by Auryn Hadley
"From Devil Dogs?"
Sal nodded. "Why do you sound shocked?"
"I know Rayna," he said. "I forgot she'd gone to Anglia."
Sal looked at him and grinned. "I see she and I will have something to talk about then."
Kolt groaned dramatically. "It wasn't my best night, I assure you."
Sal laughed, pulling on a long black dress that Zensa had left for her, surprised to find that it was only slightly too large for her frame. "They got the right color."
Beside her, he dressed in a pair of black pants, pausing to find a black shirt beneath it. "I don't wear the tattoo."
"I called you a brother. That means you're a Blade."
He shoved his arms into the sleeves and shrugged the shirt over his shoulders. "Gonna take a bit of getting used to. Been Star Fall for a long time."
"They gonna hate you for defecting?"
A lopsided smirk crawled to his lips, hanging there for a moment before he laughed. "Yeah. They're going to be pissed. Even more pissed when they learn I'm not human."
He gestured to her belt, and she buckled it around her waist, glancing in the mirror to see that it complimented the lay of the dress well enough. Kolton grabbed his sword - Blaec's - and rehung the sheath so he could belt it on instead of wearing it strapped to his back, then he stamped his feet into his boots. Sal left hers with the other filthy items and strode into the hall with her pale feet peeking from the hem of the long dress.
"Kaisae," a woman greeted her. "I hope you feel better. I just heard about your time with Terric."
"It's nice to be clean. Thank you." Sal smiled at the woman but continued up to their room. Kolton followed right behind her.
The dim orange light of sunset tinted everything when they entered, reflecting off the bottle of mead sitting on the small table. He bolted the door behind them, and Sal sank gratefully into one of the plush chairs before the window. Tossing a weary smile at Kolt, she gestured to the chair across from her. With a nod, he took it.
"You still hanging in there?" He asked.
"Yeah. I'm just tired." Sal glanced to the stables below, watching the staff scurry about their chores. "You know we're going to raise horses? When this is all over, Arhhawen will be known for the amazing animals we produce."
Kolt chuckled softly. "I'm not the best horseman in the world, Sal."
"You will be." Her ears were sinking lower on her head, but she refused to look away from the window. "I'd never ridden a horse when I became a Blade."
He reached across and wrapped his fingers around her small hand. "And now you have all those memories."
"Of Blaec." Slowly, she turned to him. "He'd walk beside Arden with his hand on my thigh, patting my leg to remind me to keep it loose. He made me spend hours bareback with my arms at my side, learning to trust my horse and my body."
"Hours, Sal." Kolt squeezed her hand. "Hours that you had together."
"Hours where he knew this would all happen and never told me."
He released her hand to pour a small glass of mead for each of them, sipping at it before he slid one across to her. "Would you have wanted to know?"
Her ears flicked forward for a moment, then relaxed. "I don't know, but I hate the idea of him carrying it alone for so long."
"It's what prophets do, babe. They catch visions and they try to help the world with it. That's all Blaec did."
Sal tossed the drink back, her knuckles tight around the glass. "And this helps the world?"
"Him hiding it did. He knew you were important, and he made sure you'd be ready. He knew he wouldn't have eternity with you, so he took what he could get." Kolt shrugged. "He trained you to be the greatest Kaisae the world has seen, and gave you everything you need to survive this, including Jase."
As the last words crossed his lips, Sal surged to her feet, the glass shattering in her hand. "Oh no," she whispered. "No, no, no, no. That's not what he did."
Kolt was on his feet beside her. "What? Talk to me."
Sal shook her head, a few drops of blood slipping from her forgotten hand, the glass spread around her bare feet. "I was so cruel."
"Never." Kolt grabbed her hand, but Sal didn't seem to notice; her attention was on her memories. "Sal. You are not cruel. Not to those you love."
With a long breath, she finally looked at him. "When the Blades arrived in Anglia, I made Jase my Ahnor and moved Blaec to Dernor. He told me I made the right choice."
"You did."
"He said that because he knew!" Her voice broke.
