“I do not know why she fears you. She shouldn’t. You owe her great debt.”
“How so?”
“Three years ago? I released you on her orders, and then I returned to her.”
“You her guard dog? Got something going on there?” He would hate to have to kill this man, but the way the jealousy was eating at him, Marcos knew that it just might happen.
“She is my Dahn. I serve her as I am able.”
“Tell me, why she looks so ragged and unkempt? When last I saw her, she glowed with good health.” And she would again. As soon as he spoke with the healers and learned what he had to do to care for her. A male Dardaptoan had the right and responsibility for the keeping of his mate.
Marcos might have been a shitty catch for a Rajni but he for damned sure wasn’t going to let his Rajni down; not if he could help it.
“When last you saw her was the last night she glowed with good health. She almost died that night. At her brother’s hand.”
Marcos stopped walking. “How so? Spare no detail.”
“I will tell you all that she would tell you, and no more. Just know that her brother has put a price upon her head, for her daring to help the women of our tribe. The night you met her, she was trying to distract her brother long enough for these people she now leads to escape him and some of his men. She succeeded, but he nearly beat her to death, flayed the flesh from her body, in the process. She still feels agony at his actions. Ragner Amyenka is a dark sorcerer of strong skill, and he cursed her that night with wounds that will not heal until he is dead. So either that happens soon, or she will succumb soon. I do not know how it is that she has lived this long, save the fact that she possesses some skill as a healer.”
“And her body will not let her soul die, no matter how deep the physical pain.”
“That is what I have long suspected.”
“She is my female.”
“I know. I have known for three years.”
“How? I did not know until this eve.”
“Because three years ago when I carried her away from her brother’s city, all she could do was beg me to return to save her male. To save you. She does not remember doing so—she remembers so little of that night—but in her soul she knew what she was doing. She sacrificed you to save them. And she has grieved for you ever since. Do not hurt her, Marcos Adrastos. If you do, I will run you through without regret.”
Chapter 8
SHE didn’t want to wake up, she finally felt warm for once. But Lana had things that had to be done. She always did.
Her eyes opened.
She wasn’t in her little hut in the village.
And a woman sat beside her, rocking a small babe. A horned babe. Lana sat up as the events of the night before returned to her. “I…”
“Welcome back. How do you feel?” the woman asked.
“I am well.”
“I think we can both agree that you are not. But we will work on that.” The woman smiled. “I am Aureliana, by the way. Sister to Aodhan… and Marcos.”
“Marcos?”
“Your male. He sat with you last night, do you remember?”
She didn’t; she didn’t remember anything after she’d entered the castle. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Exhaustion seems to be the general consensus. Plus whatever was done to your back. Tell me about that.” There was something in the woman’s tone that made Lana comply.
“There isn’t much to tell. Three years ago, my brother found me helping his slaves and their children escape. He found me trying to help your brother as well. As an example to his men he had me flogged. And then he gave me to Pleius to kill. But Pleius didn’t. He carried me to my people, and then he returned to help your brother. We’ve been hiding from my brother ever since.”
The woman—Aureliana, Lana would try to remember that—wrapped one hand around Lana’s. Her skin glowed at the contact, and some of the pain that had plagued Lana for three years lessened. “That’s what I could do for now. The healers will do more when they are able.”
“Thank you.”
“It is a small gift I possess as a Laquazzeana.”
“Those are real?”
“Yes. We are. You’ll meet a few around this place. Look, I know you have been through much in too short a time, but that ends here. Your brother will be facing justice soon. There is a council for this type of thing. You will be safe. The women and children you lead will be as well.”
“We are so few, and he leads six thousand men. And he has vowed to kill us all. Even the littlest babe.” And he was so strong, so powerful. She had no real skill with which to fight him. How could she make these people understand that?
“And my male’s brother leads a world of seven million, seven million demons. And my Rajni leads the armies of this land. And even if you were not fated for my brother, we would offer you that protection. But you are my brother’s mate, are you not?”
Lana would not say it aloud. They may be fated to be together, but that didn’t mean that they should be. She’d lived without her Rajni for the last three years, why shouldn’t she be able to be without him forever?
The door behind Aureliana opened and there he was. His hair was wet and he was dressed in turquoise. He had that hasha with the strange black band wrapped around his forehead again. “You’re awake.”
What was she supposed to say to him?
“You need to eat.”
The woman stood. “Marcos, I’ll leave you two alone. I need to get ready for our new arrivals.”
“When will they be here?”
“Probably in a few hours. Aodhan wants to make a big showing; Nalik, as well.”
“Understood. I’ll have my tribe ready, as well.”
“This is going to be so much fun.”
“What about Clarion and Marous and the others? Any word?”
“They are in this batch incoming, too. It’ll be a fun day, brother. Very entertaining.”
