Man, this guy could give Kale a run for the money in the arrogance department.
I gritted my teeth and focused on the faint trail that led up the rocky hillside. I wouldn’t have noticed it, if I hadn’t been looking—only the separation of tree branches marked our path. I couldn’t even say it was a human trail, more like something deer would cut out on routine trips to a watering hole.
We walked in silence, me shuffling along and refusing to let on how badly I hurt, Marcus scanning the surrounding woods. The sharpness in his gaze told me he remained on alert, despite the relative stillness.
After several minutes of feeling his tension smack into me, I broke the lull in conversation. “Do you think they’re still here?”
He nodded slowly. “They won’t risk it with me here, not with so few numbers. But they’re watching. Guaranteed. They’ll hang around until dawn breaks.”
“And you’re…okay with this?”
“It is what it is. Some things you just have to accept.”
“But you don’t have to. You could have walked away. Let me go on alone.”
His smirk reappeared in a flash. “You were doing so well on your own too.”
Okay, maybe I deserved that. Still, I didn’t have to like it. I grunted begrudgingly.
“This way.” He cut sharp to the right.
I followed, ducking under a thick, low-hanging vine. The path gave way to coarser gravel that shifted beneath my feet, making walking that much more agonizing. I spent the rest of the short climb focused on breathing, not gasping in pain.
When we reached a recessed opening in the limestone cliff, Marcus set my bag down beside his belongings and swept a hand toward the darkened space beyond. A small flame caught in an iron sconce, illuminating the rear wall. The shallow space couldn’t be more than twenty feet deep, thirty at best. But it was clear he’d inhabited it for a while. A pallet lay beneath the lamp, nothing more than a bedroll and two blankets, one rolled tightly into a pillow. In the middle, a circle of small stacked stones served as a fire pit.
Marcus grabbed the rolled blanket. “Let me get you someplace to sit.” He situated it near the fire pit then beckoned me over.
I sat down, relieved to finally be off my leg and more than a little anxious for some answers. “Okay, talk.”
He picked up a handful of small twigs and tossed them into the pit. “Quid pro quo—I tell you what you want to know, you tell me why you were with the Tolvenar and where you’re heading now.”
I considered my options. Refuse, and I’d likely find myself striking out on my own again, as uninformed as I’d been when I left the camarilla. Agree, and risk yet another person telling me I wasn’t capable or that I was guaranteed to fail. Take Marcus into confidence, and likely Kale would take offense. Shut Marcus out, and deny myself information I desperately wanted to know.
Screw it—I’d left Kale behind. While it made me uncomfortable to potentially betray his trust, how Marcus knew about my heritage concerned me more.
I met Marcus’s expectant gaze. “Deal.”
He passed another hand over the small pile of twigs he’d placed in the pit, and again, fire sparked. In seconds, the cavern filled with inviting light. I stretched my feet toward it, chilled by the late night air.
Taking a seat beside me, he reached for a fat leather satchel. “We share the same heritage. I don’t have your gift, but the Noita have guarded the secrets of the ancients since the dawn of time.” As he spoke, he withdrew cooking utensils and a hard hunk of something that suspiciously resembled meat. “Rafini predicted your coming. Your name has circulated among my people for decades.”
Once more, I stared, my jaw slack.
“We knew only that you’d come. Not when, not which century, only that you would.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I finally managed.
Marcus shook his head and shoved a sharp skewer into the stiff hank. He propped the long fork-like utensil against two large rocks, effectively positioning whatever it was over the flames. Then he reached sideways again and dragged a pottery jug closer. “Water?”
I nodded.
He passed me the heavy container, waited until I drank and swallowed, then began again. “It’s true, I swear. Halle Rhoads—it is Rhoads, right?”
Once more, I managed to nod, despite the frenzied whir of my thoughts.
“You come to us in need of something. He never shared what, or why. But he wouldn’t have confided if we didn’t have a role to play. And so, every Noita is raised with the legend and prepared to help however possible.”