Kolt grabbed the side of her head, forcing her to look at him. "Yeah, he probably did. That doesn't mean you were cruel. That just meant he could relax knowing you had someone to care for you. He just wanted to know you were loved as completely as you deserve. We just want to see you happy, Sal. Jase has always been there for you. He's the right choice. It doesn't hurt to know that. Not for us. It eases our minds."
"How do you know?" she hissed. "How would you, of all people, know that?"
"Now you're being cruel." Kolt's words were gentle but hit her like a sharp blow.
"He deserved more than me," she said, turning away, but Kolt stopped her.
He looked down at the glass on the floor. "Sit or let me carry you, but you will not ruin your feet simply because you're upset."
"I can heal it."
"And it will still hurt." Gently he pushed her back into the chair and slid his glass to her. "You already cut your hand, babe. Fix that and let me clean this."
Sal opened her fist and looked. Two sharp slivers were buried in her flesh beside a myriad of small cuts. She focused on extracting the glass, then closed her eyes to heal the damage. While she concentrated, Kolt kicked the larger pieces together then grabbed a small hand towel from beside the basin and wiped away the shards that he could find.
With her eyes still closed, but the cuts on her hand healed, Sal spoke. Her voice trembled. "I'm scared, Kolt."
He looked up from beside her knee. "Why, babe? I won't let anything else hurt you."
"Because I can't imagine living without him. I loved him so much, and I still lost him."
He rested his hand on her leg, the warmth seeping through the cloth of her dress. "It's ok to be afraid. It will never be the same, but that doesn't mean it won't be good again."
She leaned her head on her hands, her elbows on the table, trying to escape the pain that gnawed at her. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not Blaec. I just wanted us to finally be free."
"That doesn't mean Terric felt the same." He ran his hand down the long hair against her back, his touch comforting. "We can't always stop others from hurting us."
"I will," she vowed. "I will stop him. It may take a while, but I will stop him, damn it."
"And it will still never be the same." His hand gently clasped the back of her neck. "We can only try to make it better."
She sniffed and turned her head, one hand holding her hair from her face so she could see her guardian. "I want Las to worry more about selling horses than protecting his people."
"Me too," he agreed. "I want to go home to him and be proud of who I am. Sal, you've given me the chance to do that. Blaec gave me the chance. He saved Star Fall so I could do this."
Her pale eyes watched him. Silence hung in their air as she fought for the courage to ask the question he dangled between them.
"What are you doing?" she finally managed.
For the first time, he broke their gaze, dropping his eyes to his hand on her leg. He didn't quite submit, but it was the closest he'd ever come. "I'm protecting the Kaisae of all iliri," he said.
"Is that all?"
He swallowed, then took a long breath. "Yeah." He still wouldn't meet her eyes.
"I can't smell anything."
He nodded. "You've done a good job of reminding me that you can smell what I'm thinking."
"Kolt?"
"Don't," he muttered.
"Why are you protecting me?" s
he asked, ignoring him.
He stood quickly and slid one arm under her legs, the other behind her back, lifting her from the chair. Sal sucked in a breath and clung to him as he carried her to the bed. Her eyes searched his face, but he refused to look at her. The corner of his lip twitched up slightly as he lay her on the soft mattress.
Finally, he answered. "I'm doing this because you smell like wildflowers and I made a damned promise."
"Why?" she pushed again.
He sat beside her and tugged the long dress back over her calves. "I'm not the hero you think I am, but I'm gonna fucking try. I want to have people speak my name when I die." He closed his eyes and clasped his hands in his lap. "I just hope that when I do, someone wishes they could cry for me."
"I would," she promised.
"You'd cry for all of your brothers, babe."
"Yeah." Sal reached up and rested her hand on his back. "I love them all. I am iliri. We love stronger than humans."
He turned to her, his eyes bright and moist. "I know. Get some sleep, Sal. Might be the last good rest we get for a few days."
Chapter 37
The old wood floors of the inn creaked. The sound brought Sal instantly alert. Pale moonlight trickled through the window, and Kolt's breath was warm against her neck, but she knew he was awake. She could feel it.
