“None of this was your fault,” he said, meaning it. “You did well today.” It galled him to admit it, but it was the truth. “You were a fantastic warrior tonight.”
“Thanks. None of it was Matesh’s fault either.”
“I’m not sure I can agree with that. You would have never been on that mission if it weren’t for him.” There was the game. Protect Matesh.
“I had always wanted to be in the Company. Always. The first mission went sour, and it happens. You all had lost members before. But you came for me, we’re all getting out. It’s going to be fine. I’m fine.”
Zayden said nothing, just grabbed his son to him and held him. As they sailed away from the Empire, he just held on to his boy. You damned boy. I’m going to strangle you one day, damn it. I swear.
“I’m too young to lose you,” he quietly reminded his son. He wasn’t even two thousand. He wasn’t even close to half done with his life and here he was, constantly worried about his overly passionate son who could turn into a damn wyvern. He saw heart attacks in his future, like he always did. “You’re too young to die on me. You’re all I have left of her; don’t forget that.”
“I know.” Rainev pulled back. “Thank you for saving Mave. She’s great when you get to know her, when she’s not bottling up and hiding. She can get snarky, with a dry wit. I told her to mind the business end of a chimera and she asked me which one. It was hilarious. She has no patience for stupid, but when she cares…it’s amazing. It just takes time.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” He hadn’t had much of a chance to see this female that Rain and Mat knew. He genuinely hoped he would. She seemed interesting compared to the ones he’d known so far. Considering he’d just jumped into the ocean after her, he’d be damned if he didn’t get to know her now.
Considering she was a member of the fucking family.
“She’s just been really unsure of this and everyone.”
“I know,” he agreed. He could tell now. He’d also now seen her with a sword, though, and that was terrifying. Exceptional, really. She really shined when she was in combat, that much was certain. “Rain, you can stop trying to sell her to me. I don’t dislike her. You picked a fine female for a big sister. That’s why I wasn’t going to let her die on you. You don’t die on me, and I’ll do my best to make sure that you can keep her like a damned lost puppy. All right?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Rain grinned. The grin didn’t make it to his eyes. His eyes held secrets and pain.
“Go check on her,” he ordered.
Rain was an adult, certainly. He could decide on his own, but he was also young enough to still be the boy, the son, the nephew. He was happy and loving, his heart too big. They all looked out for him, not ready for the real world to shatter him yet. Rain walked inside, and he stood out on the deck a moment longer.
Zayden didn’t want to say anything about the darkness he was beginning to see in Rain’s eyes. He knew some of his son’s recent gleefulness had been an act. It worried him, but he knew that if his son didn’t come to him to talk, he would go to any of the others and it would be okay. He hoped.
He hoped even more that Mave would continue to be there for Rainev as well. Zayden didn’t only save her because she was important to his son. He saved her because he knew she saved Rain. He only hoped she continued to do so, because he felt only she could really understand the darkness he was beginning to see in his boy’s eyes.
32
Alchan
“You made a blood bond with her,” he said, groaning as he fell into the chair. Alchan couldn’t believe it. He really couldn’t. “We won’t be getting rid of her now.”
“It wasn’t about that. I was telling the truth when I said it was the only way to save her, since I didn’t know the art of what had been done to her. I know of it, but not a way to deal with it through sorcery. The blood bond was the first thing I could think of.” Luykas sounded exhausted. He didn’t blame him; he was exhausted too. This mission had them living on scraps in the woods, waiting, hiding, as they gathered information, and the last day had been a nonstop nightmare, a run for escape.
“I know. I’m not saying you were trying to keep her by doing it, but…we can’t just leave her in a village now. She’ll have the urge to be close to you and you close to her. There’s no way to deal with that. You’ll be distracted unless you know where she is, and she won’t be able to concentrate on anything having to do with making a new life or fitting in.” He was just trying to get his brother to understand what he was saying. He didn’t want to outright say it. Dawn had come up before he’d been willing to sit down and have this conversation. His men had needed tending first. He’d needed tending, thanks to the long cut on his thigh.
“I know all of those things. Stop trying to make me understand what I did. I know what I did. I’m a fully trained Blackblood, Alchan, not an idiot.”
“No…” He leaned back in his chair. “She’s an exceptional warrior who will now need to stay close to you, within a few clicks, at least. Matesh and Rain would have never been okay with just dumping her off somewhere, that much is obvious. Zayden saved her life…”
Don’t make me say it, you prick. You know where I’m going with this.
“She should join the Company. Are you admitting she should join the Company?”
“Yes,” he mumbled angrily.
“Say that again. Louder this time.”
Damn the Skies and my fucking brother. “She should join the Company. She’s a warrior. We have all the resources available to teach her about the Andinna. She’s close to some of our members already, and she’s now blood bonded with you. She should join the Company. She wouldn’t fit in with a village even if we tried to leave her in one.”
“I thought so.” Luykas laughed weakly. “She won’t be awake for a few hours yet. Her mind is weak from the invasion, and the blood bond didn’t help that.”
“Do you know who did it? Who got in her?”