I remembered Kale’s warning: They have their own agenda. Yes, they might help, but at what cost? I didn’t like it—my instincts went off like a fire alarm. I shifted away from Marcus, unaware I was doing so until his brow furrowed deeply.
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
I caught myself leaning obviously in the opposite direction. Suspicion crept into my voice. “What do you want from me?”
His filled with surprise. “Want from you? What makes you think I want anything?”
Well let’s see—my life experiences told me everyone wanted something. But Kale had reinforced that natural mistrust when it came to the Noita, specifically Marcus. I didn’t answer, merely stared unblinking.
He shook his head. “I have a duty to our mutual ancestors to grant you aid, should you request it. I’ve answered your questions. It’s your turn now.”
Smooth. If he thought my suspicion would be pacified with that, he evidently didn’t understand much about my dragon blood. But I chose to let his evasiveness go. However, I took care to use the same deliberate approach to answering what he wanted to know—enough truth to not be lying. Enough omission to disguise the truth.
“The Tolvenar were teaching me how to use my magic. Kale took me in to help them make a stand against my uncle. I was heading to the mines when you found me.”
“To use your magic?” A brow arched in puzzlement.
I shrugged. “I’m blocked somehow. Well, was. I’ve fixed it now…I think.”
He studied me for a drawn-out heartbeat. Dark eyes shone with some reaction I couldn’t put my finger on. Doubt perhaps. Or he could have realized I wasn’t disclosing everything.
He didn’t press. Turning to the skewered meat, he pulled it off the fire and retrieved a metal pie pan from beside the pit. “You’ll have to use your fingers, I’m afraid. And I haven’t but one dish. But I’m happy to share.” Setting it between us, he made the offering.
“What is that?”
Marcus chuckled. “You probably don’t want to ask.”
“Well, I have.” I poked the crusted exterior. “Is it edible?”
“Highly. Cooked the right way, it’s a delicacy among my people. This, though, is just burnt viper jerky.”
Viper—blech. I would have sworn it off if my stomach hadn’t been knotted with hunger. And the rice cakes I’d brought along just weren’t going to do the trick—they were like eating air. I poked the hard hunk again. “Is it poisonous?”
“Not any more.” He reached over and tore a portion off. “The venom helps preserve it, but the toxins cook out.”
Great. So not only was I eating something that slithered, I could become a trial for ante-venom. He was right. I shouldn’t have asked.
He handed me a chunk. “Try it. Hard on the teeth but it fills the belly.”
Reluctantly, I popped the bite in my mouth. Chewing was like trying to gnaw through wet bark. I gave up the idea and just rolled it around on my tongue until it softened. When I could finally sink my teeth into it, it held a surprising sweet-spice flavor. “Mm.”
“Told you. It’s better just slightly seared and fresh. But this will do.” He passed the water again.
We shared the slight meal in silence. I watched the fire and turned over the possible reasons why he might want to help me in my mind. There were no easy answers, nothing that stood out. Which onl
y led me back to my blood and the evidential powers it held. And sadly, I didn’t know enough about my heritage to make any solid connections. Rafini had been hunted for his magic. But he’d also been known, legendary in his conquests, far more so than I could ever be.
Exhaustion hit me as I swallowed the last of my portion. I braced my weight on my hands, stretched my legs before me, and let out a soul-deep sigh. When I’d left the camarilla, I hadn’t done much thinking about where I would sleep or how. But as I sat beside the flickering fire, I missed the recent evenings spent with Kale at my side. His big body would warm away the chill that clung to the stone surrounding me.
I glanced up to find Marcus watching me.
“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious.
“If I know Kale, he won’t let you wander far alone.”
Unwilling to reveal how much I hoped he was right, I responded with a slow, acknowledging nod.
Marcus gestured at his disheveled bed. “Go ahead and get some rest. We’ll set out tomorrow and need every bit of daylight to get to a safe spot to camp.”
“You’re going with me?” Astonishment pitched my voice higher. “What if I don’t want company?”