In their sleep, his mind had joined with hers seamlessly, as if the mere act of touching had brought them together. He slept on his side, one arm under her head, the other holding her to his chest, his lips beside her ear. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she knew she'd been alone in the bed when it happened.
Where are your daggers? he asked.
Beside your hand. The other one.
When did you link me? His mind was still a bit groggy.
I didn't.
The lock of their door clicked, and Sal heard the grate of a key being removed. Kolt reached a bit further, grabbing her blades, but paused and feigned sleep when the handle turned. Sal let her eyes slip closed, following the sounds to track their unexpected visitor.
Light steps entered their room, and the door was pushed closed, gently, barely making a noise. The feet moved toward them. Kolt's muscles twitched, but Sal stopped him with a thought. It was just one person and no match for her. The steps stopped beside the bed and Sal caught her scent. Zensa, the Unavi Rebel leaned closer.
Sal's hand whipped out, closing on the girl's wrist, and her mind forced the rebel's body to freeze. "What do you want?" Sal asked as she opened her eyes.
"Kaisae, Terrans just rode in. They're looking for you." Zensa didn't fight Sal's control of her body.
"Fuck," Kolt groaned, sitting up. "Let her go, Sal."
"Sorry." Sal released the girl both physically and mentally. "How many? Where? Tell me everything."
"Looks like a full unit, but I only counted twenty-two. They rode in hard and saw the bays in the stable. Two men are down there asking a lot of questions and the stable boy said they seemed to recognize your horses. They asked if we had any Terran soldiers or iliri staying here."
"Shit," Kolt muttered.
"The owner said no. Said a pair of Terrans stopped for a meal and stabling, said they would return, and haven't been seen since."
"Thank her," Sal told Zensa. "How do we get out?"
"Blatantly," Kolt said. "Is there a man in town who's willing to pick a fight?"
Zensa wrinkled her brows. "Anything for the Kaisae."
"Good." Kolt grinned. "Sal will need a dress typical for this area. I need a man to play the jealous husband. After a loud and very public beating of her lover - me - he should take her home. I'll need a place to head when it's over. Sal and I will meet up not long after and just walk out of town."
Zensa nodded, thinking that over. "We have a human," she said, tentatively. "He wouldn't feel the urge to submit at her scent."
"It'll do," Sal assured the girl, "if you can trust him."
Zensa smiled. "He's my mate, Kaisae."
"Tell him not to be gentle," Sal said. "I will not be offended, and the Terrans won't understand a forgiving man."
Zensa nodded. "Fenryn is taking your things to my place. I will get a dress, but Kaisae, you should look like a crossbred."
"I can't change," Kolt said with a shrug. "Let's just hope no one recognizes my face."
Sal chuckled. "Zensa's husband can make sure of that."
"Petric," Zensa said. "He'll be wearing a blue shirt."
Kolt nodded. "Tell him not to try to hide this. We want the soldiers to see. Call me Syrik."
"Ok," Zensa agreed. "And your brother will take you home after the fight."
Kolt chuckled. "Yeah. This is going to suck, isn't it?"
"Yes," Zensa said, slipping out of the room.
It didn't take long before she was back. Voices had already started leaking up the stairs from the soldiers in the main room. Sal changed, giving herself pale strawberry-blonde hair and large blue eyes. She was curvaceous, but not so pretty as to tempt the Terrans. Zensa offered a pale brown dress, passing a white shirt to Kolt, gathered their dark clothes, then smiled and left again.
Sal didn't bother putting on the dress. Instead, she tossed it on the floor and moved to lay beside Kolt. He smiled deviously and tossed the shirt beside it. Sal giggled and reached for the laces of his breeches, slowly loosening them.
"You're evil," he groaned.
"You like that?" she teased.
"Last time I checked, I was a man." He tugged at his waistband. "And right now, I have a pretty, buxom girl in bed with me."
The board in the hall creaked, warning them of people headed toward them. "Kiss me," Sal ordered, tugging at Kolt's bare arm.
"Yes, ma'am," he purred, pushing her against the bed.
