "It's cleared up. He was raised the same as I was."

  Reko said, "Yeah. From what I could dig up, we were probably born the same month, in the same facility. We're both pets, man."

  "Ah, gotcha. Ok, this should be easy then," Arctic said, holding out his hand. "Here."

  Reko looked at him strangely but took it. Their fingers closed on each other and his eyes lost focused for a second. Sal felt something like a finger trailing up her spine.

  "Is that what I was like?" she asked.

  Arctic blinked twice before turning his eyes back to her. "It's different for each of us. You? Well... let's just say we all noticed it. Reko's softer."

  Sal nodded, then looked at Reko, Can you hear me?

  The man's eyes widened. Yeah. Perfectly. This the link?

  Yep. Guys? Name yourselves to him so he can get the voices?

  They all called out their names into the link, even the pups. Jase made sure he called out last.

  Cyno. And she's mine.

  Reko laughed, biting it off when he realized that wasn't just in his head. I've been warned, sir. So is it always an open channel?

  No, Sal said pulling him into private. Feel the difference? If you make a private conversation with a couple of us, you hear a click as someone enters and leaves, like this. She opened Arctic into their chat, and he clicked into place.

  Am I a demonstration? he asked.

  Yeah.

  Ah, yeah I hear that. Anything else I should know? Reko asked.

  One thing popped immediately into her head. If you don't control it, you can bleed into the link. Feelings, emotions, perceptions of where you are, things like that. You'll catch it if you surprise one of us. We use this to intentionally pass information, like to show appreciation. You cannot lie like this, either. Now that you're linked, you'll be able to hear the grauori, too. Hwa, Roo, Rhyx, and Raast are grauori. The girls are just pups still, so cut them some slack.

  Ah yeah. Thought they sounded young and was pretty sure you were the only woman. Makes sense. Thank you, Sal. She felt his tension ease. It's nice not to be the only one.

  You have no idea, man, Arctic thought. "I have to run," he said aloud to both of them. "Told the Captain that I had some paperwork to turn in, so I can't stay."

  "Thanks, Arctic. I appreciate it."

  He grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "Be safe, demon, and tell Zep he's a sly bastard for me."

  Sal laughed and squeezed his fingers. He pulled her into an embrace just to kiss the top of her head. "I miss you, kid. Just ten more days," he whispered before releasing her and disappearing down the corridor. Sal felt the loss as his back vanished from view.

  "You love them, don't you?" Reko asked.

  "Yeah. Each one is different, but they're all mine."

  "I see that." He gestured to her chest. "I had to teach myself, but I can read some of that."

  She hadn't expected that. Where she'd just accepted her life, it seemed that Reko had spent his searching to know more about what he was. "Yeah. You get anything good from it?"

  He shrugged. "Enough to be jealous. That's some pretty nice things written. May I?" he asked, indicating her right arm.

  Sal held it out, and Reko turned her arm gently, looking at the lines across the inside, near her armpit. "How many times has Zep saved your life?"

  "I stopped counting because it depends on what you consider as saving. He says one, I say three."

  He slowly released her, cautiously lifting his eyes to hers. "I'm glad he's here. I'll leave you be, Sal. You've been beyond kind." Pausing, he smiled at a thought, then looked back at her. "Maybe one day I can earn one of those," he said flicking a finger toward her neck before he just turned and walked away.

  Sal grabbed her bags from the floor, slipped her weapon belts over her shoulder, and trotted up the stairs. Evidently, Reko was nothing at all like she'd expected. He also seemed a whole lot less feral than most of her brothers. That's probably because he'd been raised just like her. When your options were to act like a human or be beaten? Yeah, playing the part was something they learned fast. She'd almost forgotten after spending so long in Anglia.

  When she reached the second floor, she saw men in grey and a gold so dark it was nearly orange. Sal turned left into the hall and glanced at the tags on each door as she passed. A few men laughed among themselves, others made rowdy comments, but all had smiles on their face. The atmosphere up here was completely different than downstairs with the regular army and Azure. Sal kept her head down, hoping to attract the least amount of attention possible, and kept looking for the room that matched the key in her hand.

  Chapter 16

  A hand grabbed her shoulder. Instinctively, she dropped her packs, grabbed the hilt of her knife, and let gravity pull it from its sheath. Meeting the man's eyes, her blade came to rest against his ribs. He glanced to her neck and nodded, looking completely unconcerned about the iliri with a weapon threatening him.

  "Just making sure. We take care of our own up here," he said stepping back. His eyes dropped to the blade, then went wide. "Is that really steel?"

  "Yes," Sal said, confused at his calm acceptance of her retaliation.

  "Sal, right?" he asked. "Valcor's on his way in. He got stuck with stable duty and asked me to make sure someone found you. I'm Ryekir Bodovar. Anyway I can talk you into letting me touch that?"

  Sal raised an eyebrow. "My blade?"

  "Yeah. I've never touched real metal before. Heard it was heavy as shit."

  She flipped the blade in her hand and held it out, reaching to grab the other from where it had fallen. When she pulled it, Ryekir nodded.

  "Stories only give you one," he said, hefting the blade.

  "Got the second in Anglia." She offered it to him as well.

  "Serious as fuck? You trust me that much?"

  Sal chuckled. "No. I trust that I could kill you."

  He nodded, acting like that was completely normal. "Fair enough. Damn, they’re heavy. How do you use them?"

  "You trained in knives?"

  "Knives, yeah, but these things are daggers. Little longer than I'm used to."


  Sal nodded, tossed her packs against the wall, and grabbed her swords, throwing the empty scabbards toward her packs. "Take a stance."

  He eyed her dress. "Seriously? Live weapons and no armor?"

  Sal shrugged. "I've killed men in less. I swear I will not cut you, nor hold it against you if you cut me."

  "Can't pass up the chance." He took two steps back and flipped his offhand weapon over, pointing it down.

  "Turn the blade. They only have a single good edge," she suggested.

  He glanced down and rotated the hilt in his grip, then nodded at her. With a little smile, Sal lifted her swords, black in her right hand, white in her left, and moved toward him lightly. She feinted, and he made to block, the heavy dagger moving easier than he'd expected. She feinted with the other hand, and he controlled it. With a nod, she stepped sideways and swung at his leg slowly. Steel rang against resin as Ryekir blocked the shot easily, so Sal picked up the tempo. The man gained confidence quickly, and moved from defense to offense, but Sal parried each one without strain.

  "Try harder," she suggested, and he chuckled but complied.

  Each block made a ringing sound that carried down the halls. Soon, men began to gather around them. None of them said a thing, they just watched. Sal tapped Ryekir gently on the shoulder with the flat of her blade, and he took a swipe at her belly. Her short dress swirled around her legs as she spun and thrust, yet he never took his eyes from her sternum.

  "I see you've got a feel for them now," she teased.

  "Yeah, let's kick this up a notch." And he pressed her back. Sal retreated under the pressure of his attack, her sabers slower than the short knives. The new guy noticed. "Don't tell me it's the knives. I know you're better than this."

  She grinned, but her ears were still up. When he swung at her again, she stepped toward him, her fists inside his guard, and brought the hilt of each sword down on his wrists. His hands spasmed and jerked open. The steel knives clattered to the ground. Ryekir laughed and shook out his hands, bowing as he retreated out of her personal space.

  "Nice finishing move," he said, pointing with his chin at her weapons, "but how do you get the kill with your swords out of position like that?"