“No.”
Luykas was a bad liar, but Alchan didn’t press. His brother had his reasons for secrets, too many of them, but none that he felt worthy of distrust. Life had never been easy for him, being half-Elvasi, born from the betrayal of a male against his wife, breeding outside the mayara. Alchan’s mother had been the one their father had betrayed. Then his brother spent nearly his first hundred years being raised by the Elvasi, until their father and General Lorren found out about him.
It was the General who cared enough to take him out of Elliar and to Anden. Their father had been a heartless bastard about it. He and Luykas had never gotten along. Alchan had stepped away from his father for it, choosing Luykas instead.
“We should ask how everyone feels about it,” he said decisively, not wanting to let his mind wander too far into the past.
“They’re all asleep. We should be, too.”
“You know I can’t sleep after a battle like that. Did you see Rainev? He really proved himself last night. He’s magnificent.” Alchan had been blown away. It only felt like yesterday when the young male had been a boy, turning into a wyvern the size of a hound. Now he was fully grown, and it was something to see - all that deep blue coloring, massive wings, and large sapphire eyes. Then the fire. Hell-hot. It had melted the enemy soldiers.
It gave him chills to consider what Rain could do in a real battle, on fields over armies.
“Don’t think of pulling that out too often in our plans. His father would kill us in our sleep if we become dependent on Rain’s shifted form, and I don’t blame him. The Empire does have spear mounts that will kill him and we don’t want them to start hauling those around commonly.”
“It’s a good pocket play, though. Something to bring out in desperate situations. Last night, it gave us the clear advantage on the water. No one had been prepared.”
They both had a good point about it. It was why they worked together and did so even when they argued. The General had taught them to stick together, saying as a team they ha
d a near perfect military mind. They each approached situations differently, thanks to their different upbringings and personalities.
“Moving on. What do you think of her? Really, brother. She had every reason to call you out and challenge you on the river. You’re lucky I saved you from being overthrown by her. She would have won.”
He pursed his lips, thinking about his answer. He hadn’t put much thought into what he thought of her. She was uneducated, but not stupid. She could learn; she just had catching up to do. Lots of slaves did, in different ways. She was strong with a sword, and that’s where she was most confident. Obvious. In other situations, she was quiet, and seemed very thoughtful. She watched, listened, and learned. She also had a streak of insecurity that couldn’t be denied. It made her seem shy, but he figured that would change.
It was her dominance that bothered him. He was dominant by nature as well, much more dominant than many expected from him, or even was acceptable sometimes. As she grew more secure in herself, he knew the challenges would only continue to come if things didn’t get settled.
He also knew they wouldn’t need settling and fixing if he hadn’t been a royal ass to her. He’d taken his frustration with the entire situation out on her, an easy target. He was going to have to grovel, which pissed him off, but she was the female and she’d called him out in front of everyone.
“She’s fine. It’ll take some adjustment for me to handle having a dominant female around. Well, a dominant warrior female. One that I’ll have to be around constantly, unlike the females we deal with in the villages, where I don’t need to see them for months on end. Andinna women always run fairly dominant, I know, but she’s going to get under my skin sometimes, being around and under my feet.”
“She seems to follow orders well. She knew she was out of her depth and listened when we directed her.” His brother was diplomatic. “The only time she challenged you was when you poked at her personally. It wasn’t over your military capabilities or your leadership, but your behavior.”
“I’m certain she and I can work together professionally.” Once he threw himself down at her feet and begged forgiveness for his attitude. That was going to take some time. He hadn’t appreciated her insult, comparing him to the males she’d known in the pits. That had pissed him off, really, but it had also put his behavior in perspective. He’d felt rightfully shamed by it.
“Good. I’m getting some sleep now.” Luykas lay on his stomach, letting his wings fall out to the sides.
“The room isn’t big enough for that. Tuck those things in like a good soldier.”
“Go away and let me sleep,” his brother mumbled. “I did way too much magic in the last day thanks to you.”
Alchan growled and walked out of the room. His own wings needed a stretch anyway. They had spent weeks not flying since they had been in the Empire. He went above deck and found Brynec, rubbing his shoulder.
“How did the removal go?” he asked, knowing Bryn had gotten a barbed arrow to his shoulder. With the stab wound and the stitches in his arm, their rogue had taken a beating in his old home as a slave.
“Good. Pirates know what they’re about. It’s sore, still open, but I haven’t been able to sleep yet. You know.”
“You never sleep,” Alchan said, chuckling. He sat on the crate with Bryn and watched the sun continue to climb over the ocean around them. “Luykas and I want to extend an invitation for her to join the Company.”
“Aye, good idea.” Bryn shrugged. “She’s a strong arm with a sword and listened. She’s already got centuries of experience in combat. No reason to say no, really.”
“Of course.” Alchan had actually been hoping some of them would say no, so that he could still find some way out of this. The only thing he’d been able to think of to get her off their team was that the Empress would always be hunting her. That changed nothing, though, since the Empress was always hunting all of them. “Bringing her on will cut into your pay.”