His mouth crushed hers passionately. When his tongue traced the tips of her sharp teeth, she couldn't stop herself from nipping his lip. If he was playing the part, he was doing it very well, Sal thought, leaning into his embrace. She let out a moan as the door flung open, lamplight spilling across the cheap bed.
"That's my fucking wife!" a man yelled.
Kolt broke their kiss and looked up. "Not tonight." He mimicked the accent perfectly.
The man wasn't huge, but he looked like he'd done his share of hard work. Broad shoulders and strong arms rippled under his very blue shirt as he stormed across the room to pull Kolt from Sal.
"Forever," he snarled. "That's what those vows meant, you whore."
Sal sat up, making no move to cover her naked body. "Then maybe you should spend a bit more time keeping me happy, and less playing with the boys!"
Kolt shoved at him, and Petric shoved back, giving Sal time to grab her dress and pull it on. The men were screaming obscenities at each other, Kolt positioning himself so that with each shove, he was moving into the hall. Their voices drew people to their doors and brought laughter from the soldiers below.
"Sounds like a bit of fun upstairs," one of the Terrans joked.
"Petric!" Sal whined. "Don't hurt him!"
"Shut up," Petric snapped. "If you didn't want him hurt, then you should have kept your legs closed."
He pulled his arm back and punched Kolt right across the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Kolt grunted as he fell, blood trickling from his lip, but he staggered back up, swinging wildly. Petric caught his hand and hit him again, this time in the eye. The swelling started quickly. Kolt dropped to a knee and looked up, catching Petric's eyes. He nodded and the human swung again, hitting him hard across the cheek.
"Not in my inn!" an older man yelled from the stairs. "You two want to duke this out, take it outside."
"Petric," Sal whined, grabbing his arm. "Just take me home?"
His face was filled with rage as he turned to her. "Home? After this?"
"Please?" she begged.
He backhanded her, and Sal reminded herself not to fight it, falling to her side on the wood. Petric closed the distance and grabbed her, hauling her to her feet, his large hand ti
ght on her arm.
"You are mine," he growled, yanking her down the stairs. "I catch you with that bastard again, and you can be buried beside him, you understand?"
"Yes!" she gasped, trying to keep up with his long strides across the common room. "I didn't mean to!"
"Then how'd your dress get on the floor?" Petric growled. "Stop talking. You're only making this worse."
Sal clamped her mouth shut, staggering as he shoved her through the door. Outside, in the cool dark air, he paused long enough for her to find her feet, then grabbed her arm again, this time touching skin. Images of soldiers around town flashed in her head.
Sal looked up at him. "I get it. I'm sorry for all of this."
"I wish it hadn't happened," he said, his voice still rough, his eyes scanning the darkness. "I don't want this to happen again."
"It won't," Sal promised, knowing that neither of them was talking about the act they were playing. "I promise, Petric."
"I believe you." His voice was almost kind.
He led her across the small town to a tiny wood cottage near the edge. Once inside, he completely dropped the act, sighing and rubbing at his bruised knuckles. Sal grabbed his hand and breathed out slowly, willing his body to heal faster, for his pain to fade away.
"Damn," he breathed. "I always wanted to believe the stories Zensa told me, but it seemed unreal."
"I'm real," Sal assured him.
"Yeah. Tell the other guy that I'm sorry. I don't really do a lot of fighting. Zensa said loud, and to hit him hard, and treat you like an Ace would his girl."
"You were great," Sal assured him. "Kolt's fine. He stepped into a few of those to get the most damage to his face."
"Why?"
She chuckled. "Hard to recognize him if he's swollen and bruised. He spent months with the Terran army."
"He converted?"
She shrugged. "He was Conglomerate. He's Anglian now. He was always loyal."
"A spy?" Petric asked, shocked.
"Yeah. That's what elites do."
He sighed and sank into a chair. "I'm just a farmer. I barely know which end of a sword's safe to hold. Zensa's the fighter in our house." He gestured for Sal to make herself comfortable. "It'll be a bit before your friend can make it here. I'm sorry you had to be left alone with someone like me."