Marcus gently tossed the tin pan aside, his smirk once more intact. “I’ll say it again, Halle. The wise know when to ask for help.”
Grumbling, I picked myself up off the cave floor and trudged to the pile of blankets. I said nothing more as I lay down on my back and clasped my hands behind my head. Instead, I stared at the ceiling, envisioning Kale’s fury when he found me traveling with Marcus. No doubt sparks would fly. Only I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be the passionate kind we’d created the night before.
Twenty-seven
Morning came much too early. Marcus’ little cave happened to face the east, and the hard bed I’d tossed and turned on most of the night also happened to perfectly align with the entrance. I woke to a concentrated beam of sunlight shining on my face. At some ungodly hour when the birds had begun to sing but the rest of the normal wildlife still dozed.
Crazy damn birds.
I pulled the covers over my face with a mumbled stream of profanity.
“Not into mornings, huh?” Marcus chirped from somewhere to my left.
Slowly, I lowered the blanket to my chin. A slight twist of my head averted my eyes from the sun and let me glare at him. “Not this morning. How is it possible you picked the one spot where the sun hits first?”
His grin was entirely too jovial for whatever ridiculous hour it was. “Early bird gets the worm sound familiar? Can’t waste the day away when you wake with the start.”
“You did this deliberately?” Snapping the covers back over my face, I grumbled, “You are insane.”
In the next instant, the blanket jerked out of my hands and disappeared altogether. I barely managed to stifle a screech of surprise before I found him standing over me, blanket balled in his hands, his damned grin still intact.
“C’mon, ace. We’ve got to hit the trail.”
“Insane and an ass.”
He made quick work of stuffing the blanket into a sizable pack that he dropped near my feet. “Want breakfast? I found some fresh quail eggs.”
“I want to sleep.” Mustering energy, I sat up. “But since I’m being denied—I’ll pass on the eggs.”
He shrugged. “Have it your way.”
While he hovered over the fire pit, I dragged myself outside and down the trail a few feet to use the bushes. My joints ached from the hard stone I’d slept on, and after the encounter yesterday, my injured leg wanted nothing to do with walking. My calf twinged and burned with every step. Not exactly how I wanted to tackle a day-long hike. But I didn’t have much choice, and I didn’t want Marcus thinking I was a puss. So I sucked it up and pushed through the pain, telling myself that when I’d freed my mother I could relax as long as I wanted. Days if need be.
When I made it back inside the cave, Marcus had polished off his breakfast and had the rest of his meager belongings packed. He hoisted the pack on his back with ease, shrugged his shoulders till it rested like he wanted, and gave me a nod. “Ready then?”
“Just waiting on you.” I glanced around for my pillow case. “Where’s my bag?”
He inclined his head over his shoulder at his own pack. “In here.”
I all but snorted. “Gee, nice of you to ask.”
“I have an idea. You keep your foul mood under control, and I’ll actually lead you in the right direction.”
I glowered again.
Chuckling, he strode past me into the unwelcome sunlight. I followed, glaring at his broad shoulders, willing him to trip.
He didn’t, unfortunately. In fact, the pace he set would have left me winded even if my leg hadn’t been injured. In less than ten seconds, I could barely see him in the trees.
“Hey!” I called in a hushed voice. “Slow the hell down.”
“Oh. Right.” He halted, leaned against a tree, and waited for me to catch up. “Greenhorn.”
“Sorry, but I make it a habit to not run before noon.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t have a come back. But he did slow his pace enough I could keep sight of his dark khaki jersey as he wove through the overgrown path. I didn’t attempt to stay on his heels; I’d have been crawling by noon. That and, with a slight distance between us, he couldn’t hear me suck in a sharp breath every time my left foot came down.
One of these days, I was going to make a Jadukara pay for that bite.
Turned out, I didn’t have long to wait to fulfill that promise.