“I guess you could call it that.” He patted his sister’s babe on the rump when she walked past him. The gesture surprised Lana; why would he do that? Most of the men she’d known in her life, except for Pleius and a few of the other warriors, showed little attention to children. That he’d done it so casually shocked her.
Then they were alone together for the first time. He sank down into the chair and looked at the table beside the bed. “You need to eat.”
She was hungry. No surprise, she’d been hungry for most of the last three years. “I…”
He held out a piece of bread. Lana took it. “Eat. Then we’ll talk.”
She took the reprieve while she tried to get her thoughts together. What was she supposed to do with him? To say?
He’d hand her something and she’d eat it. By the time she was finished, he’d have something else ready for her. Breads, fruits, cheeses. They tasted so delicious. When was the last time she’d had bread made from something other than the wild grains she and the other women had gathered from the forests? And she hadn’t had cheese in years.
Finally, she had to push the food away. “I can’t anymore.”
He stared at her for a moment. “You need to. You are thinner than you were. Too thin.”
Lana lowered her eyes. She knew what she looked like now; he didn’t have to point it out.
“That will change. You will never feel hunger again. I will ensure that.”
She looked up into his eyes. “I can take care of myself. I do not need you to provide anything for me.”
“Yes, you do. And it is my right to do so.” He grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips. He brushed a kiss across her palm. “Had I touched you three years ago, I never would have left Amyenka without you. I did not know that you were my mate. I wish to apologize for my idiocy.”
“I—I—left you. And I knew…” She’d abandoned her own Rajni. How could he bear to look at her?
“I know what happened to you, Lana. You are not to blame for anything. Your
brother is. And I give you my vow—he will be judged for all of his sins against our people, and against you.”
“No, he won’t. He’ll find a way. He always does. He killed my parents nine years ago. And I had two other half-brothers besides him. He’ll kill me, too. He’s already made the vow. No one can stop him.”
Chapter 9
HER whispered fears hurt him. Did she realize that? Marcos didn’t think it through, he just pulled her from the bed, blanket and all, and held her against his chest. “He will not harm you again. I’ll kill him myself, if that is what it takes.”
“Why?”
Why? Did she truly not understand the depth of what he felt for her? “Because it is my right to protect you. To care for you all of our days.”
A skinny arm slipped around his neck and she clung. Marcos closed his eyes as a rush of emotion deeper than anything he had ever felt hit him. He turned his head and there she was. His female, within kissing distance.
He brushed her lips with his, once, twice. She didn’t pull away, but he didn’t push for more.
He pulled back. Her cheeks turned red under her freckles.
Marcos had never seen anything sweeter.
Would she taste as sweet? He put one hand on the back of her head, the softness of her hair a definite contrast to the roughness of his palm. He pulled her closer. Marcos ran his lips over her neck, just in the spot where Dardaptoan females were the most sensitive.
His Rajni shivered, but she didn’t pull away.
He forced himself not to bare fangs and sink them deep into her neck. She couldn’t afford even a bit of blood loss, even to her mate.
But there was no reason she couldn’t feed from him.
He tilted his neck back, then guided her head toward his skin. “Take what you need, as it is my right to give it.”
She shook her head. “I—I’ve never… Always from a glass. I can’t… I don’t know how…”
Just how vulnerable she had been sickened him. “Come closer, Lana; your body will know what you need it to do.”
It took her a moment, but he finally felt the tiny pinpricks of feminine fangs sink into his skin. He closed his eyes at how it felt.
He’d fed people before, even women. Even his lovers—he was five hundred fifty-two years old, he’d not lived like an eunuch waiting on his Rajni. But feeding those females was nothing like what was happening to him now.
He stroked a hand down her side, murmuring encouragement. She started tentatively, then with more ferocity. His poor female had been starving, hadn’t she?
Finally, she got her fill, and pulled away. She wiped her mouth with one delicate hand. “I did not hurt you, did I?”
Hurt wasn’t exactly what he was feeling. Lust, hunger, determination to have her and soon.
But there was no way she was ready to know about those feelings. “Of course you did not. Anytime you thirst, I will provide.”
“I need to get up. I have to find my people. They will be scared, and looking for me to guide them.”
“They are my people now, as well. I hope they shall accept me.” He would rush nothing, of course. “At least as the mate of their Dahn.”
Fear hit her pretty yellow eyes. “What will happen to us all? Here in this world? How long will we be here?”
“I don’t know. I had only arrived a few hours before you, but I have learned much from my sister and her mate. And my brother.”
“What?”
How much should he tell her, burden her with? He hesitated.
“Truth, please.” Could she read him so easily already? He wasn’t certain how he felt about that.
“A war is coming, and there are threats that it will darken more than just our Gaian realm. We were brought here, to keep our people from the humans, as the war will be something that we may not be able to keep from the humans. We are gathering here, and in Levia, home of the gods. There will be many great battles. And I will probably be in some of them. I am an Adrastos and we are warriors.”
“And me?”