“You know what else will cut into my pay? Havin’ to go to where she’s staying so Luykas doesn’t lose his mind from a blood bond over a vast distance, or so she doesn’t.”
“Fuck.” His tail twitched with agitation. He couldn’t control it. He knew it was inevitable, but he hoped one of them would have a good reason to say no that made sense. Bryn was the easiest, he’d figured. Apparently not.
He also knew that if he hadn’t thought of it yet, or Luykas, then there was probably no stopping it either. He kept watching the water, and after the sun began to rise high, he looked at Bryn and noticed the male had fallen asleep sitting up. He elbowed him and Bryn groaned. “You can’t stay out here to sleep; you’ll get a sunburn.”
“Fine,” the rogue moaned, standing up. “I’m going to pass out.”
“Good.” Alchan had a feeling he wouldn’t. Bryn hated sleeping inside something. It reminded him too much of captivity, unable to see the sky. He wondered if Mave would have the same issue. It would have to be something to look out for.
At that, he realized he was doomed to have this female on his team. He was already thinking of her issues like he did his men.
General, you better be happy. We have your daughter.
He tried to push down the guilt that he hadn’t sooner. He thought other things had been more important. He’d had priorities, important ones. His men and people needed him. The General would understand.
He had a title hanging over him that meant he had to care for as many as he could, not just one - not even his favorite man’s daughter.
33
Mave
Mave woke up slowly, confused and dazed by where she was. The rocking of the ship begged her to go back to sleep, but she resisted as she pushed herself up. She’d been sleeping on her stomach. She never did that. It was the most comfortable way to sleep as an Andinna, but she’d never felt safe sleeping that way.
She was alone in the cabin, which had two beds, much like the room on the boat had. There was no sign anyone else had even been in the cabin with her.
The first thing she thought about was the fact that she was alive. Someone had jumped in after her, that much was certain. If she’d been captured, she would be in a cage on her way to Elliar, not in a ship, unrestrained.
They saved me. They stopped me from…killing myself.
The second thing she thought about was the strange tugging sensation in her chest. She didn’t understand it, but it felt better than the stabbing pain the Empress had put her through. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, just a tiny tug that wanted her to follow. She hadn’t noticed it immediately upon waking up, it was so small.
The third thing she thought about was her nudity. Someone had undressed her. For some reason, that didn’t freak her out. She had none of the telltale soreness of being used in any way. They must have wanted her out of the wet clothing.
She stood up slowly, stretching to test herself. Arms, legs, back, tail, one by one. The only thing she didn’t stretch was her wings, remembering what happened every time she tried. She saw clothing on the other bed and was thankful it was loose-fitting breeches and a shirt. She wasn’t ready for more armor. She wasn’t ready for more swords, more fighting.
The door opened as she finished getting dressed. She’d expected Matesh, but instead, it was Luykas. “Mave,” he greeted her softly, closing the door behind him.
That strange tug in her chest wanted her to step closer to him. She didn’t. She had a moment of worry that he’d spelled her again. “Luykas. How long have I been asleep and what do you need?” She cut straight to the chase.
“Dinner is going on. I felt you wake up and decided we needed to talk.”
“You…felt me.” She said that carefully, testing it.
“Your mind was invaded, and you threw yourself overboard to stop it.”
“How…” He knew. She tilted her head, wondering how.
“Zayden told me how he saw you. I know the signs of a forced mental connection caused by sorcery. Good thinking, by th
e way, trying to kill yourself to stop it, since it was the only way you could have fought against it. Unluckily, none of us were really okay with you dying, so Zayden went in after you and we got you back on the ship.”
“It’s gone now. If killing myself was the only way and I’m obviously alive, how did it stop?”
“You ask all the right questions,” he said quietly, sitting down on the free bed. She looked at his pure white wings, folding at a joint to accommodate the way he sat on the bed. His wings were so flexible, to be able to do that. Hers felt rigid in comparison, tucked against her back and refusing to move. “I don’t know the sorcery. It’s a dark art, and I’ve never touched those. I did something stupid and you can hate me for it.”
“What did you do?” The words were whispered and already, she felt something angry curling in her chest.
“I formed a blood bond between us. I’m strong enough to feel an invasion like what she tried and block it. You’re not. Now I’m protecting you and forced her out of your head for you. We’ve gotten enough distance that she won’t be able to do it again, but if you ever step foot in the Empire again, she’ll probably try again.”
“You know…”
“Yes, I know it was the Empress. She was…incredibly unhappy with what I did.”
“What does a blood bond entail?” She didn’t really want to talk about the Empress, and she had a feeling she was going to be unhappy with him too.
“Do you feel the pull? The further we are away from each other, the stronger it’ll grow, until it becomes painful. Too far away and the pain will be enough to stop us from basic tasks, and if it’s that bad for long enough, drive us mad.” He took a deep breath. “It was the only thing I could think of. The only thing.”
“What else?” she demanded, crossing her arms. There was more, there had to be, and what had already been said made her upset. They couldn’t be apart now. She was tied to him through their blood.
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