An hour into our hike, I blinked and Marcus had vanished. Bewildered, I stumbled on ahead, assuming the trail took a sharp turn and I’d find him around a bend. But as I neared a thick copse of shade, something grabbed my elbow. Before I could squeak, Marcus dragged me into the shadows. My heart in my throat, I opened my mouth to tell him off.
He pressed one finger to his lips with an adamant shake of his head. Then he pointed down the trail behind me. His expression had never been more grave.
As the hairs on the back of my neck lifted, I slowly turned around. My stomach knotted at the sight of shifting branches not more than ten feet ahead. The unmistakable sound of something heavy moving behind them made my pulse skyrocket. Fear slid through my veins. I knew that sound. Recognized the wheezy snuffling as a canine nose investigated the ground.
Two seconds later, two glowing red eyes glinted behind a frond of leaves.
Fucking hell. He’d said they were nocturnal. Why couldn’t I catch a break?
Then again… I eyed Marcus suspiciously. Maybe he’d made that up. I certainly had no way of knowing the Jadukara’s habits.
No. I refused to believe that fleeting thought. He had no reason to lead me into the Jadukara’s path. He’d protected me from them the first time. Even removed the silvery crap they left in my leg.
Unless that too…
Stop it.
I pulled in a deep breath and willed my pulse to even out. Below, a massive wolf emerged from the foliage and lifted its snout to the sky. Marcus whispered something in my ear. As I turned with a questioning look, the energy around me shifted. That all-too-familiar feeling of being somehow protected wrapped around me. Power I recognized. Magic that didn’t match Kale’s strong shields.
My magic. And Marcus knew how to use it.
Intuition told me he had done something to hide our scent. The way the Jadukara sentry lowered his nose and pivoted away from our direction confirmed that suspicion. Slowly, quietly, I exhaled.
The trees stirred to my left. Inwardly, I groaned—not this again. Starting my day surrounded by those bloodthirsty beasts wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind. But logic filtered through the hammering of my heart. I couldn’t exactly make a stand against my uncle if I let these wolf creatures reduce me to a trembling husk. I couldn’t let fear rule me.
Mustering my courage, I slid my gaze toward the approaching s
ounds. Marcus twisted to glance over his shoulder, his eyes narrow and searching. The hard set to his jaw that hadn’t been present a few seconds ago sent another rush of unease scurrying through me. He looked…worried. And just a little bit pissed off.
At me? I shoved the thought aside. Now wasn’t the time. I’d deal with that possibility if we made it out of here alive.
In front of us, the wolf halted, its haunches not yet clear of the path. Tail flagged nearly straight out behind, it lifted its nose. I could just make out the shadowy muzzle through a clump of leaves. Not good—it was listening. Or sniffing.
No, the damned thing was turning around. Son of a bitch!
I clutched Marcus’s forearm in a death grip and willed that beast to not join his companions. To keep moving on, before we became pinned in the middle. Marcus’s scowl deepened. His gaze never left the shifting foliage where the unseen creature lingered.
My fight or flight instincts took over. This was getting ridiculous. We could either wait to become trapped, or we could grab the upper hand and eliminate the closest Jadukara. I nudged Marcus with my elbow. When he turned his frown on me, I inclined my head toward the first wolf and mouthed, Now.
His scowl darkened. He gave one quick, adamant shake of his head, then jerked it to the side, indicating the other beast.
Crunching leaves to my left grew louder.
In front of me, the wolf pivoted another half-step toward the sound. Any second now and—
A figure broke through the overgrowth, emerging onto the path. Backlit by the sunlight, its features were nothing but a hulking shadow. Definitely human. Or maybe one of those beautiful beings the wolf had transformed into a heartbeat before he took a hunk out of my leg. But there was something familiar about the stride. And something even more familiar than the hint of a swagger that I hadn’t even realized had become so much a part of me— Tolvenar magic. It swept over me like a gentle breeze.
Kale.
The shadows broke, revealing his blond hair and giving shape to his athletic frame. He paused in the faint light, glancing at his surroundings, his expression intensely thoughtful.
Before the Storm Page 21