“You will be safe, I can promise you this. And if something were to happen to me, you are to continue on. I know you can, you have proven so. You will stay with my sister and sister-in-law, and they will be your family. But we shall most likely live for many thousands of more years, together. With our children and families.”
“In this world.”
“I think so. But it’s not so bad, I think. We should explore it together.”
**
Lana didn’t know what to think. He’d given her a few minutes to get showered and dressed. She’d found a set of clothing in the small bathroom, and the vestis and pardus had fit almost perfectly. She’d had to roll them up at the ankles, but that hadn’t surprised her. She knew she was short, compared to the rest of her Kind.
She brushed her hair quickly, and braided the unruly curls into two braids. A small pair of white sneakers, the kind humans favored, also waited, along with a pair of socks. She was grateful for the feel of new shoes—shoes without holes—around her feet. She’d lost sensation in a small bit of her left foot last winter from frostbite.
He waited for her. Her Rajni. He was alive, and he didn’t despise her.
She couldn’t wrap her thoughts around that.
He smiled when she came back into her small room. “You ready?”
“I think so.”
“Here.” He held out a bundle, and she recognized it as the hasha he’d worn around his waist. “I noticed you wear no color.”
“Why do you have this black here?”
“My father declared when I left his rule that I was not fit to wear the color of Adrastos, that I was cast out. So… the black signifies that dishonor.”
“Yet you sound proud of that.”
“I am, greatly so. My father is not one with whom I am glad to be tied.”
“But your sister doesn’t have this black band.”
“No, she wears turquoise in honor of my older brother’s branch. Our father forgot to disown him when he left one hundred years before I did. Aodhan’s tribe is far different from my father’s. And I think that Aodhan’s colors have darkened a bit since then. We shall see today. My father joins us soon. It should be interesting—he’s very demon prejudiced.”
“But isn’t your sister mated to—“
“A demon prince, of all things. Yeah, I know. It’s going to prove interesting, to say the least.” He grinned and Lana actually laughed. When was the last time she’d laughed?
She couldn’t remember.
“Where will my people live?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m not sure where my own will be, either. I don’t like the idea of joining a city of 200,000. I have fifteen hundred people in my tribe, and none of us are completely civilized.”
“How many children?”
“Two hundred and eight. We are mostly unmated warriors, though. We have a small number of children.”
“I have one hundred seventy eight children.”
“So together we have close to five hundred children. Maybe there is a small village area nearby where our people can grow together?”
“I will need to speak with my people. I do not know how they will feel about joining with another tribe. So many do not trust easily, especially trusting men.”
“I understand. Lana… you need to know, it is against the goddess’s laws to keep our females as concubines the way your brother did. What happened to them was abhorrent in the goddess’s eyes, too. You need to make it known to your people that he will feel the wrath for what he has done. Either mine—or the goddess’s, which is much more likely.”
“Then why did she let it go on for so long? He’s been raping and killing for nine years, probably more. It started with my mother. I think he hurt her too, before he killed her.”
“His own mother?”
“No. He was from my father’s mistress. My mother and father were mates, but my father wasn’t always a nice man, either. Ragner hated my mother, and
me. I have always known this. But he killed them both, and then he locked me away. For five years. It was just that last year that I was able to see what he was doing. And he was trying to make our people think I was crazy, and that was why he was ruling in my place. And then when I started helping the women he hurt, I learned of what he was really doing. I didn’t mean to leave you, you have to understand that. I just had to get my people time to get away. I never meant—“
He stopped her with one finger on her lips. “I know. And I know you did what you must to put your people above your own needs. That is the sign of a true leader, Lana. Quit feeling guilty for doing what you had to. I am safe and healthy and whole. And I am here with you now.” He tied the hasha around her waist, wrapping the length around her twice. “Let’s go figure this place out, ok? Then we’ll decide what to do about things later.”
**
It felt surreal as they walked through the castle. Lana hadn’t gotten a good look at it the night before, but now she took in every detail. It was beautiful, though it was obvious that it wasn’t in Gaia. The furnishings were different, older than what she was used to seeing, but of the greatest quality. There were at least a thousand rooms inside the huge structure, and there were people everywhere she turned. In all colors, and some even had horns—or fur.
“It looks like something out of a fairy tale.”
“Yep. And my sister is the princess, I guess. That is taking some serious getting used to.”
“She’s very nice. You look quite a bit like her. More than that other man does, Aodhan?”
“I suppose I do. He raised her, you know? Our parents dumped her off on him four hundred years ago. I accompanied them from South America to the US, then left myself. I couldn’t stand seeing how frightened that kid was, but I couldn’t keep a sixteen year old girl with me, either. I had my own men ready to go exploring; they were waiting for me to get back.”
“You feel guilty, don’t you?” She couldn’t conceive it—he’d cared about his sister, and he had to have been decades older than she’d been. Her brother—none of her brothers—had given a fig about her wellbeing. Not at all.
The Outcast Page 4
